Crackers on New Year's Eve

I know this request is going to fall on deaf ears but I thought I'd try anyway. Please consider a cracker-free New Year's Eve. A very happy 2020 to all Green Humour readers. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Puffer Fish Best 9

Pufferfish make elaborate patterns in sandy ocean floors to attract mates. A Puffer does a 'Best 9' in my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Meet the Zitting Cisticola

Meet the Zitting Cisticola, a rather enigmatic grassland bird which has a very special Salim Ali association. Comic from my column with Saevus. (For prints, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com).

Scott Morrison's Quick Fixes for Climate Change and Australian Bushfires

Scott Morrison continues to disregard climate science even as bushfires of an unprecedented intensity and range engulf Australia. 

Animals walking on water before Jesus Christ

Some animals that have been walking on water before Jesus Christ. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Wishing all Green Humour readers a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Prints available on my webstore here.

Iran convicts Cheetah conservationists

Iranian Cheetah conservationists representing the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation were convicted for 'treason' last month, after being detained for nearly two years. Reports say that the move was sparked by Panthera founder Thomas Kaplan's stance on Iran and the Iran Nuclear Deal. Conservationists worldwide have condemned Kaplan, the extremist Iranian Ggovernment, as well as this verdict, which severely harms the cause of conservation in the crossfire. 

Comic from my column with The Hindu.

New Discoveries of 2019

2019 was not exactly a good year for conservation in India, but India's conservation biologists have still made several breakthroughs. Here are just some of the newly discovered species of fauna and flora from 2019. And much like the Impatiens balsam, I too am already impatient about the discoveries that 2020 will bring!

Comic from my column with Pune Mirror today.

Tree Kangaroos

Tree Kangaroos combine the best of both worlds, because they look half-bear, half-kangaroo! Adapted for an arboreal life, tree kangaroos are found in New Guinea, far Northeastern Queensland and surrounding islands. All the 12 species are threatened by hunting and habitat loss, the most endangered ones being the Tenkile and the Golden-mantled Tree Kangaroo.

Tree Kangaroo prints and merchandise are available on my webstore here. 

Wild Buffaloes and Hybridization

Hybridization is one of the biggest threats to the endangered Asiatic Wild Buffalo. Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Pregnant Whale

On plastic pollution of marine ecosystems from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Arctic Diseases and Climate Change

Arctic diseases are on the rise, with pathogens like the seal distemper virus spreading a lot easier because of melting ice caps. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

And before one of you smartypants tells me that penguins aren't found in the Arctic: that bird is a Common Murre. 

Fennec Fox cartoons for Arastirmaci Cocuk

Some cartoons on the world's cutest canid, the Fennec Fox, created for the Turkish kids' magazine Arastirmaci Cocuk. The cartoons appear in Turkish in the latest issue of the magazine.

Vessel Noise and the Gangetic Dolphin

Noise from vessels in the Ganga is emerging to be an added threat to our National Aquatic Animal, the endangered Gangetic Dolphin. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Read Aathira Perinchery's article on the issue here.

Rhinos of the World

Rhinoceroses, despite being among the world's most loved large herbivores, are also among the world's most endangered. While brutal and indiscriminate poaching for their horns has been the single biggest threat to their existence, habitat loss too has played its part. 5 extant species; two in Africa and 3 in Asia survive today on the very brink of extinction. Africa's White or Square-lipped Rhino is the world's largest rhinoceros, while the Sumatran Rhino the smallest (and hairiest!). Three species, the Black, Javan and Sumatran Rhinos are critically endangered, while several subspecies are either critically endangered or already functionally or regionally extinct (e.g. Bornean Rhinoceros, Northern White Rhinoceros, Chittagong Rhinoceros).

Prints of the poster are available on my webstore here. 

For orders within India, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. The products available for orders within India are listed below:

A2 Posters (Matte surface, loose)- Rs. 1200 for the first print, 1000 for the second print onwards

Loose Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Coffee Mug (Compilation)- Rs. 850

Tshirts (individual species/compilation)- Rs. 1300 (White, Cotton, roundneck, sizes- S,M,L,XL)

Laughing Dove Meets Mourning Dove

The Laughing Dove meets the Mourning Dove in my column with RoundGlass Sustain. Both species are named after their respective calls. 

COP 25

A Puffin and a Polar Bear discuss the ongoing COP 25.

Tattoo Stickers for Birdlife International

To mark the World Migratory Bird Day on October 12th, I teamed up with the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership and Birdlife International to make these tattoo-stickers of 6 endangered migratory species. The stickers were launched at an event in South Korea to celebrate the occasion.

Bird Deaths in Sambhar Lake

Rajasthan's Sambhar Lake that hosts thousands of migratory waterfowl every year, witnessed mass deaths from botulism and elevated concentrations of salt from illegal salt mining in the lake. Applause for all veterinarians and conservation organizations who teamed up to save the remaining birds from the crisis.

Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Some pleasures of tidepooling

I've never been a beach-person, until tide-pooling happened! And despite a few nasty falls on slippery rocks, I'm still loving it. Many thanks to my friends Sejal Mehta, Shaunak Modi and Abhishek Jamalabad for introducing me to shore wildlife. Follow Marine Life of Mumbai for the best database on shore life in India.

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Prints available on my webstore here. For orders within India, mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com.

Caste Names in Taxonomy

The caste system makes its presence felt even in taxonomy, where terms such as 'Brahminy' and 'Pariah' are used to refer to superiority and ferality respectively. Surely, taxonomy can do better in this day and age, when common names are being revised to suit modern sensibilities.

The Brahminy Kite, a common coastal carnivorous, scavenging raptor, comments on the caste system in my column with The Hindu. The majestic bird is often associated with the mythological character Garuda, specially in South-east Asia countries where it is revered as a state symbol.

Media Portrayals of Wildlife vs Reality

Wildlife in the media versus wildlife in real life. Comic from my column with Pune Mirror.

No Country for Pedestrians

Barring a few elite sections of a few elite cities, a pedestrian in India is an entity almost unrecognized by the government, despite a majority of commuters being pedestrians themselves! 2018's 'head-count' was 56 pedestrians dying in road accidents every day. How is India ever to turn 'green' with an utter lack of respect for the pedestrian?

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Koalas and Australian Bushfires

The recent Australian bushfires, attributed to deforestation and climate change, have claimed thousands of casualties. Koalas, probably, have been affected the worst, and are now 'functionally extinct' after more than 80% of their habitat has been destroyed. Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Kopi Luwak

Some Asian Palm Civets 'talk crap' in my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Uses and Impacts of Palm Oil

Uses of palm oil versus impacts of palm oil. Meanwhile Malaysia just lost its last Sumatran Rhinoceros, and the critically endangered species is now extinct from the country.

Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Second Hand Fashion with the Hermit Crab

Meet the original second-hand model- the Hermit Crab, endorsing sustainable fashion since the Late Cretaceous! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-day.

Capitalism and Air Pollution

Comic from my column with Pune Mirror.

The New Normal

The new normal. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Man versus Deer

Man versus deer. From my column with Roundglass Sustain.

The Many Original Compositions of the Orange-Headed Thrush

Live music by the Orange-headed Thrush from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Kochi- an Urban Biodiversity Map

An urban biodiversity map of Kochi commissioned by ICLEI South Asia. Among India's busiest port cities, Kochi has a wide variety of green spaces both within and around it, from marshes and paddy fields, to estuaries, beaches, mangroves and hills. Mangalavanam, a mangrove forest in the heart of the city hosts a huge population f the Indian Flying Fox, while its estuaries are home to the Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin and the State Fish of Kerala, the Pearl Spot. Kochi's wetlands are the wintering grounds of several species of migratory waterfowl, and its hill forests host many insects and birds endemic to southern India. Some close-ups from the illustration are below:

Thanks to Mr. Alex Jose of ICLEI for his knowledge and inputs on Kochi, and to ICEI for commissioning me for this project!

Air Pollution and Politics

Fun fact: number of air purifiers in the Parliament and PMO: 140

Number of air purifiers in govt schools: 0

Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Hornbills of the World

Hornbills, among the most enigmatic of tropical birds, are named so after the cow-horn shape of their bills. Most species are characterized by the presence of a casque on their bills. Hornbills are crucial to the functioning of forests, as they are among the most efficient dispersers of figs and a variety of other fruit trees. The 62 species of hornbills are spread across Africa, South and South-east Asia, the Southern Ground Hornbill being the largest, and the Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill the smallest. Many species, specially in South-east Asia are severely threatened because of hunting and habitat loss, the most endangered ones being the Helmeted, Sulu and Walden's Hornbills.

Know your hornbill species in this king-sized poster! Prints and a wide range of merchandise are available on my webstore here. 

For orders within India, the items available and prices are as follows:

A0 Poster (synthetic non-tearable, loose)- Rs. 3500 for the first print, Rs. 3000 for the second print onwards

A1 Posters (synthetic non-tearable, loose)- Rs. 3000 for the first print, 2500 for the second print onwards

A2 Posters (synthetic non-tearable, loose)- Rs. 1200 for the first print, 1000 for the second print onwards

Loose Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Tshirts (individual species/compilation)- Rs. 1300 (White, Cotton, roundneck, sizes- S,M,L,XL) 
Email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com to order your prints (mentioning the number of prints and your complete postal address) to place your orders.

A big thanks to Lucy Kemp of the Mabula Hornbill Conservation Project for gifting me a copy of the wonderful book 'Hornbills of the World' (Poonswad, Kemp, Strange) which served as my reference for drawing this poster!

Sea Otters and Kelp

On the Sea Otter-kelp symbiosis from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Air Purifiers

Who says the ruling government is bad for businesses? Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. First published in monochrome in 'Every Breath Counts' authored by Ms. Bahar Dutt.

Political Priorities in India

Religious issues versus issues that should really matter to India. 

Delhi Air and Adolf Hitler

The Fuhrer reviews Delhi's Air Quality Index in my column with Pune Mirror.

East Asian Australasian Flyway- Birdlife International

A set of cartoons done for Birdlife International and the East Asian Australasian Flyway partnership, to highlight the conservation threats faced by the bird species using this flyway. The birds featured in the cartoons include the Bar-tailed Godwit, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Black-faced Spoonbill, Baer's Pochard, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Far-eastern Curlew and Great Knot, all endangered due to habitat loss and hunting. 

Thanks to Yong Ding Li of Birdlife International for commissioning me for the project!