Kerala
26 Results
The Guide: Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary
There are plenty of birds and animals in Aralam, one of the lesser-known sanctuaries in northern Kerala, but the main attraction is undoubtedly its abundance of butterflies
Travel
Subtle Showstoppers: Bowled Over by the Monitors in My Yard
Their ancient aura and irreplaceable swagger intact, udumbus or common monitor lizards have proliferated in a little village in Kerala’s backwaters
Wild Vault
Munnar’s Monsoon Nightlife: The Bush Frog Story
The bush frogs of Munnar form a unique group with many endemic species facing threats to their existence
Photo Story
Growing with Nature
From a barren landscape to a green abode, Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, shows us what conservation, protection, and love for nature can do
Habitat
Purple Frog: A Brief Interlude from a Secret Life Underground
A subterranean burrowing life, bizarre body morphology, and unique breeding behaviour make the purple frog an intriguing and important amphibian to be studied and conserved
Species
Hump-backed Mahseer: Facts, Habitat, Threats
All you need to know about this critically endangered freshwater fish
Infographic
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve: A Sight and Story at Every Bend
The lush forest is best experienced through the eyes of the local tribals-turned-guides who know the landscape intimately
Habitat
Vanishing Act: The Slow Decline of Cantor’s Giant Softshell Turtle
The turtle has been shrouded in mystery for too long — it is rarely spotted, we know little about its ecology, except that its numbers are declining across its range
Species
N Badusha: Crusader for Wayanad’s Wilds
For more than four decades, this committed environmental activist has forged a path to protect the fragile communities and ecosystems of Kerala
Hero
Finding a ‘Star’ Among Frogs
When a team of ecologists discovered a frog with constellation-like markings on its back, they knew just what to name it!
Book
Kole’s waterman: Protecting a wetland through paddy cultivation
Agriculturist Kochu Muhammed who coordinates over 130 clusters of farmers is a living encyclopaedia on these wetlands
Hero
Growing With the Flow: The River Pamba and I
How childhood swimming lessons in Thalavady’s Pamba river revealed secrets of Kerala’s backwaters, and introduced the writer to wonders of the wild
Wild Vault
Fish Discovered in Kerala may have Lived with the Last Dinosaurs
Genetically distinct from other snakehead fish worldwide, the Gollum snakehead is a living fossil, say scientists
Wild Vault
Periyar Tiger Reserve: Synergy of an Emerald Forest
It’s easy to fall in love with this lush wilderness in Kerala when you explore its depths on a boat safari and walking trail
Habitat
Fringe Ford and the Scoop on Poop
Lessons in nature’s interconnectedness in Wayanad’s jungles, where poop is serious business. It can bear tidings of who’s in town, and support entire ecosystems
Travel
Why Do These Starry-eyed Frogs Disappear into Bamboos?
A peculiar behaviour exhibited by white-spotted bush frogs prompted a researcher and his colleagues to unravel a mystery that’s stranger than fiction
Book
Fallen Flowers: Restoring Wild Orchids in the Western Ghats
Education, conservation and community go hand in hand in an educational experiment on restoring orchids in Vythiri, Kerala
Wild Vault
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Trendsetter in Converting Poachers to Protectors
Vidiyal Vanapathukappu Sangam, India’s first participatory forest management project comprising solely of former poachers and sandalwood smugglers, completes 17 years of conservation in Periyar Tiger Reserve of Kerala
Wild Vault
Anamalai Wood Snake: New Species Found in the Western Ghats
Scientists had previously noted slight differences in the Perroteti’s wood snake found in the northern and southern hill ranges of the Western Ghats, but further analyses reveal that specimens collected from the Anamalai hills, in the southern ranges, are a new species altogether
News
The Guide: Wild Wayanad
Kerala’s Wayanad district is a splendid wilderness area that is a hotbed of amazing creatures large and small
Travel
Lion-tailed Macaque: Facts, Habitat, and Threats
Everything you need to know about the lion of the tree canopies
Infographic
Small-clawed Otter: The Secret Surprise by the Stream
Our lives are implicitly intertwined with this shy, mostly nocturnal creature. The destruction of its riverine habitat could spell danger for an entire ecosystem
Conservation
‘Why is the climate changing like this?’
Coffee and pepper farmers in Wayanad, Kerala, are reeling under losses caused by a rise in temperatures and erratic rainfall in a district whose residents once boasted of its ‘air-conditioned climate’
Conservation
A New Vine Snake Called Proahaetulla Slithers Into View
In the Agasthyamalai Hills in the southern Western Ghats scientists confirm the discovery of an ancient species of vine snake
News
Out of Place: Invasive Species in the Western Ghats
When plants and animals are relocated from their native habitat to new sites and environments they can cause havoc and be detrimental to local communities, habitats, and wildlife.
Conservation
Splendid Sojourns in Silent Valley National Park
Nifty monkeys and playful tiger cubs, iridescent butterflies and magnificent trees — a conservation ecologist finds herself in rapt fascination in the rainforests of this UNESCO World Heritage site
Habitat