Bird Flu 2021

On the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak from my column with Roundglass Sustain. Sadly, numerous migratory birds like the Bar-headed Geese have already succumbed to the disease.

Bird Caricatures for WWF Hong Kong

Some wetland birds I illustrated for a project on wetland management and conservation for WWF Hong Kong last year. 

Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary under threat

Vedanthangal, India's oldest water bird sanctuary, is on the way to being denotified and opened up for industries and commercialization. The State Wildlife Board of Tamil Nadu has already cleared the proposal, which is now awaiting the National Wildlife Board's stamp (whose utter lack of commitment to conservation we are all well familiar with by now). Sun Pharma, located at just 3.7 km from the lake, is already looking to expand its industrial activities in the region. Vedanthangal is an important breeding ground for several water birds such as pelicans, storks and ibises. The proposal has met with stiff resistance and a call to withdraw it has managed to create pressure on the Govt. of Tamil Nadu. You too can voice your opposition on Twitter (#SaveVedanthangal) or on email to the CMO Tamil Nadu and the MoEFCC.

A Tamil version of the cartoon (Translated by Vishwaja and M. Yuvan):

East Asian Australasian Flyway- Birdlife International

A set of cartoons done for Birdlife International and the East Asian Australasian Flyway partnership, to highlight the conservation threats faced by the bird species using this flyway. The birds featured in the cartoons include the Bar-tailed Godwit, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Black-faced Spoonbill, Baer's Pochard, Yellow-breasted Bunting, Far-eastern Curlew and Great Knot, all endangered due to habitat loss and hunting. 

Thanks to Yong Ding Li of Birdlife International for commissioning me for the project!

Tips for a Green Christmas by Indian Wild Animals

Merry Christmas to all Green Humour readers in India and around the world. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-day. Pringts and greetings available on my webstore here. 

IUCN Status

The comic appears in Roundglass Samsara and The Hindu BL-ink.

Pelican Problems

The lower mandible of the pelican's bill has a huge, inflatable gular pouch attached to it that can enlarge into a basket for catching fish. The bill has a volume three times as that of the pelican's stomach!

Prints of the comic are available as A3 posters, that can be ordered by mailing me at rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com.

Pelico-passengers

Pelicans are large water birds of the order Pelecaniformes, characterized by long beaks and large, expansile throat pouches, used to catch aquatic prey and to drain water out. This pouch (along with the bill and the bare facial skin), becomes brightly coloured before the breeding season. Habitat destruction, environmental pollution and over-fishing are among the conservation threats faced by these large water birds.


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

The Stork and the Pelican

The most harmful sources of water pollution come from industries. Unplanned industrial growth, inefficient waste disposal and leaching of resources from the natural world have all contributed to the destruction of wetlands. Major environmental mishaps have occurred due to industrial pollution in the past and it is a growing concern for every country on the planet.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.