Extinct Species 2024

Say hello, well, goodbye actually, to five among the twenty one species to be declared extinct this year. While the Little Mariana Fruit Bat, Bridled White Eye, Molokai Creeper and the Flat Pigtoe Mussel were delisted from the US Endangered Species Act because of extinction, the Java Stingaree was declared extinct after a recent IUCN survey. 

Oh, and a very happy new year to us all, from the Flat Pigtoe Mussel!

Comic for DW Environment.

Indonesia and Tuna

Last month, the Indonesian Fisheries Ministry pledged to cut tuna harvests by 10% and is pushing for sustainable certification. More recently, Indonesia has also started developing aquaculture to reduce the pressures on its tuna fisheries. Is the world's largest tuna catcher finally playing the right 'tuna'? More importantly, knowing the environmental downsides that aquaculture comes with, will Indonesia be able to pull this off sustainably?

Cartoon for DW Environment.

Developing Nations at COP27

Developing nations at COP27. Cartoon from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Climate Change and Prostitution

This Women's Day, here's a glance at how climate change is being increasingly linked with rising sex trafficking and prostitution in developing countries that are most prone to climate disasters. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Bats in Asia Pacific Cultures

(click on the images for a larger view)

Media propagated myths about bats have long tarnished their reputation as creatures of horror and harbingers of death. It is time to undo that, and what better way than to go back to our roots? Here is a map that showcases how different countries, mythologies and cultures in the Asia Pacific celebrate and revere bats. The illustration is based on an incredible research and publication by Pteropus (Rimba, Malaysia) who also commissioned the illustration. 

Limited edition prints are available on Rimba's webstore 'The Fruit Bat Shop'. The prints can also be purchased via my webstore, shipped internationally. For orders within India, write to me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com mentioning the address and contact details and the number of prints you'd like (A0: Rs. 3500, A1: Rs. 3000, with discounts on multiple orders). 

A special thanks to Mary Ruth Low and Sheema Abdul Azeez for giving me this opportunity, and the most exciting illustration project of the year, and also very generously permitting me to sell prints of the artwork!

South China Sea Conflict and Marine Life

On the impacts of the South China Sea conflict on marine life, from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

The Courtship Dance of the Western Parotia

Endemic to the Vogelkop mountains of West Papua, the Western Parotia is one of the world's most renowned dancers. But just being a great dancer takes you nowhere in the bird world, if you don't get your housekeeping right! Comic from my column with RoundGlass Sustain. Happy Valentine's Day!

Helmeted Hornbill Cartoons for IUCN

A set of cartoons done for the IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group on the critically endangered Helmeted Hornbill, released today on the occasion of 'Lone Hornbills Day'. A huge thanks to Aparajita Datta and Lucy Kemp for commissioning me for this. It's always a tremendous learning experience working with scientists of their caliber.