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(August 02, 2019) As I looked at my first Rhinoceros in the wild, overwhelmed with joy, I wondered if this one was born in Manas, or among those brought in from Kaziranga and Pobitora. Since the 1990’s when there were no Rhinos left in Manas, to 2019, with a stable population on the rise, the national park seems safe and sound for these species. The Indian Rhino Vision began Rhino translocation in Manas with 18 Rhinos in 2008 and 8 more were moved by the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation. ...

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(July 29, 2019) From the science of its ecology to the emotions it evokes, the tiger has captured the attention of most of us. On World Tiger Day, an ode to the national animal.Pondering recently on the fate of our national animal, the tiger - beaten by mobs, shot down to avert human deaths and knocked down by vehicles - I revisited Ang Lee’s film of Life of Pi, as also a novel Tigers in Red Weather by Ruth Padel. What did they tell me on International Tiger Day?Yann Martel’s Richard Parker is one o...

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(July 19, 2019) Ashwini Ramesh shares notes from her interactions and learning from physicist-cum-naturalist Ramana Athreya, credited with the discovery of a rare and critically endangered bird.“..and this is Planet Earth” echoed David Attenborough. I sat transfixed as I watched the beautiful male bird-of-paradise perform its mating dance ritual. In my eighteen years of education, I had never been exposed to ecology – not like this.In India, Ecology was conflated with Environmental Sciences. S...

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(July 09, 2019) Written by Gajendra Singh S“For as the eyes of bats are to the blaze of day, so is the reason in our soul to the things which are by nature most evident of all”- Aristotle Naked-rumped tomb bat (Taphozous nudiventris) roostingThar Desert is one of the most arid environments on earth. This region of rolling sand hills and home of the Great Indian Bustard’s, experiences seasons of sweltering heat, with the temperature rising up to 50oC in the summer months and biting cold wi...

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(July 03, 2019) MEET OUR STAFF: Dr. Vidya AthreyaHer work on leopard ecology has helped bring a new dimension to understanding human-wildlife conflict.Setting up a camera trapA woman in a male-dominated field of large cat biology, Dr Vidya Athreya, is the only one of her kind to be featured in a popular Indian film on wildlife ecology. The Marathi film ‘Ajoba’ is the only one made in the country where a real wild leopard is the protagonist. Vidya pays the leopard “the most adaptable of all cat...

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(June 25, 2019) The life of Yamuna and her son has been positively impacted thanks to the Karnataka BankWritten by Anisha IyerThe life Yamuna has lived has been nothing short of challenging. Her family has been residing for 15 years in theKerekatte Range of the Kudremukh National Park.Yamuna first moved into the national park after getting married to her husband, Sona. They had four children, two from Sona’s previous marriage and two of their own. Together they worked as unskilled labourers ( farm labor )...

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(June 11, 2019) From freeing a snake caught in a snare, to witnessing a sparring match between a leopard and pack of dholes, to startling a pair of tiger cubs, Satish Nagathan regales with real tales from the Andhra-Telangana landscape.ಪಶ್ಚಿಮ ಘಟ್ಟಗಳ ಮಾಯಾಲೋಕದಿಂದ ಪೂರ್ವ ಘಟ್ಟಗಳ ಬಂಡೆಗಾಡುಗಳವರೆಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಪಯಣ..ಗತಿಸಿಹೋದ ಘಟನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮೆಲಕು ಹಾಕುತ್ತ..ಸತೀಶ ಗಣೇಶ ನಾಗಠಾಣ.ಮುಂದುವರೆದ ಭಾಗ...ಬೆಟ್ಟ ಹತ್ತಿ ಬಂದಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ಸಿಕ್ಕಾಪಟ್ಟೆ ದಣಿವು ಆಗಿತ್ತು. ನನಗಂತು ವಿಪರೀತ ನೋವು ಕಾಲುಗಳನ್ನ ಅತ್ತಂದಿತ್ತ ಎತ್ತಿ ಇಡಲು ಹರಸಾಹಸ ಪಡುತಿದ್ದೆ. ಒಂದು ದಿನ ವಿಶ್ರಾಂತಿ ಪಡೆಯಬೇಕೆ...

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(June 05, 2019) Between weeds, untreated sewage and commercial prawn culture, Chilika lake has had its bit of a struggle for survival. On World Environment Day, we take a look at its journey.Written by Vishal RasalChilika Lake © Ashwinee PatiLong ago, long before the history we know, mountains were believed to have wings. They could fly at the speed of the mighty eagle. Filled with pride they started harassing birds. The birds then went to Indra, the king of the Gods, and complained against the mountains. ...

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(May 28, 2019) A unique island of biodiversity within the bustling Mumbai city, the SGNP is a study in so many contrasts.IUCN estimates that there are 1,300 species of plants, more than 150 species of butterflies, around 40 varieties of snakes and mammals and more than 250 species of birds here at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai.A national park or an urban city park? A tough answer to give after a brief visit to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali in Mumbai. The place looks much like Bangalore&...

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(May 21, 2019) Pulled in for an emergency, a field biologist finds a scalpel thrust into her hands and told to extract pieces of the intestine and lung tissues from the carcass of a dead tigress for the pathology tests.Written by Priya RanganathanFive-thirty in the morning is far too early for a telephone call.I cracked open an eyelid and picked up the buzzing mobile from the bedside table. “Hello?”“Madam, get up, you have duty,” replied the voice of the office driver, Javed Bhai.I...

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