Black Softshell Turtle

Happy #WorldTurtleDay ! Delighted to share the first of two comics I created for the impact campaign of Gunjan Menon's National Geographic film, 'Looking for Lao Mura', about the critically endangered Black Softshell Turtle. Doubly chuffed that the comics will be up on display in Assamese locally! In collaboration with Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises of India

So grateful for this opportunity, Gunjan, Anuja Mital and Pradeep Hegde!

Galathea Bay Shipment Project

On the National Wildlife Board's plan to denotify Galathea Bay National Park in the Great Nicobar Island for a shipment project, from my column with Sunday Mid-Day, featuring a Giant Robber Crab.

Neem, Ants and the Olive Ridley Turtle

Researchers Anuja Vartak and Sumedha Korgaonkar have figured out a novel, eco-friendly way to protect Olive Ridley Turtle nests from ant infestations: neem-based sprays! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Read more about their work here. 

Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises of India

Meet the 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises of India! While sea turtles usually make all the headlines on World Turtle Day, let's shine the spotlight this time on our inland chelonians. Barring 3 species, each of these are at the risk of extinction. Turtles are among the most poached of all reptiles, and alongwith primates, are considered the most endangered vertebrates. India's inland chelonians face many more threats: habitat loss, illegal pet trade, deforestation, sand mining and capture for temple ponds (ironically, temple dwelling turtle populations are now contributing to captive breeding programmes for species like the Black Softshell Turtle, in a bid to revive their wild populations).

For orders outside of India, the poster is available as a wide range of prints and merchandise on my webstore here. 

For orders within India, posters are available in the following sizes and prices:

A0 Poster (synthetic non-tearable, loose)- Rs. 3000 for the first print, Rs. 3000 for the second print onwards

A1 Posters (synthetic non-tearable, loose)- Rs. 2500 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. 1000 (White, Cotton, roundneck, sizes- S,M,L,XL)  

(To order, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com with the number of prints and your postal address and contact number for delivery)

India's Endangered Freshwater Turtles

Turtles and tortoises are some of the most fascinating reptiles, and yet both poorly understood and the most endangered. India's inland species particularly are among the most neglected reptiles, that face numerous threats like poaching, illegal capture for pet trade, habitat loss, deforestation, sand mining, dredging and water pollution. Of the 29 species found in India, 26 are classified under various threatened categories on IUCN's Red List. With World Turtle Day around the corner, 5 such species complain about their plight, in this comic from my column with The Hindu.

Green Turtle and the Bottle Cap Challenge

Step aside, Jason Statham and Akshay Kumar, a Green Turtle takes the #Bottlecapchallenge! From my column with RoundGlass Sustain. 

Follow the page for some refreshing new articles on wildlife from India and around the world (and also for my weekly comics!)

Sea Turtle Navigation

On sea turtle navigation from my column with Roundglass Sustain. Happy World Turtle Day!

Green Turtle lays eggs on Maldives Runway

A Green Turtle in the Noonu Atoll of the Maldives returned to her nesting site recently, only to find a newly constructed runway. The helpless turtle, whose instinct guides her to the same nesting grounds year after year, was forced to lay her eggs on the runway.

Research in Translation- Green Turtles at Lanyu Island

The first comic in my series with Current Conservation magazine, 'Research in Translation', that aims to re-tell scientific papers in the form of comic strips, deals with a rather complex issue. Green Turtles in Taiwan had been having a relatively peaceful time owing to a cultural taboo of the Yami/Tao indigenous people, who perceived them as evil, and avoided any contact with them. However, recent conservation measures have back-fired, provoking the ire of the Yami community. 

Credits for the paper: Tzu-Ming Liu. 2017. Unexpected threat from conservation to endangered species: Reflections from the front-line staff on sea turtle conservation. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 60:2255-2271.

Prof. Andrea D. Phillott is a sea turtle biologist teaching conservation biology, ecology, and environmental studies at FLAME University in Pune, India.

Are you a conservation biologist looking to simplify your study for the layman? Follow the steps listed here and have your paper converted into a comic. 

(With thanks to Manini Bansal, Nandini Velho and Kartik Shanker)

Wildlife Along Indian Rivers

It's World River Day tomorrow. Indian rivers aren't ours alone to exploit and manipulate. Scores of endangered animals depend on them, and are at stake if ill-conceived projects like river-linking are undertaken. Find out which species are associated with Indian rivers in this series of illustrations.

The series first appeared on Nature in Focus. Prints of the compilation can be purchased on my webstore here. 

For orders within India, you can mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. The prices are listed below-

A0 size (841 x 1189 mm, matte)- Rs. 3500 for the first print, 3000 for the second print onwards.

A0 size (841 x 1189 mm, canvas)- Rs. 5000 for the first print, 4500 for the second print onwards.

A1 size (594 x 841 mm, matte)- Rs. 3000 for the first print, 2500 for the second print onwards.

A1 size (594 x 841 mm, canvas)- Rs. 4500 for the first print, 4000 for the second print onwards.

(Note that these are minimal representations, and do not enumerate all animals inhabiting the respective river basins. For a more detailed wildlife map, visit http://www.greenhumour.com/2015/10/the-wildlife-map-of-india.html)

The Leatherback Sea Turtle

A series of cartoons on the Leatherback Sea Turtle, on the occasion of Sea Turtle Day. The series appears on Nature in Focus here.

Buy the poster on my webstore here. For orders within India, mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com.

Sea Turtles of the World

Know your sea turtles with this brand new illustrated poster on World Turtle Day (23rd May). There are 7 extant species- the Loggerhead, Green, Hawksbill, Flatback, Olive Ridley, Kemp's Ridley and the Leatherback Turtle, the Leatherback being the largest and the Kemp's Ridley, the smallest. Sea turtles are found in every ocean in the world, except at the poles. The Flatback Turtle is the only exception, being restricted to the seas around Australia. 

Most sea turtles are endangered or vulnerable, owing to several threats such as hunting, poaching, loss of habitat and nesting sites, pollution, plastic and fishing debris, and getting caught as bycatch by fishing vessels. 

The compilation is available as posters and a wide range of apparel and merchandise on my webstore here.

For orders within India, e-mail me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. The range of products for Indian orders is as follows-

A2 Posters (loose)- Rs. 1200 each

Loose Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Coffee Mug (Compilation)- Rs. 850

(Preview of the spread for the coffee mug)

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 . 

The Star Tortoise Trade

The Indian Star Tortoise is one of the most trafficked animals in the illegal pet trade. Thanks to exotic pet owners, the wild populations of the Indian Star Tortoise, like many other tortoises and turtles, has crashed dramatically.

The comic appears in my column with Sunday Mid-Day today.

World Turtle Day- The Olive Ridley Turtle

I had travelled to Velas earlier this year, which is a coastal village in India known to be one of the few nesting sites of the Olive Ridley Turtle. Only after my visit did I realize how serious the conservation threats faced by sea turtles really are. Sea turtles like the Olive Ridleys have an extremely fragile breeding ecology, and just one threat could mean a whole year's conservation efforts gone vain. There are numerous problems that threaten sea turtles, most of which have landed up in IUCN's Endangered and Critically Endangered lists in recent times. This cartoon talks about the major threats to the Olive Ridley, but these are more or less common to practically every marine turtle species. 

Happy World Turtle Day, turtle lovers! I hope events such as these strive to educate and spread awareness about turtle conservation. 

(PS- My caricature of the Olive Ridley can be viewed here)

Olive Ridley Turtle caricature

I've just returned from an enriching trip to Velas, a coastal village in the Konkan coast of Western India famous for hosting one of the few nesting sites of the Olive Ridley Turtle. Classified as vulnerable by the IUCN, Olive Ridleys are one of the more commonly seen species of sea turtles, and like all their kin, face a number of conservation threats such as entrapment in fishing nets, collisions with boats, destruction of nesting sites, poaching, egg-lifting and over-fishing. I had the pleasure of saying hello to four Olive Ridley hatchlings!

The poster can be ordered by e-mailing me at rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. Stay tuned for cartoons and comics on sea turtles and Olive Ridleys!