Photo StoryPublished : Jun 01, 2022Updated : Nov 09, 2023
In this collaborative photo essay that emerged from #TheUncontest, we bring together images from across India to tell a compelling tale of the importance of the overlapping spaces that humans and nature share
Text by: Divya Candade
In this collaborative photo essay that emerged from #TheUncontest, we bring together images from across India to tell a compelling tale of the importance of the overlapping spaces that humans and nature share
Closely observe the world we live in and you’ll notice that the lines between “human spaces” and “wild spaces” are blurred at best. Delve a little deeper into the workings of the natural world and it becomes apparent that ecological niches exist amidst us. Wildlife is not restricted to dense forests or even to the outdoors. Grasslands, wetlands, ravines, deserts, agricultural fields, cities, walls, pavements, and even that narrow space between the bathroom sink and mirror can sustain life. There is a growing realisation that whether we look at urban spaces or wildernesses, wildlife and human communities do not and cannot exist in a vacuum. They are not separate, boxed-off silos, but part of the same large ecosystem. Humans and wildlife are constantly carving out niches, while competing for space and resources.
In popular understanding, there seems to be a divide –that urban sites are human spaces and wildernesses are spaces for wildlife. As human populations spread across different landscapes, we create overlapping spaces in which interactions between wild creatures and humans increase. The interactions that occur in these blurred lines is layered and fraught with complexity. But there is also magic, mystery, tragedy, strategy, and innovation, seen and unseen. Through this photo essay, we inspect these overlapping spaces and find that they throw up stories of coexistence and collision. We observe instances of changing inter-species dynamics and gain unique insights into both human and animal behaviour in different socio-ecological contexts. Perhaps these vignettes can affect the way we engage and live with the different creatures and habitats of our world by unveiling a complex, layered relationship that is constantly changing.
Red spider mites are only 1-2 mm in size and often go unnoticed in our backyards. These tiny arachnids create beautiful web-like structures, not to catch prey but to keep predators at bay. Spider mites are related to spiders but, on closer inspection, they can be differentiated from their arachnid relatives rather easily. They are smaller and have only one body section, unlike spiders who have two clear sections. They prefer hot, dry environments and feed on plants, and are generally considered pests.
Photo: Anirban Dutta
Location: Cooch Behar, West Bengal
Common creatures like termites, though also considered pests and silent destroyers in urban landscapes, play an integral role as decomposers and ecosystem engineers. The onset of the monsoons triggers the mating process for many wild creatures including termites. Drama is everywhere if we look for it —in empty urban patches, in wall niches or cracks in the pavement, even in the most concrete dominated cities.
Photo: Aniket Thopate
Location: Badlapur, Maharashtra
In the middle of a busy urban space, it’s not unusual to find wild creatures who’ve adapted cleverly to use human technology to their advantage. This lone black drongo (noticeable as a blur on the right in the above picture) had an interesting hunting strategy. After waiting near a huge light source till it was turned on at nightfall, the bird deftly swooped in to catch the hundreds of termites drawn to the light.
Photo: Anirban Dutta
Location: Cooch Behar, West Bengal
Insectivorous bats of Hooghly, Kolkata have also adapted to their urban contexts in a similar manner, routinely flying around lampposts to feast on termites and other insects. These curious, nocturnal creatures are sadly misunderstood and feared. They are also increasingly losing their habitat in cities. Bats are crucial for pollination, seed dispersal, and keeping insect populations in check. They are as vital to ecosystem health as birds and bees.
Photo: Arijit Das
Location: Hooghly, Kolkata
As human settlements expand and spread, interactions between wild creatures and people increases. Often wildlife, especially smaller creatures, are pushed out of these spaces and need to relocate or adapt to survive. Humans and animals are then forced to negotiate life along these blurred lines. In Cooch Behar, a fruit shop owner devised an innovative strategy to deter bats that kept raiding his shop. He tied overripe bananas away from the entrance to his shop, hoping that this would lure the bats away. It worked. The bats no longer entered his shop, feeding instead on the bananas hanging outside. A heart-warming tale of coexistence.
Photo: Anirban Dutta
Location: Cooch Behar, West Bengal
There’s a growing awareness that wildlife is not restricted to wildernesses and isn’t always far away. But can we humans gently coexist with harmless wild creatures that inhabit what we claim is “our space”? Ubiquitous in most landscapes, spiders are often greeted with fear and dislike. Popular media like films and books do not help this trend. Common house spiders not only prey on mosquitoes and cockroaches, but also make for the most fascinating housemates with never-ending drama in their silken webs. Giant wood spiders (above) usually prefer wooded areas for their large orb webs. The female normally sits in the middle of her orb-web high up in the canopy or in unexpected corners between vegetation. However, here she has built her web inside a portico, an unusual act that could point to shrinking tree cover in the region.
Photo: Prajwal K.M.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka
Some wild creatures that live in urban spaces are often heard more than seen. Following alarm calls is one way of spotting creatures that live amidst us. The distinct screeching of barn owls can be heard even in large cities like Delhi. This barn owl was spotted comfortably perched in an abandoned bungalow in Shimoga, Karnataka.
Photo: Suhas G Hebbar
Location: Shimoga, Karnataka
Unfortunately, wild creatures that enter spaces humans occupy often meet a grisly end. This barn owl had flown into someone’s house and was captured and handed over to a butcher’s shop. Repeated pleas to release it were met with resistance on account of superstitious beliefs and the bird ultimately died.
Photo: Swapnendu Mondal
Location: Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
Another creature that’s regularly misunderstood is the snake. They are often met with fear and violence when humans encounter them. This Russell’s viper was set free by a release and rescue team before they realised some women from the Irula community were nearby. However, when they were warned, they didn’t seem to mind. Tamil Nadu’s Irula community were traditionally the main suppliers of snakeskin to the snakeskin industry. Now they use their knowledge and skill to contribute to antivenom production for the treatment of snakebite.
Photo: Gnaneswar CH
Location: Tamil Nadu
In another landscape, a large Russell’s viper moves along leaves and discarded packaging on the forest floor. This forest patch near Gurguripal in West Bengal had previously hosted some tourists. The prevalent notion of wildlife in India is that they live in pristine wildernesses, far from the impact of humans. But what we leave behind carelessly in our wildernesses gravely impacts life in these areas. The stark reality is that even in forests and wilderness areas, wildlife is increasingly being forced to live and feed in polluted habitats.
Photo: Subhadeep Dey
Location: Midnapore, West Bengal
How far-reaching is the human footprint and what kind of cascading impact does it have? Photos of free-ranging dogs chasing and attacking wild species alert us to their significant threat to wildlife. India has one of the largest populations (about 60 million) of dogs in the world. Some studies show that these dogs have contributed directly to the decline of some wildlife populations. Free-ranging dogs not only push native wildlife out of their homes but are also capable of spreading deadly diseases that can potentially wipe out a species. In the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, this arresting image of a porcupine, a nocturnal animal, defending itself against two free-ranging dogs shows us the far-reaching impact of our footprint.
Photo: Rahil Patel
Location: Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat
These images open up stories of overlapping spaces and show us how our lives comingle with creatures large and small. Within these stories we see wildlife adapting to human-dominated landscapes and humans coexisting with their wild neighbours with love and respect. But there are also harrowing tales of wildlife in polluted habitats, threats from free-ranging dogs, or creatures falling victim to superstition and fear. As we expand development projects and encroach wilderness areas there will continue to be more clashes, right in front of our eyes, such as on the roads and railroads we travel on, where wildlife meets its end. The complex coexistence between large mammals and humans has gains and losses on both sides. We must all consider our impact on nature. How do we as humans impact the natural world? How often do we think about these overlapping spaces? How is life negotiated within these blurred lines?
On 22 April 2022, Earth Day, Roundglass Sustain launched #TheUncontest, an experiment in collaborative storytelling. The Sustain Community –that’s you!–contributed individual facets of the story of India’s #UnseenChampions. When the panel of eminent wildlife storytellers—Mike Pandey, Arati Kumar Rao and Dhritiman Mukherjee —went through the entries, several interesting themes emerged. But one compelling theme stood out. And this is the powerful narrative that emerged from your stories.
is a social anthropologist who works in the area of communication for sustainable development. She loves nature and slow travel, and is most content in the wilderness.
