Uttarakhand Burning- A National Emergency

The forests of Uttarakhand have been set on fire by the timber mafia (report here). A nexus of timber black marketers and villagers has been unearthed. Please spread the word and request immediate intervention by the government. Follow updates from Uttarakhand on this Facebook page.

You can download a high resolution image here-

Sarus Wedding Ballet Trainers

Sarus Cranes- the best ballet trainers in the country! The cartoon appears on my Gocomics page today. Happy World Dance Day!

Illustrations for BNHS Merchandise

I illustrated a couple of wildlife caricatures for BNHS' apparel and merchandise store- the Lesser Florican and the One-horned Rhino. The t-shirts and merch are available via BNHS.

To Let- Woodpecker Hole

Did you know that secondary cavity nesters like parakeets, mynas, owls, rollers and several other birds depend on woodpeckers for nesting sites? These birds compete for and occupy woodpecker holes to breed. So if you have good populations of any of these birds around where you live, you know which bird to thank!

The cartoon appears on my Gocomics page today.

Cetaceans of Sindhudurg

I illustrated a booklet, 'Cetaceans of Sindhudurg' last year for the Konkan Cetacean Research Team, which is out now. Thanks to the KCRT for working with me over this fun booklet that gives you all information in a nutshell about the diversity and life of Sindhudurg's whales, dolphins and porpoises. The booklet has also been translated into Marathi.

Happy Earth Day Anyway

From my Gocomics page today.

Critically Endangered Birds of India

Did you know that 15 of the 1300+ bird species found in India are critically endangered? And among these, two are already presumed extinct? Here is a map that shows you where these fifteen occur or have been spotted in the past- the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, the Great Indian Bustard, the White-bellied Heron, the Pink-headed Duck, the Baer's Pochard, the Jerdon's Courser, the Forest Owlet, the Sociable Lapwing; the White-backed, Red-headed, Long-billed and Slender-billed Vultures; the Bugun Liocichla, the Bengal Florican and the Himalayan Quail. If you're an ornithologist on a re-discovery mission, my best wishes to you for finding the Pink-headed Duck and the Himalayan Quail!

I have only been able to spot 7 of these 15 species so far. How about you?

The map and the artwork are available as posters in the following sizes-
A1 poster (594 x 841mm)- Rs. 1800 each
A2 poster(419 x 594mm)- Rs. 1200 each   A3 poster- Rs. 500 for the first copy, Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Fridge Magnets (65 x 65 mm, Printed in sets of 4)- Any 4 birds for Rs. 1200

Coasters (3.5" x 3.5", Printed in sets of 6)- Any 6 birds for Rs. 800

Coffee Mug (Compilation)- Rs. 850

Personal Diary (Hard Cover, A5, 150 pages)- Rs. 800

The orders can be placed by e-mailing me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. For orders outside of India, you can purchase a whole range of goodies including t-shirts, laptop skins, bags and more from my Redbubble store.

Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints

So, who's the Bigfoot? The cartoon appears on my Gocomics page today, and is also the cover for my exhibition that I'm doing this week in Hyderabad, called 'Pugmarks and Carbon Footprints'.

The display of 54 cartoons on wildlife conservation and sustainability is being conducted at the Hamburg Hall in association with Goethe Zentrum Hyderabad, and opens on the evening of 15th April at 6.30pm. If you're in Hyderabad, drop in and say hello! Join the event on Facebook here.

An Ode to the Forest Guard

A little tribute to the forest guards of India, who in spite of being away from their families and civilization, with abysmal and untimely salaries, inadequate rations, minimal facilities and perilous routines continue to patrol our forests, risking their lives to protect our natural heritage every day.

The comic appears in my weekend column with BL-ink today.

Vulture Make-up

The bald heads of vultures help them keep clean and infection-free, when feeding on decaying carcasses. This one's from my Gocomics page today.

Get trash off our menu

I illustrated an infographic on garbage for the Nature Science Initiative run by scientists Soumya Prasad and Raman Kumar. The infographic derives its data from NSI's research on garbage dumping around the nature reserves of Kumaon.

Dolphin Melon

The melon in dolphins and other Odontocetes (toothed whales) is a mass of adipose tissue located in the forehead. It acts as a sound lens, modulating and focusing sounds used in echolocation.

The comics appears on my Gocomics page today.

Bleached Barrier Reef

In what the Australian media has aptly described as a "global tragedy", scientists have been reporting mass bleaching from the world's largest coral reef system. The event has been acknowledged as the reef's worst bleaching episode in history, that will have irreversible effects on marine life. 

The cartoon appears on my Gocomics page today. More on the news here.