Uttarakhand Burning- A National Emergency

The forests of Uttarakhand have been set on fire by the timber mafia (report here). A nexus of timber black marketers and villagers has been unearthed. Please spread the word and request immediate intervention by the government. Follow updates from Uttarakhand on this Facebook page.

You can download a high resolution image here-

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.

Selfie with a Tiger

Have you participated in our PM's new #selfiewithatiger campaign? It's really simple and fun!

Step#1- Get the MoEF to give away clearances for destroying critical tiger habitat.

Step#2- Get the NHAI or any mining/ power corporation/ industry of your choice to destroy critical tiger habitat.

Step#3- Click a selfie with a tiger and its destroyed habitat.

Step#4- Upload it to your social media!

 The cartoon appears on my Gocomics page today.

MOEF Jokes

The instructions to the MoEF seem quite clear- "Go out there and crack me some good, original jokes!". And it goes without saying, what a capable ministry it has been on this front!

Read some of the accomplishments of the MoEF led by Prakash Javadekar, which include clearing 81 projects in the last six months! (http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/dont-say-diversion-of-forest-land-say-reforestation-prakash-javadekar/

http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/wildlife-board-cleared-81-projects-in-six-months-prakash-javadekar_1639291.html

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/maharashtra/nhai-gets-nod-to-go-ahead-with-widening-of-nh-7/)

(PS- The comment in the second panel is no fabrication. Our environment minister has actually been quoted as saying those lines in a Hindustan Times article!)

Vermin Who?

A cartoon about a law passed earlier this year, to declare problem animals as vermin, that appeared in my fortnightly with The Hindu's BLink last week. 

Wider highways, narrower habitats

The widening of NH7, that passes right across prime tiger habitat in Central India is sure to spell doom for tigers and several other animals that inhabit these forests and the adjoining corridors. The widening has been sanctioned despite protest and disapproval from surveyors and scientists. A significant fraction of India's tiger population depends on the area in question, and the pressure on these habitats will only increase as the race for development grows irrepressible.

'NH7 Crusaders' is running a signature campaign to avert this decision here.

The Double-crossed Cormorant

The US Army Corps of Engineers is planning to 'save endangered salmon' by shooting 16000 Double-Crested Cormorants on East Sand Island. This species of cormorant has already had a troubled history, having suffered at the hands of DDT once. While the actual causes of the endangerment of salmon are dams, over-fishing, introduction of invasive species and pollution, it is the cormorants that are being blamed in a misdirected conservation plan. The Double-crested Cormorant has by all means been double-crossed!

Participate in the Audubon Society's signature campaign to stop the slaughter.

The Tiger's Consent

A cartoon about environmental 'clearances' for 'development' from my column in The Hindu BLink's weekend edition.

Trophy Hunting Explained in One Simple Cartoon

In an age when every wild animal needs some sort of conservation aid or the other, every once in a while a trophy hunter makes waves on the internet, claiming to 'support conservation'. Recently, a 'blond' Texan cheerleader has been 'doing her part' by killing lions and leopards and advertising on her social media profiles. Not surprisingly, hunting groups are playing cheerleader to her 'efforts'. Her hunting pictures have sparked a row, making her a subject of two online petitions.

Here's a cartoon that explains what trophy hunting actually is in my view. While there is a growing awareness about poaching among the masses, trophy hunting still goes on unabated. All rhino species are battling it out every day in the wild today, and every single individual counts. It is beyond my comprehension how the authorities can afford to 'sacrifice' a rhino 'for the sake of conservation'.

In the name of development

I normally hate drawing politicians because they take all the aesthetics away from a cartoon (and a landscape), but this one just had to be done. The new Indian government has been cracking down on environmental NGOs for stalling economic development. Read Sanctuary Asia's Editor Bittu Sahgal's wonderful write-up about the issue here. 

Coal Mine or Highway

One of the major problems facing wildlife conservation in Indian is the inability of our policy makers to understand that development and conservation need to be co-existent. Over the years, mines have ravaged critical tiger habitats, dams have messed with biodiversity-rich rivers, power projects and industries have decimated areas abundant in fauna. The conservation jigsaw will only get harder and harder to solve if sustainable solutions to these problems are not found.

With the recent political turnaround in India, I hope that these are not the only choices the tiger is left with.

Bird Call Playback

There has been quite a bit of debate in recent times about the use of playback devices to lure birds. While some birders argue that it is a non-intrusive method of procuring a sighting, playing bird calls has been proven to have several negative impacts. Playback stresses the birds out as males expend energy in outdoing a non-existent competitor. It also brings birds out in the open, exposing them to predators. Recorded calls also distract birds from more important activities like foraging. It has therefore been suggested that playback when used, must be done judiciously and patiently, respecting the bird and its ecology. 

This cartoon appeared in Saevus magazine along with an article on bird call playback, in the January 2014 issue.

Kites of India

Every year, Sankrant or the Kite-flying festival celebrated in the month of January in India claims the lives of hundreds of birds. Kites with glass-coated strings (manjas) pose a very serious threat, most often causing fatal injuries on collision. Even if they are not coated with glass particles, kite strings often result in entanglement and related injuries, many of which cause deep wounds, deformities, starvation and death. The problem is even worse in the north-western states where populations of the critically endangered Gyps vultures reside.

So how many of you are flying the Killvus killvus this year?

Bald Eagles and Wind Turbines

The US Department of the Interior has sanctioned wind farms to allow accidental deaths of Bald and Golden Eagles for about 30 years. This is ironic coming from a country and culture of which the Bald Eagle itself is a representative. The majestic bird has already suffered for decades owing to pesticides and habitat loss, and populations have struggled to reach healthy numbers. While there is no doubt about renewable energy being the need of the hour, the safety of the state's avifauna is also an issue that cannot be ignored. The Audubon Society is campaigning against these permits and have also launched an e-petition. Read more here- http://policy.audubon.org/wind-power-0

Orangutan Halloween

The orangutans celebrate Halloween on Green Humour just the way the tiger, the leopard, the rhino and the elephant did last year (http://greenhumour.blogspot.in/2012/10/halloween-in-wild.html). Fortunately for the orangutans, the anti-palm oil movement is getting stronger each day, but substantial measures still have to be implemented if we are to assure our intelligent cousins of a secure future. If you haven't renounced palm oil yet, do it NOW!

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The Amazon Gold Rush

Uncontrolled illegal gold mining is turning the most pristine forests of the Peruvian Amazon into wastelands. There are several factors that contribute to this- the massive deforestation, pollutants released during the mining process, pollution from mercury that is used to amalgamate the gold, and river-dredging.

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Queensland's Flying Foxes

Flying Foxes are gorgeous, fruit-eating 'megabats'. In 2008, the Queensland government banned the inhumane shooting of flying foxes as a crop protection measure. However, in 2012, the decision was reversed and farmers now are allowed to shoot a permitted number of these bats in their orchards. The fact that these bats are an indispensable element of the ecosystem as pollinators and seed dispersers has been overlooked, so has the threatened status of two flying fox species- the Spectacled and the Grey-headed Flying Foxes. The methods of extermination employed have been proven to be cruel and ineffective, and the permits are often violated. Flying foxes are slow breeders and conservationists fear that if their numbers plummet, they may not be sustainable anymore. http://www.dontshootbats.com/ is campaigning for the protection of Queensland's flying foxes. Visit the site for more information about the issue.

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Wild vs Man

While on one hand, Discovery Channel propagates the message of conservation, airing beautiful and inspiring wildlife documentaries, on the other hand it encourages mindless brutality through shows like 'Man vs Wild' in the guise of teaching survival tips. In one of his absolutely repelling recent clips, Grylls flushes out bats from a cave suing smoke, and batters them to death with a makeshift club, referring to his 'sport' as bat tennis. It wouldn't be wrong to call the makers of this show environmental terrorists.

Boycott Bear Grylls. Sign the petition here- https://www.change.org/petitions/the-discovery-channel-stop-showing-videos-of-bear-grylls-mutilating-killing-and-eating-innocent-animals?utm_source=action_alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=32024&alert_id=wSYhOuWlHB_CLQtbeQQEy

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Tahr-mented?

The home of the Nilgiri Tahr, the Shola grasslands are fast being replaced by tea estates. This member of the goat family is a precious Western Ghats endemic, listed as endangered by the IUCN with a current population of about 2000.

The Nilgiri Tahr or the Nilgiri Ibex is an endemic of the Western Ghats. It has been discovered to be a closer relative of sheep rather than its namesake. Classified along with the Himalayn and the Arabian Tahrs earlier, the Nilgiri Tahr has now been accorded its own genus. 

The tahr is fast losing its habitat to tea and spice plantations across its range. Eravikulam National Park in Kerala has the highest density and largest surviving population of Nilgiri tahr. 

First published in Saevus in the May-June 2013 issue.

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Poacher to be set free?

Sansar Chand is widely considered to be India's deadliest poacher accounting for the deaths of 250 tigers, 2,000 leopards, 5,000 otters, 20,000 wild cats and 20,000 wild foxes. These numbers aren't just staggering, but still counting as poaching nexi established by Chand continue to operate along Indian forests. Chand had managed to evade the law for years, and was unrepentant when questioned about his crimes, maintaining that poaching is a hereditary profession. His eviction is sure to spell doom for India's remaining tigers.

Read the news here- http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/jailed-for-killing-hundreds-of-tigers-sansar-chand-to-walk-free-392809

This work by Rohan Chakravarty is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.