Latest news with #SantoshBhattarai
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
The soul on ventilator support
Artist Kulwinder Singh was driving from his village in Sangrur to Chandigarh when he observed road accidents caused by the obscuring smoke screen of paddy stubble infernos. Though hailing from a farmer's home, the young man's sensitivity liberated him from the corral of his ancestry. A thought flashed in his inner eye: 'Burning does not just adversely affect us farmers by way of health hazards, environmental pollution, destruction of biodiversity helpful to soil such as worms and the earth's destruction. But also people unconnected to farming.' Wildbuzz | The soul on ventilator support Singh is of the conviction that art must reach beyond the decorative to 'disturb' and send ripples through a stagnating social conscience. He conceived a painting from that 'driving' thought. It smoulders, and arrests the gaze. It was on prime display at the annual exhibition of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi. It is of an elderly farmer with an oxygen mask. The scarecrow behind him also clamped with a breathing filter. Wisps of burnt stubble settle on the wizened farmer's white kurta, like indelible black curses. 'It is an aesthetic depiction of a warning: that the farmer is on ventilator support. The terminal stage. If not heeded, we will have committed suicide,' Singh, an art teacher in a Chandigarh school, told this writer. The painting is rich in cultural symbolism. In the kurta's upper pocket is a bulging wallet depicting a man of wealth. 'However, my artwork evokes the message: wealth will not be able to prevent the looming destruction to the self and to environment,' Singh added. The young artist is critical of the self: 'It is not enough to say farmers burn stubble because it is cheap and Government provides no alternative. We must evolve from the destructive paddy cycle, which has also depleted the water table.' The artwork whispers of the ironies that wrack the soul of contemporary Punjab: obsessed with blasphemy but oblivious to the scriptures steeped in the vision of environmental preservation, of symbols and rituals accorded precedence over principles. Burmese python turns turtle and pretends it is dead! (Santosh Bhattarai) The python's drama of death The Chhatbir zoo has recently acquired a much sought-after species: three Burmese pythons. This giant serpent is curated by only seven of the 156 zoos in India. In captivity, its behavioural diversity is limited because of the confines but in the wilderness it can be quite an enigma. One of the most interesting aspects of the Burmese python is a unique field observation of it feigning death. This is a behaviour more associated with smaller snakes, mammals and amphibians not at the apex of the food chain like the python. Death feigning or thanatosis is the self-inducement of a state of temporary paralysis to avoid predators, maximize probability of survival and avert risk of damage against external stimuli. Santosh Bhattarai, one of the rare researchers who has consistently expended time and energy on Burmese pythons, shares an observation with a photograph of a mighty python which preferred to play possum, twice. This was when a female python was rescued from the hen coop of a house nearby to Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal. 'During the rescue, the python was quite aggressive as the poultry owner had tried to chase it from the hut. After rescue, the python was placed in a plastic sack and taken to the National Trust for Nature Conservation--Biodiversity Conservation Center for photographic documentation and release. When removed from the sack, the body of the python was found to be stiff and it was not hissing or indulging in any other aggressive action. When the python was placed on the ground, it did not move and appeared almost catatonic or dead. Upon gentle stimulation to its dorsum (upper part), it suddenly inverted its body, exposing its venter and remained immobile in this posture with a closed mouth for about four minutes,' Bhattarai told this writer. 'Later, it returned to the upright position, began to crawl and attempted to escape. The python was recaptured and it again imitated death. However, on this occasion, the (death) behaviour lasted only 1.5 minutes. Afterwards, the python was returned to the sack for another one hour. On the third occasion of release, the python did not feign death but crawled and was released into the CNP,' added Bhattarai. vjswild2@
Miami Herald
11-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Long'-limbed creature with ‘bent' toes found on walking trail. It's a new species
As night fell across Nepal, a 'long'-limbed creature emerged from its hiding place and climbed along some rocks near a walking trail. Its 'green-grey' eyes scanned the shadowy landscape, but it wasn't the only one looking around. Passing scientists noticed the 'slender' animal — and discovered a new species. A team of researchers hiked into the mountains of central Nepal in 2023 and 2024 to survey wildlife. They knew the country had 'rich biodiversity' but remained largely undocumented because of its 'challenging terrain and a sparse road network,' according to a study published March 3 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. While walking along some trails at night, researchers found several unfamiliar-looking lizards, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals, tested their DNA and quickly realized they'd discovered a new species: Cyrtodactylus chitwanensis, or the Chitwan bent-toed gecko. Chitwan bent-toed geckos are considered 'medium-sized,' reaching just over 7 inches in length, the study said. Their 'slender' bodies have 'short' heads and 'long' limbs. Their 'small' eyes are greenish with wavy, vertical pupils. Photos show the 'yellow-brown' coloring of the new species. Dark brown blotches with black edges dot its back, sometimes joining together to form bands. Chitwan bent-toed geckos were 'found on rocks and in caves' at night near walking and hiking trails at elevations of about 3,300 feet, the study said. Researchers said they named the new species after the Chitwan District, one of the areas where it was found. Chitwan bent-toed geckos were also found in the neighboring Tanahun District along the border with India. The new species was identified by its skin folds, scale pattern, body shape, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 15% genetic divergence from other related gecko species. The research team included Santosh Bhattarai, Bivek Gautam, Bishal Prasad Neupane, Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray, Ishan Agarwal, Frank Tillack, Ashley Olson, Fiona Hogan and Wendy Wright. The team also discovered two other new species: the ACAP bent-toed gecko and Karan's bent-toed gecko.
Miami Herald
04-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Slender' creature — ‘sensitive to flashlights' — discovered as new species in Nepal
As night fell across Nepal, a 'slender' creature with 'long' limbs emerged from its hiding place and climbed along a roadside wall. A bright light suddenly moved toward the scaly animal, disturbing it. Scientists looked at the 'very sensitive' animal caught in their flashlight beam — and discovered a new species. A team of researchers ventured into the mountains of central Nepal in 2023 for a six-month project to survey wildlife. The country is 'rich' in biodiversity but remains largely understudied because of its 'challenging terrain and a sparse road network,' according to a study published March 3 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa. During the project, the team visited the Annapurna Conservation Area and conducted nighttime searches for lizards, the study said. Sure enough, they encountered several blotchy and unfamiliar-looking lizards. Researchers took a closer look at the lizards, analyzed their DNA and quickly realized they'd discovered a new species: Cyrtodactylus annapurnaensis, or the ACAP bent-toed gecko. ACAP bent-toed geckos are considered 'small-sized,' reaching just over 5 inches in length, the study said. They have 'slender' bodies, 'short' heads and 'slightly long' limbs. Their fingers and toes are 'long' with 'a strong, recurved claw.' Their 'small' eyes are 'green-grey' with a vertical, wavy-edged pupil. Photos show the brown blotchy pattern of the new species. Overall, its coloring is a mix of light brown, dark brown and cream patches with a striped tail. ACAP bent-toed geckos were found at night 'on roadside walls and along stone wall fences,' near a suspension bridge, on rock walls and on plants near a 'drainage channel,' the study said. The geckos were often found during drizzly, 'rainy or foggy weather' and 'very sensitive to flashlights.' Researchers said they named the new species after the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) where the new species was first discovered. The region is 'the largest Protected Area in Nepal' and began in 1986 as a 'community conservation' project. So far, ACAP bent-toed geckos have been found around three villages in the conservation area, which is in central Nepal and near the border with Tibet, a disputed region controlled by China, the study said. The new species was identified by its glands, body size, scale pattern and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 11% genetic divergence from other related gecko species. The research team included Santosh Bhattarai, Bivek Gautam, Bishal Prasad Neupane, Akshay Khandekar, Tejas Thackeray, Ishan Agarwal, Frank Tillack, Ashley Olson, Fiona Hogan and Wendy Wright. The team also discovered two more new species: the Chitwan bent-toed gecko and Karan's bent-toed gecko.
