Beehive Fences and Elephants

On beehive fences and their role in minimizing human-elephant conflict in African nations, from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine. 

Elephant Conservation the First World Way

On UK's Aspinall Foundation's plans of sending captive elephants back to Africa, from my column with The Hindu Weekend. Listen to Kenyan conservationist and author of 'The Big Conservation Lie', Mordecai Ogada's criticism of this move on this Live Berlin video.

World Elephant Day and the Draft EIA

Dear MoEFCC, launching greenwashing publications on elephant conflict management on World Elephant Day makes no sense when you're all set to auction elephant habitat off to mines and development projects with the Draft EIA 2020.

Elephant Death in Kerala

Cartoons on the recent death of an elephant in Kerala by ingesting a fruit stuffed with a cracker caused massive outrage across India.

Dehing Patkai Mine

In support of the student protests against coal mining in Assam's Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve. Why are we not demanding the sacking of India's worst environment minister (who by the way also heads the National Board for Wildlife AND the ministry of heavy industries)?

Jharkhand Elephant Rescue

A quick one to celebrate the efforts of Jharkhand's forest department to rescue an elephant stuck in a well, by using the Archimedes' principle of buoyancy. The well was filled with water using motor pumps and a ramp was dug for the elephant to push itself out. While this elephant survived, many wild animals lose their lives drowning in uncovered wells in the night, specially in areas where habitat encroachment is pushing wildlife to the edges of human settlements, and the covering of open wells is an urgent step that needs implementation. 

Congratulations to the Jharkhand Forest Department and the DFO of Gumla, under whose supervision the operation was carried out.

Research in Translation- Elephants in Myanmar

My third comic in the series Research in translation for Current Conservation magazine, is based on a science paper by Tirtha Patel on the conservation threats to Asian Elephants in Myanmar. The series aims to re-tell science paper as comic strips. If you're a scientist and wish to make a submission, visit this link.

Where's Gaju's Herd

'Where's Gaju's Herd?' a wordless colouring-cum-comic book I created for the Wildlife Trust of India's Gaj Yatra campaign on elephant conservation and awareness, will be a part of a display commencing tomorrow (1st August, 2018) at the Mandi House Metro Station in New Delhi. The 16 page book tells the story of an elephant calf Gaju who loses track of his herd and encounters several threats that elephants in India face, as he tries to find his way back to his family.  Artwork from the book will be on display at the metro station throughout the month of August.

Thanks to the WTI team and Ms. Rupa Gandhi for commissioning me for the project!

Karnataka Ecotourism Map

An illustrated map for Karnataka's Ecotourism Board that highlights sanctuaries, national parks, ecotourism facilities and some heritage destinations in the state. The map was formally released at the Karnataka Bird Festival concluded recently in Mangalore. Thanks to Mr. Vijay Mohanraj for commissioning the project.

Rhino and Elephant Poaching

Sudan, reportedly the last male Northern White Rhino, died at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya yesterday. Sudan may have died of old age, but it is poaching and the demand for rhino horns and ivory that took his sub-species out. 

From my column with RoundGlass Samsara.

On Trophy Hunting and Privilege

A dying elephant and a ranger discuss trophy hunting in my column with Sunday Mid-day.

US Ivory Ban Lift

The USA has lifted Barack Obama's ban on trophy hunting imports from two African countries (Zimbabwe and Zambia). The move was defended by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which claimed that this will benefit conservation. News here.

Elephants of the World

It's World Elephant Day on 12th August! Know your elephants, with the elephant map of the world. There are 6 in all that are extant, 4 sub-species of the Asian Elephant (Indian, Sri Lankan, Bornean and Sumatran) and the two species of the African Elephant (Bush and Forest Elephants). The map gives you approximate distributions for each of the species and sub-species, that are spread across central and southern Africa, south and south-east Asia, and the IUCN status for each. 

Prints of the map, and tshirts and merchandise of the compilation can be ordered from my webstore here. 

For orders within India, visit my Happywagon webstore.

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.

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.

Contraception for Wild Elephants

A comic on Karnataka's decision to introduce contraception to control the wild elephant population in South India, from my column with The Hindu BLink today. Who are we, a disgraced population of 7.4 billion, to control the population of one of nature's most superior beings?

Chhattisgarh under'mined'

National news aside, some extremely 'anti-national' developments are going unnoticed. Here is a cartoon on the violation of the Forest Rights Act by the government to facilitate mining in Chhatisgarh. I'm giving away print resolution files of the cartoon free of charge on request, which you may place on e-mail (rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com)

Mines and elephants

The result of a clash between two giants is always the defeat of one. This holds true for coal and elephants too, particularly in the state of Chhattisgarh, which has one of the largest open cast mines, and not surprisingly, also the most alarming rates of man-animal conflict. 

Here's one from my weekend column with BLink.

Elephant Caddy

Violating the guidelines laid by the National Green Tribunal, Numaligarh Refinery Limited of Assam has constructed a 2 km long boundary wall bang in the middle of elephant migration route, posing a grave threat to the North-east Indian pachyderms. A golf course site lies adjacent to the NRL Township, right next to Kaziranga National Park. Deaths are already being reported of elephants desperately attempting to break through this wall.

Sign this petition to oppose the blocking of this age old elephant migration route-https://www.change.org/p/chief-minister-of-assam-minister-of-petroleum-amp-natural-gas-minister-of-environment-forests-amp-climate-change-take-down-the-wall-and-golf-course-that-blocks-the-elephants-ancient-migration-route-now?recruiter=38815979&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

The cartoon appears on my Gocomics page today.

China's Ivory Ban

Well. China agrees to end the ivory market- Yayyyy!

China agrees to end the ivory market AFTER a mass elephant massacre- Boooooo!

While China's new vow to phase out the domestic ivory industry is being hailed, it is hoped that the implementation will happen soon enough to stop more elephants from getting poached. This was marked by the destruction of 662 kg of seized ivory at a recent event, where Zhao Shucong, Head of China's State Forestry Administration further asserted the claim. Read the news here.