Sanctuary Asia

@sanctuaryasia

India's leading wildlife & conservation magazine. Now a part of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation. Visit us here! 👇🏽
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As far away as we may sometimes feel, we come from Nature, and we go back to Nature. We Are Nature. As we bring in the new year, we honour those awe-inspiring men and women who have committed their lives to protecting the natural world. ‘Becoming’, made by @farawayoriginals and voiced by the iconic @thezeenataman , beautifully set the tone for the Sanctuary Wildlife Awards held last month @ncpamumbai . It is a meditation, a celebration and a call to action. Head over to the link in our bio to watch the ceremony! 🍃 #Becoming #SanctuaryWildlifeAwards #ChangeYourHeroes #InvestForGood
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2 months ago
Rarest of the Rare Ever since the 1970s, people claimed to be seeing tigers that had deep black stripes, almost rendering them black, in Odisha’s Similipal Tiger Reserve. However, sightings of the strange cat were dismissed. It was only in 1992 that there was a confirmed record of the ‘black tiger’, when its pelt was confiscated from a smuggler and hunter in New Delhi. The skin was put on display at the National Museum of Natural History, and the cat was adjudged to be a pseudo-melanistic tiger. Pseudo-melanism occurs on account of a single mutation in a gene, which also results in similar traits in other species of cats. It is caused by a recessive gene, which both normal-coloured parents should possess for a tiger to be born ‘black’. Now here’s the catch – it is unlikely that unrelated tigers will have the recessive gene and pass it on to the cub. So, pseudo-melanism is essentially an outcome of inbreeding in isolation among tigers over several generations. In Similipal, this has occurred owing to the lack of connecting forests for the resident tiger population. The closest breeding population of tigers is about 800 km away. This fantastic image of a pseudo-melanistic tiger in Similipal was first included in the coffee table book Tiger Tiger Burning Bright published to celebrate 50 years of Project Tiger. The photographer and his team were aware of its presence in the tiger reserve, but had no printable high-resolution images available. They worked with the tiger reserve staff and installed DSLR-based camera traps at locations where the probability of capturing the tiger was the highest. Two months later, they photographed two individuals. DSLR camera traps work on the same principle as Trailcams. These camera traps were developed by the photographer himself! Such innovation, perseverance, collaboration and understanding of the wild must be lauded. Such efforts help unveil the secrets of our wilds, one image at a time! 🐅 📸 Yashpal Rathore/Similipal Forest Department 📍Similipal Tiger Reserve, Odisha
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5 days ago
The extreme heat of 2023 may have shattered all climate records and devastated economies, but we saw no sense of urgency among world leaders at COP28, the UN climate summit held in December 2023 in Dubai, UAE. Shailendra Yashwant (@shaibaba ) reports on the outcomes, and what we can expect next in “The World After Cop28”, in the February 2024 issue of Sanctuary Asia. 🌍🌡️ The world needs to act faster to address climate change. What can we do to hold our leaders accountable? Share your ideas! 💡 🔗 /article/the-world-after-cop28 [Cop28, fossil fuels, phase out, environment, politics, climate change, economy, UN, Partha Dasgupta, Nicholas Stern]
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8 days ago
Bug Mosaic 🪲 📸 Reposted • @amithkiranmenezes While I was engaged in #macrophotography , I encountered a beautiful yet peculiar behaviour. Initially, I thought they were honey bees, but upon closer inspection, I discovered that they were seed bugs. Graptostethus servus, commonly known as the “seed bug,” is a species of seed bug in the family Lygaeidae. I observed and documented this behavior, and inquired with a few entomologists about the congregation. Most of them suggested that the bugs were likely feeding on host plants. Upon further observation, I also witnessed mating and thermoregulation among them, and then I realised, that congregated behavior in seed bugs like Graptostethus servus not only feeding but can serve the purpose of temperature regulation also. This particular behaviour is observed as a mechanism to reduce the loss of body heat. Since these insects are small, their surface area is much higher than the volume of their bodies, leading to a higher rate of heat dissipation. During winter, they gather closely together so that the total heat generated by all members of the insect group helps overcome the challenging cold conditions. As a result, all members can survive. In cooler environments, forming groups provides warmth and enhances the chances of survival. This type of behaviour is also observed in birds. While congregated on host plants, some Graptostethus servus individuals engage in mating. This is a typical behaviour observed in many insects, as they search for mates during their active periods. I took a few pictures, but this one is special because they are packed together like a mosaic, revealing the behaviour of #thermoregulation . 📍Bangalore University, Karnataka, India
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9 days ago
Where the Mahseers are In 2023, #MudonBoots Project Leader Jesu Das was monitoring the movement of two mahseers fitted with Very High Frequency (VFH) radio transmitters by recording their GPS locations and their behaviour across 24-hour tracking cycles. Das noted parameters such as beeps per minute (estimate of body temperature) and 14 water quality and habitat parameters every hour. This study is part of a state-level program initiated by the #Karnataka Forest Department to conserve the Critically Endangered Humpback #Mahseer . 🥾🐟 Unfortunately, after about two months of work, the signal of one fish was lost while that of the other went static. However, the information gathered from the two fish was critical in setting the data collection protocol. 2024 breathed new life into the project as 5 new adult mahseers weighing between 10 – 23 kilograms.✨ ➡️ Jesu Das works as a field operative with WASI and now extends his reach by collaborating with government and research institutions on exploratory surveys in the #Cauvery #River basin. 📷: WASI (@wasiindia ) & @barb.vanderven [river, ecology, fish, conservation, grassroots, forest department, collaboration, wildlife, mud on boots]
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12 days ago
Watch the inspiring tale of Binod Dulu Bora, a true wildlife conservationist with a soul deeply connected to the wild. His compassion knows no bounds as he embarks on daring missions to reunite a lost baby elephant with its mother, navigating the intricate web of forests and rivers. We take pride in recognizing him as the recipient of the Balipara Foundation Award - Conservation Through Innovation, in 2014. Witnessing his story, artfully crafted by filmmaker Rajeev Chaurasia, Mr. Bora instills hope in us as his narrative resonates as a call to action, urging each of us to recognize our ability to contribute to the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants. Link in bio to watch the full movie. #ThrowbackoBFA2014
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13 days ago
The Indian wilderness is a realm of wonder and intrigue. Here we find a magnificent tigress, her cubs by her side, a testament to the circle of life. In this ancient land, they embody the essence of strength, grace, and the eternal dance of nature. Join us on this extraordinary journey as we unravel the secrets of the wild. 🐯✨ 📸 Reposted @jitendergovindani 📍Jim Corbett National Park #catsofinstagram #discoverwildlfe #earthcapture #indianwildlife #indianwildlifeofficial #jimcorbett #anımalsofinstagram #natgeotravel #wildtiger #natgeowildlife #photooftheday #tigers #naturelovers #outdoors #picoftheday #travel #travelphotography #wanderlust #wildlife #wildlifephotographer #wildlifephotos #wildplanet #wildlifephotography #natgeoyourshot #naturephotography
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14 days ago
Human-animal conflict is a major issue in some parts of Eastern Himalaya, especially in Assam. Increasing encounters between communities and wildlife pose challenges for coexistence. As habitats overlap, finding sustainable solutions becomes imperative. Watch the crucial conversations from the Eastern Himalayan Naturenomics™ Forum 2016, artfully captured by filmmaker Rajeev Chaurasia. Link in bio. #humanelephantconflict #assam #communities
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16 days ago
#ContestAlert Reminder: share your best wildlife shots to stand a chance to be featured on the pages of the Pirojsha Godrej Foundation as well as @sanctuaryasia ! Don't forget to follow, like and comment on the post to enter! Help raise awareness of the beauty and fragility of our natural world! #Contest #Wildlife #Photography #PhotographyContest #ContestIndia #sanctuaryasia
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17 days ago
Aren’t they just too cute together? 🦉😍 Sri-Lankan Frogmouth pair in their habitat! 📸 Reposted • @anupam_thombre Shot on Sony a1 + FE 400mm f2.8 GM OSS [Sony, Photography, Bird Photography, Owls, Reels, Wildlife, Birds, Moments, NatGeo, Bird World]
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22 days ago