Elephant Conflict in Orissa

Odisha's pachyderms are in trouble. In the outskirts of Bhuwaneshwar, habitat loss has driven a herd of elephants out of its shrunken forests, wandering through rural areas in search of forest patches for food and shelter. As the elephants move about, mobs of men emerge from these areas, harassing, abusing and provoking the herd with sticks, stones. First hand reports say that these men are not acting in self-defense or to protect crops from damage (as there are no standing crops or homesteads in the area), but for mere amusement. The adults in the herd are forced to stand guard for the young, often resulting in dangerous encounters. The situation is alarming, both for elephants and people.

Sanctuary Asia has initiated a campaign 'Giant Refugees' urging Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to intervene. You can join the campaign by doing the following-

Share the link to the campaign video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwfLDIcP7fE&feature=youtu.be) with Shri. Naveen Patnaik, the Chief Minister of Odisha. Ask him to take urgent action to protect the refugee elephants of Athgarh by:

* Directing police intervention to control mobs so that the elephants are allowed undisturbed passage.

* Setting up a task force to effect the restoration of the Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary, and to secure and revive its corridors to the Kapilas Wildlife Sanctuary and the Satkosia landscape in the state.

Send him an email at: cmo@nic.in

With a copy to: editorial@sanctuaryasia.com

And

Tweet to him @Naveen_Odisha with the hashtag #GiantRefugees.

The Saiga Antelope

A comic on the Saiga Antelope of Central Asia, from my column with Mid-Day.

The Himalayan Jumping Spider

Meet the world's highest resident, the Himalayan Jumping Spider! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

An Ecologist's Guide to Choosing a Mate

Ecologists, here is your ultimate guide to finding yourself the right mate! The comic appears in my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Prints available on my webstore here. (For orders within India, mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com).

Stone mining in Banerghatta National Park

Banerghatta National Park near Bangalore (Karnataka, South India) is under severe and imminent threat from illegal stone crushing and mining. Banerghatta offers sanctuary to elephants, leopards, sloth bears, a wide variety of bird life in addition to several reptiles and amphibians, which is now at stake, as most of these quarries operate within the notified eco-sensitive zone.

Conservation India has launched an online campaign to urge action to save Banerghatta. Add your voice by signing up for the campaign here. 

The comic appears on my column with The Hindu Bl-ink today.

The Wildlife Map of Bhutan

(Click on the image for a larger view)

Last year, I travelled through the most beautiful country in the world, gathering references for my second wildlife map of a country after India. Here's The Wildlife Map of Bhutan, commissioned by WWF Bhutan!

Bhutan's rich natural heritage stems from the fact that 72% of its land is under forest cover! This is no ordinary feat. In addition to this, Bhutan is also a record holder for being the world's first carbon- negative country!

The map has 115 illustrated elements depicting not just Bhutan's wildlife in detail, but also its flora, the lifestyle of its indigenous people, some of its iconic heritage buildings, and its geography. Every single illustrated element is a complete artwork in itself, to be used by WWF Bhutan in its various awareness endeavours. Here are some illustrated elements from the map-

The fauna of Bhutan- seen here are Bhutan's National butterfly- the Ludlow's Bhutan Glory, along with its mammals- the national animal, the Golden Takin, Golden Langur, Bhutan Giant Flying Squirrel, Himalayan Marmot, Pallas' Cat, Golden Cat, Himalayan Goral, Small-clawed Otter, Serow, Bharal, Red Panda, Marbled Cat, Bengal Tiger, Leopard, Eurasian Lynx, Dhole, Clouded Leopard, Himalayan Red Fox, Spotted Linsang, Himalayan Black Bear, Asian Elephant, Capped Langur, Large-eared Pika, Leopard Cat, Snow Leopard, Himalayan Musk Deer, Chinese Pangolin, Himalayan Crestless Porcupine, Asian Elephant and Tibetan Wolf.

The birds of Bhutan- its national bird, the Raven; a bird revered in Bhutanese mythology and folklore- the Black-necked Crane, with Blood Pheasant, Blyth's Kingfisher, Cutia, Himalayan Owl, Grey-crowned Prinia, Ward's Trogon, Brown Parrotbill, Beautiful Nuthatch, Ferruginous Duck, Great Hornbill, Chestnut-breasted Partridge, Great Barbet, Jerdon's Baza, the critically endangered White-bellied Heron, Greater Yellownape, Himalayan Monal, Himalayan Griffon, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Mrs. Gould's Sunbird, Purple Cochoa, Satyr and Temminck's Tragopans, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Tibetan Snowcock, Yellow-rumped Honeyguide and Wedge-billed Babbler.

The Flora of Bhutan- its national tree- the Bhutan Cypress, the national flower, Blue Poppy, with spruce, firs, junipers, birch, rhododendrons, yew, maple, cycas, Bulbophyllum and Sal.

The people of Bhutan- Archery (Bhutan's national sport), Tsechu (the harvest festival and masked dance), textile weaving, harvesting of cordyceps, Bhutanese monks, red-rice farming, basket weaving, highland Shertukpen and Monpa families.

Some iconic structures of Bhutan- Paro Taktsang (Tiger's Nest Monastery), with Tashichhu Dzong, Trongsa Dzong, Mongar Dzong, Wangdue Dzong, Trashigang Dzong, Singye Dzong, Lhuntse Dzong, Khurjey Lakhang, and the mountains Gangkar Puensum (Bhutan's tallest), Jhomolhari and Kulakangri.

Some mythical creatures that feature on the map- Garuda (top left), the Snow Lion (top right), Druk (centre, on the map's compass), tiger and Yeti (bottom right).

A high resolution file of the map can be downloaded from the WWF Bhutan website. A huge thanks to the amazing team at WWF Bhutan, for hosting me in Bhutan and for making the project possible! To celebrate Prince Jigme Namgyel Wangchuk's first birthday, WWF Bhutan and Prime Minister Mr. Tshering Tobgay unveiled the artwork on the 5th of February-

(All copyrights to the artwork belong to WWF Bhutan)

Coffee and Disposables

Be a responsible coffee drinker, say no to disposables. Don't have a ceramic mug? Buy the 'No to Landfills, Yes to Coffee' mug on my webstore here!

The comic appears in my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Seal Shows

On seal shows from my page with Arastirmaci Cocuk Merkezi, a Turkish children's magazine from Ankara. The comic originally appears in Turkish, in its January issue.

The Carnivores of Madagascar

Caricatures of the carnivores of Madagascar drawn for the Rare Species Conservation Trust in Kent, UK. 

Thanks to the RSCT for giving me the opportunity to not only draw but also learn about thirteen adorably bizarre mammals I had never even heard of! Copyrights to the artwork belong to the RSCT.