Feeling for wildlife

Two impressive perspectives on the basis of insights gained as conservationists.

These are good times for readers of books on natural history. The two books under review are the latest additions to the list of impressive works by wildlife experts. The days when nature lovers had to rely on yarns by hunters are gone. Now we have authentic and scientific writing. Ullas Karanth's A View From the Machan and A.J.T. Johnsingh's Field Days exemplify wildlife biologists' contribution to our understanding of the dynamics of conservation.

Wildlifers in India can be broadly classified under two types: those for whom wildlife merely adds grist to their academic mill (wildlife studies is emerging as an attractive field) and career and those who stick their neck out and even take on the establishment.

For the first type, as Karanth puts it, conservation may be "another nine-to-five job"; they will not care if the last hangul (Kashmiri stag) is shot out of existence. Karanth clearly belongs to the second category. Whether in questioning the method used in the tiger census or in the debate on people versus sanctuaries, he has stated his position in clear terms, and even got involved in protracted legal battles.

An autobiographical structure binds together A View From the Machan. Karanth explains his philosophy of conservation: "I am deeply concerned that wildlife and wild lands, which have evolved over millions of years must survive on this planet at least in their present remnant form. I believe that the present generation of humans has no moral right to extirpate wild nature and that we hold nature in trust for future generations." Right from the beginning his interest was in protecting the tiger and devising methods of conservation suitable to Indian conditions, as detailed in the opening chapter. Starting from his childhood in southern Karnataka, Karanth traces the early influence of books and ideas on him, and provides us with portraits of individuals who influenced him. He ponders over his father, Jnanpith Award-winning author K. Shivaram Karanth, and writer-hunter Kenneth Anderson and then moves on to his work, his concerns and his ideology. Although the focus is on the big cat, he talks about other predators as well, as also the problems of conservation in India.

Later Karanth writes in detail about the tenure of forest ranger K.M. Chinnappa, who introduced him to the mysteries of bush craft, in the Nagarahole national park in Karnataka.

In the Nagarahole initiative, which has come to be recognised as a singular success story, Chinnappa and others persuaded the local people to be responsible for the preservation of wildlife in that area. This turned out to be the key to the resurrection of the sanctuary. In this effort Chinnappa had to face powerful opponents and also harassment, which at least once found him behind bars on a trumped-up murder charge. However, in the end he was able to win the trust and goodwill of people living in the vicinity of the sanctuary. Karanth writes about coming into contact with wildlife biologists such as Mel Sunquist and John Seidensticker and how the association with them changed his life.After learning the method of radio-tracking, he radio-collared a few tigers in Nagarahole. It was the first time that this method was employed in India and it extended the frontiers of wildlife research. His detractors started an unseemly controversy in the press about the technique and many wildlifers exposed their ignorance by participating in the debate. However, the method of radio-tracking proved its worth and soon it was in use to study the lions of Gir and the elephants in Mudumalai. Now a young primatologist is planning to radio-track slender lorises.

Karanth demonstrates his remarkable powers of description. In the world he creates for the readers, not just the big cats but the jungle fowl, the giant squirrel and the langur come alive. Karanth's strong emotional ties with wildlife come through in his writings. His main focus has been Nagarahole, located in a region with the world's richest biodiversity. As a wildlife biologist, Karanth interprets the happenings in the jungle in the larger backdrop of the survival of species. While he has his own distinct style, this aspect of his writing reminds me of the wildlife biologist George B. Schaller. It endows his writing with an extra dimension. When a leopard comes across three dholes (wild dog), it flees at first sight, presuming that it could be a large pack. Karanth observes that this action of the cat had greater survival value, in evolutionary terms. He adds that this capability to survive is the reason for its wide provenance, from Africa to East Asia.

Karanth believes that the tools provided by modern technology, such as radio-tracking, are a boon to conservation and wildlife research. He argues for a closer coordination between wildlife research and management of sanctuaries. The heart of the book is tiger conservation and this is tied up with the well-being of the other creatures of the jungle.

About one of the animals radio-collared by Karanth, the tigress Sundari in Nagarahole, George Schaller writes in his Foreword: "Here is one of the most wonderful expressions of life on earth and it lifts our spirits. In an age when nature is being viewed mainly in terms of natural resources, in dollar values, my heart speaks to Sundari. She is a strong reminder that conservation is also a moral issue of assuring other beings on this planet their right to exist."

It is appropriate that A.J.T. Johnsingh has titled his book Field Days. He has made his mark as a wildlife biologist in fieldwork and his students, scattered in different parts of the world, excel in fieldwork and adore him as a teacher. The book is a collection of his 37 articles, published in newspapers and scientific journals, the oldest dating back to 1972. The reader could discern the growth of the author as a writer and as a wildlife biologist.

In Field Days, he shares his experience and insights. The articles on the wildlife of northeastern India, of Mizoram, Megalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, are particularly valuable and provide the reader with fascinating details that are not usually available. Almost all the major sanctuaries in the rest of India have been covered, including Moondradaipu, the little known heronry near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. We read an insider's account of the search for a second home for the Asiatic lion and how the Kuno sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh was chosen.

His coverage of the sanctuaries in the other eastern countries opens a new area to readers. You get fascinating accounts of little-known habitats, such as the Arakan mountain ranges of Myanmar, home to the second largest wild population of the Asiatic elephant. The piece on the Gibbon sanctuary in Thailand is a rare account of the evergreen forests in that part of the world. The problems of conservation in war-torn Vietnam reminds the reader of Kashmir.

One advantage an author gets in anthologising articles is that he/she can expand the points touched upon in the articles because the book form presents no constraints on length. But this advantage has not been utilised well. Johnsingh has merely added short postscripts to some of the pieces. Similarly, when compiling the articles in the book form one needs to double-check the facts.

A book comes in for closer scrutiny than a newspaper article. For instance, black bucks were not introduced in the Guindy National Park in Chennai, as the author says in his 1976 article: they are the original inhabitants of that stretch of coastal scrub jungle. During the tenure of the Raja of Bhavnagar as Governor, the chital were introduced into this habitat from a small population that was in the Government Estate on Mount Road (now Anna Salai in Chennai). Correctness and consistency in spelling place names is another area that needs attention in a collection of articles written over a period of time.

Book designing does not get adequate attention in India. In Field Days there is a small, dark square on top of each page, the purpose of which is not clear.

Stamp-size photographs serve no purpose. It is sad that we have passed the black-and-white phase of photography. The digital black-and-white pictures lack contrast and appear flat and devoid of sharpness.

Aimed at non-specialists, these books are sure to win new converts to the gospel of conservation. Both books contain useful bibliographies. An index would have increased the worth of these books. Field Days contains an exhaustive list of creatures mentioned in the book. Had the page numbers in which they occur been mentioned it would have been useful.