Narcondam Shrew

Meet the newest mammal discovered from India, an insectivore endemic to the remote Narcondam Island: the Narcondam Shrew! Normally the discovery of a mammal is followed by a lot of fanfare, but curiosity around the news of this shrew's discovery died down both in the media and among the public because of the ongoing COVID crisis, and probably also because Narcondam is not easily accessible to civilians. I hope that wildlife lovers will find a tiny reason to celebrate the addition of this tiny creature to the world's list of mammals, in this moment of doom. Congratulations to scientists from the Zoological Survey of India for a monumental discovery! Comic from my column with The Hindu, my 100th with the paper!  

Railway Lines through Western Ghats

Endemic animals have joined the protest against railway lines through the Western Ghats. Have you?

Read why the Hubbali Ankola Railway Line through the Western Ghats is a terrible idea, and sign the petition here. 

Sign the petition to object to the doubling of a railway line through Mollem National Park here. 

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)?

Mothers' Day Cartoon Postcards for Birdlife International

A set of 6 cartoon postcards for Birdlife International's Mothers' Day campaign titled "Which Bird Mom is Your Mom?". Thanks to Mireia and Cressida from Birdlife for the opportunity! Which bird mom is yours?

Wildlife Quarantine Webinar Recommendations

Some wildlife skill-sharing webinar recommendations for you during quarantine, from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. 

An Indian Wildlife Video Conference

Some Indian wild animals get on a Zoom meeting in my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Road through Pakke

The East-West Corridor Road being planned through Pakke Tiger Reserve could wreak havoc on one of India's most biodiverse parks. I urge people reading this comic to write to the CM of Arunachal Pradesh on apcm876@gmail.com / cmoffice-arn@gov.in  to scrap the route through Pakke and consider an alternative route. Let's get our 'nation-building' right.

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-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. 

The Great Hornbill uploads a Profile Picture

From my column with RoundGlass Sustain.

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!

Feminist Hornbill

Feminist hornbill- from my column with RoundGlass Sustain. Read more about hornbills here.

Wild Bhutan

I'm just back from my second trip to Bhutan and could not resist the temptation of drawing wildlife from this wonderland again! Here's a collage of Bhutan's wildlife- 22 of the myriad of wild fauna found in the Cloud Kingdom.

Prints of the artwork are available as a wide range of apparel and merchandise on my webstore here. 

For orders within India, please view the range of products available below-

A1 poster (594 x 841mm)- Rs. 1800 each

A2 Poster (419 x 594mm)- Rs. 1200 each

A3 Poster - Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards 

Tshirt (S,M,L,XL)- Rs. 1300

Coffee Mug (Compilations)- Rs. 850

Personal Diary (Hard Cover, A5, 150 pages)-  Rs. 800

(email your orders to rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com, mentioning a postal address and contact number for delivery. Payments are accepted via NEFT or PayTM)

Note that this list is far from accurate or complete, but does cover some of the country's most prominent fauna, such as its national animal, the Golden Takin; its national bird, the Common Raven; the Black-necked Crane, an important bird in Bhutanese folklore, and so on. For a more comprehensive list and distribution of the wildlife of Bhutan, please go through my 2016 project with WWF Bhutan, The Wildlife Map of Bhutan.

A Hornbill Chick's First Day out of its Nest

Hornbills nest in sealed tree cavities to lower the risk of predation. But is this enough to lower the risk of predation by governments?

Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-day.

Sarawak Specialties

Sarawak- home to some of the best cuisine, the most pristine rainforests, the most beautiful tribes, and the most astonishing wildlife in the world! I recently visited Bako National Park in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, home to the Proboscis Monkey and the Rhinoceros Hornbill (missed seeing the latter). Here's wishing Sarawak a happy Independence Day!

Fabulous Fathers of India

This Fathers' Day, meet some fabulous fathers of India. A happy Fathers' Day to all dads tame and wild!

From my column with Mid-Day.

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.

Ease of Doing Business

Ecosystem engineers and 'ease of doing business'. From my column with Sunday Mid-day.

Kameng Raft Fall

On World Cartoonists' Day, I pay tribute to my muse, and the best cartoonist herself, Nature! Here's a comic based on a true incident, from earlier this year, in Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh. Thanks to my companions on the raft, Kime Rambia, Pratibha Riswadkar and Wangta for saving my life as well as giving me this experience, and to my friend Nandini Velho for making the trip happen. The comic appears on Nature in Focus today.

Here's a picture of me with the crew moments before I fell off the raft! (With me are the dynamic Range Officer Kime Rambia, and field biologist Pratibha Riswadkar).

5 Reasons to Preserve the Western Ghats

Need one reason to save the Western Ghats? I'll give you five!

The comic appears in my column with Mid-Day today, in the wake of the ongoing tussle between the central and state governments about the centre's decision to notify 56,825 square kilometres of the Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive zone, to which the state governments (Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and specially Kerala) have cited an objection. You can show support for the preservation of the Ghats by following the steps here and lending your voice to the Conservation India campaign- http://www.conservationindia.org/campaigns/western-ghats . 

Rivers of North East India

On hydel-power, the greatest threat to the rivers of North-East India. From my column with The Hindu BL-ink today.