Wildlife

It is in the nature of our society that when someone elderly speaks, people listen with respect. This is particularly the case when that elder has a background of scholarship or administrative experience; the respect is indeed deep and widespread. Therefore, it is extremely important for such persons to speak with a fair degree of caution, and most definitely with as much accuracy as would be possible in given circumstances. Even if the nu,ber of pigeons is more in Cubbon Park, that doesn't give anyone the right to decide their fate. File pic. A man of the stature of A…

Two friends and I were returning from Nandi Hills when the sight of this Chameleon brought us to a screeching halt. What a beauty! Luckily, it had not been flattened by traffic on the other side of the road, and was already on our side. It goose-stepped, or should I say, chameleon-stepped, into the grass verge. Watch this video, the progress of the reptile is funny, to say the least! Here it is, closer to the grass verge: It then climbed on to a rock: And disappeared into the shelter of the leaves and greenery: From there, we could see…

All the herbivorous animals have the chance of contracting Foot and Mouth disease, and need to be vaccinated. Pic: Shree D N Here is a news for those who want to visit Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP). Reason: Herbivorous Safari will be closed for at least next seven weeks as Foot and Mouth Disease has broken out. On Monday, September 23, 2013, four animals - three Spotted Deer and one Neelgai were reported to have died due to this. The Park officials spotted the symptoms in the animals on Sunday and thus as a precautionary measure cancelled all safaris from Sunday…

Dhiraj Gaurh was astounded by a very large creature, which, he felt, might be a Hummingbird. Here are the excellent shots he got, of the creature drinking nectar from Aster flowers: He posted the link to the photos in the egroup of the Bird Watchers’ Field Club (contrary to its name, this is a group of enthusiasts of all forms of wildlife and nature.) Several people (Rachna Shetty, Gautam Krishnan, Vijay Krishna, Ravi Vaidyanathan, Anubhav Vanamamalai, Nandhu Sridhar)  promptly responded to him,  identifying this, not as a Hummingbird (we do not have them in India), but as the Hummingbird Hawk…

Karthik, a 12-year-old boy, studying in Class 5 at Sacred Children School and PU College, was trampled to death by a tusker on 9 September, 2013. The incident took place in Doddamaranahalli, near Tavarekere, which is around 23 kms from City centre. According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred when Karthik went too close to the tusker to get a better glimpse in the morning. The tusker, which is said to be aged around 12 years had separated from its herd in Savandurga and appeared near Hunasamaranahalli. The Forest Department and police officials say that seven boys spotted the elephant and…

It is not just tourists visiting Tirupati and surrounding religious places affected because of the Telangana row, but also animal lovers and animals. The wait to see a giraffe walk around in Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) is going to take a while longer. This is because the only cage available in south India to get the giraffe from Mysore zoo to Bangalore is available at Tirupati zoo, also known as Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park. Due to Telangana row, the officials and team of veterinarians from BBP are unable to get it. Giraffes in Mysore Zoo. Pic courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Mutyala Rao.…

Most of us in our city would have gone to Lalbagh (or any of the other lakes)  at some time or the other... but the next time you do, do go to the lake and look at one very common bird...so common that we often do not see the incredible beauty it is! Purple Moorhen with Waterlily. Pic: Deepa Mohan This is the Purple Moorhen, or the Purple Swamphen. The colours of this purple bird shine iridescently in the sunshine, and it looks as if it’s got bright red lipstick on! You can find these birds in large numbers, clambering…

Everyone knows of the national bird, the Indian Peacock. But do you know what the State bird is? Karnataka, along with other States (Andhra Pradesh,Bihar, and Odisha) has chosen the Indian Roller.  It’s a bird that almost as beautiful as the Peacock, and as interesting too. These birds can often be seen perched on telephone or telegraph wires, and they feed on  insects, spiders, small lizards, snakes and frogs, too. Pic: Deepa Mohan. Contrary to the belief that birds are afraid of fire, these birds seem to know that fire attracts insects, and they can often be found swooping on…

When we are scared of creatures, we often don’t look closely at them... and so miss out on seeing how beautiful they can be. We often categorise a lot of insects as “bugs” and try to stomp on them! However, beetles are slightly different from bugs. Click here to find the major differences between bugs and beetles. We can observe beetles closely in our own gardens... but be careful in handling them. Some are harmless, but others can pack a wallop! Here is a Blister Beetle.This is called so because touching it alarms the creature, and it releases a fluid…

I had taken the children of the Sindhi School, in Malleswaram, on a nature trail to the Bannerghatta Zoo area, and it was they who spotted this very interesting-looking caterpillar, and asked me what it was. “Looks as if the caterpillar has also packed a lot of lunch for a picnic in the Zoo!” joked one of the children. The reality, as I found out, was very, very different... this caterpillar was actually carrying its own death on its back, not its food!   A variety of wasps called ‘Braconids,’ deposit their eggs on the backs of certain caterpillars, like…