When the search ends – musings from Kruger
A morning safari at Kruger evokes the question: What if animals thought as humans did? Continue reading When the search ends – musings from Kruger
Category: Conservation
Slumbering Giants – Northern Elephant Seals of Point Reyes
Epiphany on wandering into a gentlemen’s club of sexually exhausted Northern Elephant Seals on a beach in Point Reyes Continue reading Slumbering Giants – Northern Elephant Seals of Point Reyes
Photos: Thinking deep on World Oceans Day
June 8 is World Oceans Day. To those who live along the coastlines of the world, the effects of climate change are more noticeable than ever. Those who walk their dogs by the seafront every day, and those who enter the water to commune with the ocean, those who watch the skies above the water as it reflects the change of seasons… they know that it is not merely we who are changing, but the our actions that have caused what seem like changes too far-reaching to reverse. A Green Ogre photo-feature Continue reading Photos: Thinking deep on World Oceans Day
Osman Sagar – A Flamingo Oasis in Hyderabad
On a hot summer morning we went looking for the famed flamingo flock of Osman Sagar. And came across a treasure trove of birds Continue reading Osman Sagar – A Flamingo Oasis in Hyderabad
Krithi Karanth’s dream to re-wild India – we second!
Every now and then I delight in a moment where I can introduce my daughter to something alive and wild — the birth of a butterfly, a sisterhood of elephants, the jawbone of a monitor lizard, the nest of a carpenter bee, the bill of a pelican, the colour of a fruit bat’s fur, the proud puff of a baby cobra’s hood… And when I meet parents who, like me, revel in the moment they introduce their own children to these fast diminishing joys of nature, I can sense their wonder and share their delight. And rest, at least for a wink, in the comfort that our tribe will increase. Thanks to Krithi Karanth for this innervating talk about her dream to re-wild India. Watch, share and teach your children well. Continue reading Krithi Karanth’s dream to re-wild India – we second!
Remembering Roger Tory Peterson
Every time you thumb through a field guide to nature, say a little prayer to Roger Tory Peterson. His path-breaking field guides breathed life into birding. Continue reading Remembering Roger Tory Peterson
Encounter: Shortwing or Blue Robin?
Shortwing or Blue Robin? When you see eye to eye with a bird for the first time and don’t know what to call it, just watch. Taxonomy be damned! Continue reading Encounter: Shortwing or Blue Robin?
Wanted – Tiger-friendly ID cards for tourists!
The wildlife resort business in India, modeled on African game safaris, has taken off in the last decade, and tiger reserves have been under the most pressure to entertain their guests. And it has been the beholden duty of these businesses to stuff into eco-sensitive zones vanfuls of tourists who pay stiff fees to enjoy intimate encounters with the big cats and who, sadly, almost always miss the forest for the trees, and the other joys that the forest inevitably offers. What makes this any more than trophy hunting, albeit in a modern sense? Continue reading Wanted – Tiger-friendly ID cards for tourists!
All is not well with Alleppey
The Vembanad Lake in Alleppey, once praised by Lord Curzon as the “Venice of the East”, is a Ramsar Wetland and a Birdlife Important Bird Area. But those tags have not stopped greedy and exploitative tour operators from turning it into a sickening playground of hooligans and a dumping ground for trash. Here’s a horror story that will turn Stephen King’s stomach. Continue reading All is not well with Alleppey
Nominate a warrior for the Kumble Foundation – Jumbo Wildlife Awards
It takes more than eco-tourism or tokenism to save the tiger. Improving the lot of conservation’s foot-soldiers can be a good start. Forest officer Prabhu Swamy at one of the best-maintained anti-poaching camps in Bandipur, supported by the Jumbo Foundation. … Continue reading Nominate a warrior for the Kumble Foundation – Jumbo Wildlife Awards