In Ajay of Agumbe, you’ve focused on telemetry as a means to study snakes? What makes it a vital field of animal study?
Again, there’s a strong personal element here as well. I find the telemetry studies in our field stations — ARRS and the gharial study on the Chambal — fascinating, and have been lucky enough to see them in action for many years. It’s an amazing tool for animal study, especially cryptic species that are otherwise hard to observe. Although my role has been mostly limited to that of a desk babu — applying for permits and licenses and writing reports — I’ve also been on the field enough number of times to feel the stabs of excitement as an animal is located using this simple, but clever piece of equipment.

Poll

Who will win the Punjab Elections?

BJP 32.76%

AAP 43.10%

INC 24.14%

Submit

View All In Poll

What was Ajay’s reaction when he saw the first copy of this book?
The book is currently on StoryWeaver, and is due to be printed soon. So, Ajay has seen the PDF. Both of us are stunned by Rajiv Eipe’s illustrations, particularly the way he has captured Ajay’s gestures, expressions, movements, and of course, his portrait! Rajiv visited ARRS last year while I was there, with his sketch pad and pencil: no camera. He was constantly doodling away, in a casual sort of way, and has done a fantastic job for the book; better than a camera could possibly have.

Could you tell our readers about the natural wonders of Agumbe?
Agumbe is a gem within a gem in the Western Ghats with magic species like the draco or flying lizard, dancing frogs, king cobras, beautiful birds like the trogon and hornbill. A black panther has been camera-trapped at the ARRS gate, and giant squirrels chuckle loudly in the canopy. The place makes for a great visit for people who are especially interested in rainforest ecology, and even more interested in being educated than watching TV during a holiday!

Log on to: pratham.org

About the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust (MCBT)

Over the last 40 years, apart from its main location for conservation and scientific research, the Trust has built four research centres in some of India’s most sensitive and diverse habits. These include Centre of Herpetology in Chennai, the Andaman & Nicobar Environmental Team (ANET) in South Andaman Island, the Gharial Conservation Alliance (GCA) in the Chambal River and the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS) in Karnataka’s Western Ghats.

Log on to: madrascrocodilebank.org