FIELD DAYS OF A STALWART INDIAN NATURALIST

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http://www.hindu.com/br/2006/01/24/stories/2006012400961600.htm

Forays into the wilderness

 

KUMARAN SATHASIVAM

 

A wildlife biologist's account of his journeys into forest areas

rarely accessed

 

FIELD DAYS — A Naturalist's Journey Through Asia and Southeast Asia:

AJT Johnsingh; Universities Press India Pvt. Ltd., 3-5-819, Hyderguda,

Hyderabad-500029.

 

Rs. 350.

 

This book is a collection of articles that have mostly been published

previously in various magazines over a period of more than 30 years.

Yet, the account of what the subtitle terms a naturalist's journey

through South and Southeast Asia is remarkable for its continuity.

 

And the journey is tremendous. The author transports the reader

through wild areas located all over the expanse of India and beyond.

The journey begins in southern India, at its tip in fact, and explores

various wildlife reserves, some better known than others. Then it

proceeds through the great forests of central India. The sanctuaries

of the Himalaya and the foothills are the next.

 

Wildlife enthusiast

 

 

A few chapters take the reader to Northeast India, and the journey

ends with a look at Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Vietnam. The tour

covers places as diverse as Neyyar in Kerala, Gir in Gujarat, the cold

desert of Pin Valley, and the little known Pakhui of Arunachal

Pradesh. This broad scope is reminiscent of E.P. Gee's Wildlife of

India. This book is distinct, however.

 

A wildlife enthusiast's experience in wilderness is greatly influenced

by the specific group of animals or plants he or she is interested in.

It tends to be focussed on and centred on that group. A butterfly

watcher's perception of Periyar Tiger Reserve, for example, is likely

to be rather different from that of a devotee of elephants. But each

chapter in the book is like a trip to a wildlife reserve with an

interest in everything.

 

The author guides the reader through each sanctuary, pointing out the

living things, the trees, the birds, the insects and, of course, the

`big game'. He recounts to the reader the history of the sanctuary and

describes the wildlife research that has been conducted there. In

simple terms he explains the conservation problems specific to that

sanctuary.

 

Everywhere the author takes the reader on walks. Often there is

company on these walks in the form of people such as Charles McDougal,

who has studied tigers in Nepal, or Ravi Chellam, who radio-collared

lions when he carried out research on them. Those who know the author

have described him as an indefatigable walker.

 

His enjoyment of trekking is evident in his descriptions of hikes in

various terrains. Similarly, the author's passion for fishing, his

interest in the `mahseer' in particular, is a theme that occurs

throughout the book.

 

The conservationist

 

 

The book therefore provides a personal view of wild India, but on

account of the wide-ranging interests of the author and the various

hats he dons simultaneously — those of the naturalist, the trekker,

the conservationist, the teacher, the angler — the view is broad.

 

It is as the conservationist concerned about the welfare of the

wildlife that the author concludes each chapter. He gives

recommendations to restore the forest to its natural state and to

raise the number of the wild creatures. He offers these with optimism,

confident that the conflicts with humans can be overcome and that

wildlife can flourish again.

 

Many books have been written on the wildlife of the Indian region.

This book is unique in its breadth and in the perspective it provides.

It will be of interest to the wildlife enthusiast and to the

traveller. It provides a wealth of information for the

conservationist.

 

There is a sprinkling of anecdotes in the book. These range from a

hilarious description of an episode involving a milkman in Rajaji

National Park to a chilling account of an encounter with a bull

elephant in Bandipur. Journeys in wild country provide an abundance of

such stories, and the general reader would have enjoyed more of these.