Water conservation

Published in the June issue of Sustainuance (http://www.sustainuance.com/)

This is something we all come across in every office building, workplace and corporate house. I have never understood why bottled water is regarded as somewhat of a 'status symbol' and treated as a pre-requisite for any conference, meeting or event, in spite of the availability of drinking water otherwise in most office buildings. I also know people who would not address a running faucet simply because it isn't their property! According to a study by the EPA, letting your faucet run for five minutes uses as much energy as running a 60 watt light bulb for fourteen hours! Wouldn't it be wiser to look at water and energy efficiency as a long-term strategy for not only eco-friendliness but also a cost-effective solution; rather than spending needlessly on bottled water for every event your company hosts?

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Wild vs Man

While on one hand, Discovery Channel propagates the message of conservation, airing beautiful and inspiring wildlife documentaries, on the other hand it encourages mindless brutality through shows like 'Man vs Wild' in the guise of teaching survival tips. In one of his absolutely repelling recent clips, Grylls flushes out bats from a cave suing smoke, and batters them to death with a makeshift club, referring to his 'sport' as bat tennis. It wouldn't be wrong to call the makers of this show environmental terrorists.

Boycott Bear Grylls. Sign the petition here- https://www.change.org/petitions/the-discovery-channel-stop-showing-videos-of-bear-grylls-mutilating-killing-and-eating-innocent-animals?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=32024&alert_id=wSYhOuWlHB_CLQtbeQQEy

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The Indian National Animal

15th August is the Indian Independence Day. The Tiger isn't called India's animal 

for nothing. A careful look at its hide and its habitat will reveal that within them lie all

the colours of our national flag- saffron, white, green and blue (represented by the numerous Indian rivers originating from and flowing through tiger habitats). Gives us all the more reason to do 

our best to protect this charismatic cat from extinction, does it not?

This cartoon was a result of Tinkle Digest asking me to do an Independence Day themed cartoon, and was published in their August 2013 issue-

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

RIP, Zafar Futehally

Zafar Futehally, one of India's first ornithologists, secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society and founder of the Newsletter for Birdwatchers, passed away today. Read more about him on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zafar_Futehally and in this interview of him by eminent Indian birder, Bikram Grewal- http://www.kolkatabirds.com/zafarinterview.htm

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Polar bears and Climate Change

Polar Bear International recently released this  picture and a report of a polar bear corpse found in such a malnourished state that it resembled a rug. 

This is not only a sign that bears are in serious trouble, but also a climate change alarm. Polar bears depend on sea ice for making successful seal hunts, and the loss of sea ice obviously means that they have to starve until conditions are conducive for hunting. Read the report here- http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/news-room/scientists-and-explorers-blog/viewing-polar-bears-svalbard-2013

Copyrights for the picture- Dr. Ian Stirling (http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/science/polar-bear-scientists/dr-ian-stirling)

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

How to scare a shark- Shark Week 2013

Although shark finning is carried out almost worldwide, China can safely be called the hub of the trade as the demand for shark fins for fin soup and traditional medicine is increasing alarmingly in China and its territories. The removal of the fin from the body of the shark renders it unable to swim and hunt, and the animal drowns to an extremely painful death. Recent statistics have reported India and Indonesia to be the leaders among shark-finning countries. 

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Shark Week 2013

Shark Week begins tomorrow. More shark cartoons will be coming up shortly.

And for some glamour on my blog, here's a picture of the beautiful Chemudupati Samyukta of the Humane Society International, India with a print of my Whale Shark poster :) Samyukta is campaigning actively against shark-finning in Indian coasts.