Why the Dolphin Smiles

Earlier this month on a visit to Hong Kong over an assignment, I took a trip with WWF to the fishing village of Tai O. While the trip yielded my first dolphin sightings in the wild (the Chinese White Dolphin, a race of the Indo-Pacific Humpbacked Dolphin, for which the Pearl River Delta in Hong Kong is one of the last remaining strongholds); a very special moment for me, I also happened to witness a rather jolting sight- that of a dead infant.

Infant mortality for dolphins has been on the rise in the Pearl Delta, because of the rising level of pollutants in the water, that go on to accumulate in and contaminate the milk of dolphins nursing their pups. Seeing that smiling face on a dead body has been one of the most disturbing moments for me in nature. Being one of the world's busiest ports, Hong Kong's polluted waters are already largely devoid of natural marine resources, posing a critical threat to the population of Chinese White Dolphins. 

The situation for Indo-pacific Humpbacks in India is not any better, with boat traffic, pollution, over-fishing, and noise threatening their existence. The comic appears in my column with Mid-Day today. This one's for you, baby dolphin.

Wildlife Along Indian Rivers

It's World River Day tomorrow. Indian rivers aren't ours alone to exploit and manipulate. Scores of endangered animals depend on them, and are at stake if ill-conceived projects like river-linking are undertaken. Find out which species are associated with Indian rivers in this series of illustrations.

The series first appeared on Nature in Focus. Prints of the compilation can be purchased on my webstore here. 

For orders within India, you can mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. The prices are listed below-

A0 size (841 x 1189 mm, matte)- Rs. 3500 for the first print, 3000 for the second print onwards.

A0 size (841 x 1189 mm, canvas)- Rs. 5000 for the first print, 4500 for the second print onwards.

A1 size (594 x 841 mm, matte)- Rs. 3000 for the first print, 2500 for the second print onwards.

A1 size (594 x 841 mm, canvas)- Rs. 4500 for the first print, 4000 for the second print onwards.

(Note that these are minimal representations, and do not enumerate all animals inhabiting the respective river basins. For a more detailed wildlife map, visit http://www.greenhumour.com/2015/10/the-wildlife-map-of-india.html)

Germany's first wild bison shot dead

A European Bison that had entered the German border was shot dead by authorities. The animal is believed to be the first wild bison to have roamed Germany in 250 years! WWF in Germany will be filing a lawsuit against the official who passed the order to shoot the beast.