Bats and Booze

Booze: one of the many things humanity owes bats deference and gratitude for! Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

Fruit Bat Seed Dispersal

Fruit bats versus the Environment Ministry: who do you think would win? Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Durian and Bats

China's growing demand for durian could wipe out the rainforests of South-East Asia. Bats, one of durian's most important pollinators are ironically among the worst victims of durian monoculture, as are native communities such as the Orang Asli people of Malaysia. 

The comic was commissioned by the Pteropus Project and Rimba Research, working in Malaysia to resolve this conflict and make durian farms biodiversity friendly.  We also worked on two infographics on how bats can help increase durian harvests if durian cuture is carried out sustainably. One of the infographics is aimed at farmers while the other at children and students.

A big thanks to researchers Sheema Abdul Aziz, Mary Ryth Low and Hii Ning for the opportunity. The project not only gave me a chance to acquaint myself with the intricacies of durian ecology, but also tackle the challenge of communicating the same issue to three different kinds of readers in three different ways (urban youngsters, durian farmers, and young students).  

Friendly Neighbourhood Tree

How well do you know your friendly neighbourhood tree? The comic appears in my column with the Hindu Sunday

Join Seasonwatch's 'Spring Tree Quest' (15th to 18th March) and record casual observations of your favourite tree on the Seasonwatch app. While this is one great way of observing and learning more about your neighbourhood trees, it is also a unique citizen science programme that enables scientists to record seasonal changes in trees using your data!

The Magnolia and the Molinillo

I recently had the opportunity to speak at the ATBC 2018 held in Kuching, where I met and interacted with biologists from around the world. One of them whose work really caught my attention was Ms. Melisa Ayala Joya from Colombia. Currently an Erasmus fellow pursuing her Masters, Melisa, a botanist, has worked extensively with local communities in Colombia on issues like land restoration and management of soil erosion. The research paper that she presented at the ATBC described one such exemplary initiative. 

Magnolia resupinatifolia is a critically endangered species of Magnolia endemic to Colombia, and has recently been described by Melisa and her team to science. Locals have been using the fruit of this species to make the 'Molinillo'- a kitchen tool used to stir hot chocolate. This comic, based on Melisa's campaign, speaks about this relationship between the people and the tree, and how the community is helping disperse and save the species from extinction, while reaping a few benefits from it for themselves. This mutually beneficial model if analyzed and planned, can very well be applied around the world!

The comic appears on my Gocomics page today. A big thanks to the lovely Melisa for collaborating me on this, and for guiding me through the comic. Thanks also to Zoraida Calle of the CIPAV Ecological Restoration Group for her comments and review. We've also created a Spanish version of the comic, translated by Zoraida and Melisa- my first comic in Spanish!

Fruit Bats and the Nipah Virus

Bats always make news for the wrong reasons. But have you cared to look at the other side?

The WHO has stated that the emergence of viral disease outbreaks linked to bats, can be traced to habitat loss and urbanization. The Kerala Government has appealed against the culling of bats resulting from the Nipah outbreak. There are several ways to avoid contracting Nipah, and culling of bats is not one of them.

Please equip yourself with correct information, and do not rely on WhatsApp forwards!

My sincerest condolences to the precious human lives lost to the virus.
http://www.searo.who.int/entity/emerging_diseases/links/CDS_Nipah_Virus.pdf?ua=1
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/heres-how-you-can-protect-yourself-from-the-deadly-nipah-virus/articleshow/64271448.cms
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/nipah-virus-kerala-govt-warns-against-culling-of-fruit-bats-as-fear-grips-state-1238687-2018-05-22

Binge Watching

Did you know that you can binge-watch even without being a Netflix user? From my column with Mid-day today.