One of the main reasons I ended up at Wildscreen this year was because Tom Veltre – a friend of mine from the the Really Interesting Picture Company (that’s the real name) asked me to come along and help him set up for an interview with Sir David Attenborough. For most, this name needs no further introduction, for others, maybe this short piece on Youtube will make for a good introduction.

It was an absolute honour to be able to spend some time in person with Sir David, and listen to his stories that span over eight decades now!  And even to this day his mind is razor sharp. I presented Sir David with a copy of my book and as he flipped through the pages he stopped at one page where a tiny image of a fairy bluebird sits amidst the canopy. He turns to the page, and exclaims “ah, beautiful… a fairy bluebird, Irena puella…” and continues on, identifying species and talking about them. It was incredible. How he can remember the most minute details, and bits of information, i have no idea. He is certainly the most incredibly inspirational person I have ever known!

Sandesh

After having glued myself to Bangalore for a few months, immersed in painting, I finally got a chance to take off to the Western Ghats,  where (my brother, Sandesh) andthe filming crew  were shooting a documentary for National Geographic about King Cobras!  The crew along with the many volunteers at ARRS (Agumbe Rainforest Research Station) had put in many weeks of radio tracking the King, observing and recording its behavior and filming the nest building in the wild. Now, it was time for the baby kings to break open their shells and come out into their whole new wild world. And  I was lucky enough to land up at Agumbe right in time for this !
I sat watching the heads pop out, everything in slow motion, taking their own sweet time to absorb their new surroundings and venture out boldly, leaving behind their safe haven. With their heads out, they stood in the same position, sometimes for hours together, as if everything had been paused. Thus giving me ample enough time to sit in front of them and doodle rough sketches in my journal. And presented here is the final sketch of the baby kings hatching –

A4 size; Black pen on paper; Using a technique of ‘hatching’ and ‘cross-hatching’ for the King hatchlings ! This technique is done by drawing closely spaced parallel lines to create tonal or shading effects.

Sangeetha

An inhabitant of lush rainforests, the lion-tailed macaque Macaca silenus makes its only home in the primeval jungles of the Western Ghats. Living in small troupes, they roam the canopy foraging for berries, fruits, insects and even small mammals. These lions of the treetops not only have a lion-like appearance but a carnivorous appetite as well, readily raiding the nests of giant squirrels and reaching into tree hollows looking for meaty snacks. This diet has led the lion-tailed macaque to evolve a very simple stomach, much like a human stomach, where it cannot even digest leaf buds that other macaques can. Evolution eventually tied the macaque down to a tropical rain forest habitat, which could provide a bountiful supply of flowers, fruits, seeds and insects throughout the year.

These specialised macaques once ranged through most parts of the Western Ghats, but rapid deforestation and poaching over the last several decades completely eliminated their populations from many areas. Today they survive only as small isolated populations in pockets of remnant rainforest. They spend most of their time in the canopy of mature forests and are reluctant to move across disturbed areas. Shrinking gene pools, fragmented habitats, poaching and an astonishingly low reproductive rate are quickly dimming all hope for this highly endangered species.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the lion-tailed macaque to be a critically endangered species of extremely high conservation value. Few animals symbolise the struggle to survive amidst the onslaught of deforestation activities more vividly than this primate. Halting further fragmentation of rainforest habitat and providing vital corridors is critical to the ultimate survival of these rare and mysterious animals.

Like  many new beginnings, getting started is always the toughest part. Felis Creations was set up in 2006 as a visual arts company and strives to produce content that inspires conservation. This October marks the end of a long production year – we’ve literally been submerged in activity working on documentaries ranging from filming the world’s most highly endangered sea-turtle, the Kemp’s ridley to getting face to face with the rare and elusive King Cobra from the Western Ghats of India.

In this blog I and members of the Felis team will strive to put up as much information as possible, everything from equipment reviews to news from the field. We will also profile a new species every month in our special – Creature feature. We look forward to hearing from you as we get things rolling in what promises to be another busy and exciting year ahead!

Cheers,

Sandesh