This issue of IndiaWilds Newsletter tries to take a look into the issues impacting one of our tribes that had earlier shunned contact with the outside world.

A Passing Storm

What is perfectly acceptable in one society is a strict no-no in another society.

About 7-8 years back, during a trade fair at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi the show organisers were stumped when the performers of a tribal dance from the African continent were found to be topless. It was perfectly natural for the tribals who had been brought here to wear their customary dress. The organisers had to run to the nearest market to buy garments to cover the modesty of the performers.

A similar concern was raised by people when a video clip of Jarawas (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/jan/07/andaman-islanders-human-safari-video) - a tribe living in the ANI with only 400 odd members and susceptible to extinction – was beamed in a few TV channels. Some said that though the faces of the Jarawa women dancing in that video have been blurred digitally, their modesty is not. During a discussion, a few concerned and well-meaning friends suggested that they can donate some of their old designer clothes – which find scant use due to our ever bulging waist lines and had less use due to change in fashion trends – so that the Jarawa women can hide their modesty. It is reported that the Government stirred into action due to the righteous indignation expressed by people who matter and was forced to send the Union Home Minister to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. However, there is still no indication of the Government of taking an strong decisions to resolve the root cause. With the only tangible action seen in form of arrests of people involved in helping undertake the journey for producing the video, the Government appears to be more keen to find out the source of the Jarawa video and punish the individuals rather than solve the root cause of the problem. If a CNN-IBN news report is to be believed, the police officer investigating this issue was rewarded with a President’s Medal. Whether the medal was triggered by his present role in investigating the Jarawa case or purely based on his past service record is not known. http://ibnlive.in.com/generalnewsfeed/news/cop-who-probed-jarawa-dancing-case-gets-prez-police-medal/956276.html

The Jarawas – a tribe of hunter gatherers have lived in the Andamans with only sporadic contacts with other andamanese groups. Till recently they had chosen to remain out of contact with other settlers and were reported to be hostile to the few efforts to contact them. In the 1970′s the Indian administration started building a road through the Jarawa reserve. This brought more people in contact with the Jarawas. The sporadic efforts to make contacts with the Jarawas, which started during the British rule, not only continued after independence, but also got converted into a systematic process of offering inducements to win them over. Over a period of time, the Jarawas have been made dependent on the inducements and it has come to such a sorry state that they are made to dance to our popular songs.

A once independent and self-sufficient tribe is now reduced to begging and subjected to sexual exploitation.

Or shall we take offence at all?

Some may say that the Jarawas are performing artists, after all our film stars and starlets are now dancing/performing in many marriage and other parties and subjected to lewd comments like the ones in the Jarawa video. At the beginning of the previous century, during the silent talkie era, the female roles were performed by males as it was not seen as a right thing to do. Over a period of time, due to changing social mores, people consider the film stars and item girls as role models and deified. We have come a long way!

So if our convoys continue to run through the Andaman Trunk Road and these legal or illegal contacts continue, and if the various interested parties have their way, the Jarawas will be “integrated” into the mainstream and may soon participate or form their own dance troupes and be seen in various trade shows and other parties. It goes without saying that they will be fully clad to hide their modesty.

Is this what we want?

Assimilating them into Mainstream Society:
The Jarawas had stayed in their forest abode for thousands of years without any contact with the outside world. Many politicians, real estate mafia, tour agents etc consider them to be relics of the past to be obliterated (read assimilated into mainstream), so that they will have their own way in capturing (read developing) these areas.

To a group of concerned individuals including a few anthropologists who are rooting for assimilation of the Jarawas, I asked why we talk of assimilating them with the mainstream society. I was told that they can then demand reservations in jobs. I was stunned into silence for a moment.

I asked “You destroy their homeland, their culture, their way of life and make them dependent on us and then feel that by allocating a portion of jobs under the ST quota, their problems will be solved?” In the first place, we created a problem by damaging their habitat; by poaching in their forests and reducing the food available to them. Then we created this contact program and made them dependent on our food, addicted them to liquor and other vices, dangled shiny pieces of jewelry, watches and other such items and enticed them the way we do to kids and made some of them believe that our life style is better etc. And now we talk of assimilating them into our society!

Do we have dearth of coolies that we still want to break the backbone of a self-sufficient tribe living in isolation and bring them to our cities?

Vulnerable to Extinction:
The Jarawas with an estimated population of around 400 odd individuals are susceptible to any diseases that can be transmitted from us, for which they have no immune system. Thousands of years of remaining out of contact with the outside world makes them vulnerable as their immune system has not evolved. Expecting that to evolve in a few years is like making the evolutionary process move at the speed of light – a pipe dream. Our scientists are of the opinion that any species that number less than 500 are prone to extinction. One single outbreak of a disease can do that. It is said that when the British first arrived in 1789, due to outbreak of some disease there was a marked reduction in the Jarawa population (Development and Ethnocide: Colonial Practices in the Andaman Islands: Sita Venkateshwar). So it is a moot point whether we assimilate them into the mainstream or not, just continuing with the contact programs have the potential to spread disease resulting in the Jarawas getting wiped away. And in case we assimilate them into the mainstream, they will similarly get wiped away, without perhaps anyone even noticing their extinction.

Apology for Past Sins:
In 2008, after several decades the Australian Government realized their sin of forcibly taking away kids of aborigines to assimilate them into the mainstream and their Prime Minister Kevin Rudd had apologized. “To the mothers and fathers, to the brothers and sisters we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture we say sorry.” India today is again in the path of creating such a massive blunder. As a nation, do we have the moral right to destroy the homeland, the culture, and the way of life and the dignity of the Jarawas?

Preserving the unique culture of Jarawas:
The Jarawas have their own culture. Due to very infrequent contact with outsiders and other groups, they may be among the handful of tribes in their world who have had a culture that is not influenced by our materialistic world. Due to the very small population of the Jarawas, assimilation into our society will lead to their quickly their culture getting obliterated. After the reorganization of Indian States along linguistic lines, many people in the border areas of various states were forced to speak, read and write in other languages. I have personally seen many examples of such people forgetting their own mother tongue. If this can happen to non-tribals, how do we expect this to not happen to the Jarawas who still are mainly hunter-gatherers? Poor indeed are the people who have lost their language.

Living with Dignity:
The Tribal Affairs Minister Shri V Kishore Chandra Deo had said that “It will be unfair to leave the Jarawas in Beastly condition”. The Jarawas don’t need our sympathy as poor people. Poverty is not just about lack of material goods. They have free unpolluted air to breathe in, still vast stretches where the water is good, despite poaching they still have good forests that provide them their needs. They have all that is necessary for their survival as independent and self-sufficient community. They neither need our doles, nor our job reservations or our sympathy. Let’s allow them to live in dignity and in peace.

It is time; we respect the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s ruling and stop plying vehicles in the Andaman Trunk Road. At a time when greed and short-sightedness cloud our vision, will the Government wake up and respect the Supreme Court ruling of closing the Andaman Trunk Road? Or are we OK for a future Prime Minister of India to apologise to the Jarawas like the Australian PM did?

With many of the major news channels moving from the initial Jarawa video and related stories is the Jarawa issue another Passing Storm?

Other Conservation Issues:

Another Elephant run over by train:
Elephants continue to be killed by our trains. There seems to be no respite for our elephants:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8266

Elephant Run over by Bus in Satyamangalam:
KSRTC drivers have earned another dubious distinction. In the past, KSRTC after a sloth bear was killed by one of its buses had given an explanation that it was the first incident and hence should be ignored. It is to be seen what explanation they are going to give for killing an elephant. http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8569

Elephant deaths in Erode district:
When twenty three elephants get killed in a single district it is a matter of grave concern. For further details: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8274

Photographer killed while clicking Elephant:
Elephant is an often misunderstood and a much maligned creature despite we considering it as the vehicle of Goddesses Laxmi and despite Lord Ganesha having an elephant head. Elephants can run much faster than humans. For further details on this:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8510

Tiger poachers reach Nallamala:
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8092

Wildlife Photography:
Images shared by our members between Dec. 10th 2011 and Jan 9th 2012 that depict interesting behavior, habitat, rare species or just plain beautiful.

Water Redstart in flight by Kaling Dai
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8398

Nailed in mid-air…lesser pied kingfisher by Dr. Jitendra Katre
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8225

White-bellied Sea Eagle pair by Abhishek Jamalabad

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8161

Bronze Winged Jacana by Arijit Banerjee

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8257

Asiatic Wild Ass, LRK by Dipankar Mazumdar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8303

Tiger at Bandipur by Praveen Siddannavar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8231

Bharatpur bird santuary during morning by Ashok Sorout

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8313

Lined Writhing Skink at Karnala by Abhishek Jamalabad
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8466

Python Yawn – Bharatpur by Sabyasachi Patra
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8464

I look forward to your support and inputs in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country. For other interesting articles and photographs please check : http://www.indiawilds.com/forums

All the newsletters can be found online at http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/newsletter/

In case, anyone of you has forgotten his/her user id and password can email the admin at the following email id administrator@indiawilds.com Others may register at www.indiawilds.com/forums/register.php using your Full Name as user id.

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com
Profile: http://www.indiawilds.com/profile.htm
Contact: http://www.indiawilds.com/contact%20us.htm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IndiaWilds/132629240481www.indiawilds.com
Diary: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/
Equipment reviews: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/equipment/
Forums: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/index.php

IndiaWilds Newsletter Vol. 3 Issue XII

This issue of IndiaWilds Newsletter tries to take a deep dive into our culture to find solutions for today’s environmental problems.

Conservation: Learnings from Mahabharata

Fear:

Several incidents and examples that I have faced or read have remained in my memory as I have not been able to get an answer.

During my childhood days, while wandering alone in the nearby hillock, I have always been fearful whether I will stumble upon some unknown animal or snake. I have no idea if it was a result of reading Jim Corbett’s experiences in his much acclaimed book “Jungle Lore” where as a child he had accidentally stepped upon a sleeping python and had immediately discharged his muzzle loading gun into it and ran away as fast as he could.  In later years, I had successfully overpowered this fear and used to sit alone in waterholes in the night waiting for animals come to drink water.

However, I often wonder why we get tensed when faced with an unknown situation and tend to kill/subjugate the other. This thought had again come to my mind when I was reading Dr. George Schaller’s experiences in the high Himalayas, especially in his book “Stones of Silence”. He had said that hardly anyone had visited Changthang and other pristine wilderness areas and had encountered animals that didn’t have any fear of humans.

Two weeks back, on 9^th December, Dr. George Schaller showed us his slides and he said that these animals had no fear of man. They were never persecuted by man, so didn’t run away when he approached close. However, these days people rundown animals using their motor cycles, if they don’t have guns. As a result, the animals develop fear and now runaway when they see an approaching human being.

In a stark contrast to the lack of fear seen in animals by Dr. Schaller, a few weeks back, fifteen bullets from an automatic AK 47 were pumped into a lactating tigress near the Kohra range in Kaziranga: http://indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8119

This senseless and arrogant display of firepower in pumping fifteen bullets from the AK 47 left many people stunned.

We always talk of sensitising the armed forces and police etc that they should not over react. Whenever, the armed forces have been given clear-cut instructions they have followed it religiously and have even given up their lives in trying to uphold those instructions. For eg. the IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force) in Srilanka was instructed not to fire at civilians and the LTTE militants had even taken benefit of this by hiding within civilians and firing at the IPKF soldiers. So it becomes a bit difficult to understand why the armed forces and police officers become trigger happy when they see a wild animal. Why cannot they be instructed to maintain peace in front of stone-throwing mob without firing at a tiger or leopard?

The question that comes to my mind is with no one persecuting us – except for our own brethren – why are we so insecure? Why our first reaction is to kill or maim any animal that appears on our way?

Nabagunjara:

Nabagunjara Rupa by Traditional Oriya Artists

In my childhood days we used to read the Mahabharata and I was especially fond of the carvings in the stones in various temples in Orissa. There is the mention of Krishna taking the “Nabagunjara rupa” or the form of a monster Nabagunjara to test Arjuna. The monstrous Nabagunjara had head of a rooster, neck of a peacock, left fore feet of an elephant, one hind leg of tiger and the other hind leg of horse, waist of lion, hump of bull, tail in form of a snake, and the right fore leg in the form of a human hand carrying a lotus.  However, Arjuna could immediately know that Krishna is playing a trick on him as he could see the Padma ie lotus in the human hand. While reading Devdutt Pattanaik’s retelling of the Mahabharata titled “Jaya”, I was again reminded of this. He has reminded us that this Nabagunjara story highlights an important facet of Hindu philosophy “what cannot be understood by the human intellect need not be feared because it ultimately comes from God.”

In a country where the majority of people are Hindus and since in the past we have had massive mobilisation of people for building a temple, one ought to expect that the Hindu philosophy of not fearing the unknown is followed and we don’t resort to killing any animal, bird, insect, reptile that we find near our human habitations.

Is it a product of our complicated modern life where each of us is looking to “lord over” a lesser mortal to compensate for being subjugated by someone else in the social/official hierarchy?

Or is it because we have forgotten our culture?

Dr. George Schaller had said that Conservation is all about “Culture, Economics and Politics”. With our politicians displaying the propensity to self-destruct and the economic modeling failing to take into account our nature heritage, the Culture plank may be the only hope for Conservation.

Discharging Hot Water: Learnings from Mahabharata:

At a time, when our nuclear scientists and planners are least bothered about the impact of the hot water they want to discharge in the creeks of Jaitapur where the nuclear power plant is planned, it would be pertinent to quote an incident from Mahabharata. (For details about Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant please check here: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6313

After the Mahabharata war, where one billion and two hundred and twenty million people were killed, Gandhari had asked Krishna as to why her 100 sons had to die. Krishna had replied that it was written in Gandhari’s fate that she was destined to watch her 100 sons die.  Krishna told Gandhari that during her younger days, while cooking rice she had poured hot water on the ground thereby destroying hundred eggs of an insect. This had made the insect curse Gandhari to witness the death of her sons the way the insect had to see the death of her own.

Stunned by this discourse, Gandhari had said that it was the act of an innocent child. Krishna had explained that the laws of Karma are like that. Every action howsoever unintentional has an equal reaction, and one has to experience it in this life or the next. So in Andhra Pradesh women are advised never to pour hot water on the ground. The hot water must be cooled or mixed with cold water before pouring on the ground.

In a country with such a rich culture and with specific examples, do we need to look elsewhere to learn how we treat our mother earth?

In the Vishnu Purana, Dharitri or the Earth Goddess took the form of a cow to complain to Vishnu that she has been milked so greedily by the kings on earth that her udders have become sore. So Vishnu promised her that Parashurama, Ram and Krishna will spill blood to teach the greedy kings will a lesson so that she can drink their blood taking the form of a lioness. In another retelling of this story by Devadutt Patnaik in his book “Jaya”, Bhisma on his death bed had told Yudhishtira, the eldest Pandava, that King Vena was killed by the sages when Dharitri or Earth Goddess tired of the exploitation ran away inform of a cow and cried before the sages. Prithu, the son of the slain King Vena, begged before the Earth goddess that without her, his subjects will die. The earth goddess had replied that her udders have been squeezed till it is sore and her back broken by the ambition of the people. This led to Prithu creating a Code of conduct for all humans based on empathy rather than exploitation for the survival of all humanity. This code of conduct was given the name “Dharma” by Prithu. By this code, the earth became a cow while kings became the earth’s cowherds ensuring there was always enough milk for humans as well as the cow’s calves. Today the kings have made way for democratically elected Governments, military rulers, greedy corporations that are often bigger than some countries and other despots.

One should take cues from this example and learn that there is one earth where we live. It is enough for our needs but not our greeds. We need to stop this exploitation of mother earth. We need to rise above this petty fight as to who is responsible for this climate change and who ought to pay/sacrifice their material comforts and ensure that we lessen mother earth’s burden and cool down her anger.

Other Conservation Issues:

Hydropower rejected by FAC – approved by Ministry:

A project developed by GMR in Uttarakhand on Alakananda river was earlier rejected by the forest advisory committee. However, the ministry has decided to give the go ahead for this project which will now come up in the ecologically sensitive area.

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8098

Climate Change: Waiting on climate is escapism: Dr Pachauri

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8251

Climate Change: India in climate change agreement with neighbours:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7996

More than 100 leopards killed in Uttarakhand in 2011

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8200

Alarm due to Crow deaths

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8213

India Does not need Nuclear energy

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7896

Wildlife Photography:

Images shared by our members between Nov. 10th 2011 and Dec 9th 2011 that depict interesting behavior, habitat, rare species or just plain beautiful.

Blue Sheep by Hem Chander

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8003

Wild Ass by Supreet Sahoo

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7995

White Bellied Sea-eagle Pair by Abhishek Jamalabad

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8161

Ruddy Turnstone by Roopak Gangadharan

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8026

Purple Sunbird by Kalpamoi Kakati

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8019

Jumping Spider by Joshi Bhavya

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7952

Announcement:

IndiaWilds has completed three years..

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8151

I look forward to your support and inputs in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country. For other interesting articles and photographs please check : http://www.indiawilds.com/forums

All the newsletters can be found online at http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/newsletter/

In case, anyone of you has forgotten his/her user id and password can email the admin at the following email id administrator@indiawilds.com Others may register at www.indiawilds.com/forums/register.php using your Full Name as user id.

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com
Profile: http://www.indiawilds.com/profile.htm
Contact: http://www.indiawilds.com/contact%20us.htm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IndiaWilds/132629240481www.indiawilds.com
Diary: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/
Equipment reviews: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/equipment/
Forums: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/index.php

This issue of IndiaWilds Newsletter examines the present sad state of wildlife tourism, its negative impact and way forward. You comments are appreciated at the end of the article.

Toilets on top of the world:

I was startled and astonished when I came across a news article about a demand for setting up of toilets in the Everest. Their reasoning was that though the mountaineers use portable toilets, the hordes of sherpas who are employed to carry luggage relieve themselves wherever they want and hence the need for toilets.

My initial reaction changed to sadness when the realization dawned by the extent of devastation we are wrecking on our pristine wilderness areas. The highest mountain peak in the world has seen many mountaineers attempting to scale it or “conquer” it as they say. Ever since this mountain was surveyed and given the tag of the highest mountain in the world, it has caught the imagination of mountaineers from around the world. There have been hundreds of deaths while attempting to scale this peak or while returning after a “successful” summit, often these are also due to people consciously attempting a difficult route. While it is difficult and beyond the scope of this article to talk about why this fascination to flirt with danger or glory – depending upon ones point of view – has continued for several decades, the point is that with the march of technology, there are better materials available for all your needs. Infact, it has become a thriving industry to help people climb the Everest. About 9 years back someone had asked me whether I am willing to spend 8000 dollars (eight thousand US dollars) to climb the Everest. I had politely declined the offer. I knew that I was physically not fit enough to undertake a successful climb of Everest and it is beneath my dignity to take that offer and be literally pulled up by sherpas. Nevertheless, that is what happens and wealthy tourists flock to the Everest so that they can brag about their latest “conquest”.

Wildlife tourism the “In Thing”:

And this is precisely what is happening these days. People with sufficient disposable wealth want to do something to get some bragging rights. And unfortunately, visiting wildlife destinations and wildlife photography is considered to be a “happening thing”, as I was told by a few youngsters whom I met in a National Park. The effect of this fad can be seen clearly in our well known national parks.

Tourists hound this radio collared tigress in Ranthambhore

Hordes of tourists screaming at their top of voice when they see a tiger; tourist jeeps jostling with each other for space hitting each other and hurling abuses; tourist vehicles and forest department elephants blocking the path of the tiger forcing to wait for hours away from water in a hot summer day so that tourists can get to see the tiger; tourist resorts coming up in ecologically fragile places; township developing to cater to the constant influx of tourists along with the attendant problems…. The list is endless.

Ranthambhore tiger stopped from hunting by photographers

Too much of tourism:

The fact is there are too many people visiting our few national parks, and it is beyond the carrying capacity of the place. Unfortunately, instead of restricting the number of tourists entering the forests, the draft eco-tourism guidelines by the MoEF talks about a formula which means tourist vehicles move around in a procession with a particular distance between them. Is this what our forests are meant to be? Degenerated into safari parks?

Touching and feeding a Nilgai in Tadoba

The late Kailash Sankhala, the first director and creator of the Project Tiger, had raised his voice against tourism several decades back.

Quoting Shri Kailash Sankhala from his book Tiger! The story of the Indian Tiger “I would suggest we concentrate on creating reserves where man’s interference – or what he arrogantly calls “scientific management” – is minimal. I do not like the term “national parks”, for it has been too loosely used. The initial meaning of “the untouched glory of God” has been so diluted that it has lost its significance. The term “park” conveys artificiality and the word “national” limits its universal appeal. The pleasure of a visit to a natural area has been destroyed by the influx of tourists with their transistors and trailers. I would condemn even the camera, except in case of professionals who employ their skill to interpret nature for the benefit of those millions who never get the chance to visit these gardens of Eden. The casual visitor is always in a hurry, and if he takes pictures he fails to see anything around him; his mind is preoccupied with shutter speeds, lens openings and focusing. The uncertainty of the results haunt him for hours after and instead of enjoying a relaxed holiday he is tensed. Many a wildlife photographer does not hesitate to disturb, sometimes even kill an animal, pluck a flower or destroy a tree to suit his picture. The visitor to a reserve should bring with him nothing but a receptive mind, and take away nothing but the understanding that he is only a small part of the whole complex pattern of nature’s ecology.”

An analysis of the impact of tourism infrastructure in Ranthambhore can be found here:
(http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/indiawilds-newsletter-vol-2-issue-v/).

Wildlife tourism is supposed to be non-consumptive and have minimal impact on wildlife and wilderness areas. However, the way wildlife tourism is run in this country, it is having a huge negative impact on the wilderness areas and wildlife. A tiger cub was mowed down by a tourist vehicle in Bandhavgarh on 21^st April 2009 (for details please check here:http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/indiawilds-newsletter-vol-1-issue-v/) and the case meandered towards a natural death. It is a different matter that the tour operator in this case, as well as most of the tour operators call themselves tiger experts, bringing into light the issue of lack of any control or license. A year after this, a tigress was mowed down by a forest department vehicle in the night, while doing an illegal night safari for some influential persons (For details check here: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/bandhavgarh-tigress-runover-by-jeep/). Predictably this case too made no headway. Despite this the tour operators maintain that they are eco-friendly.

The tour operators associations say that there are a “few black sheep” in the tourism industry who bring disrepute, else more or less the tourist operators are ethical and are the champions of conservation.

Nothing can be farthest from the truth!

PIL to Ban Tourism in Core Areas:

Recently, a PIL being heard in the Supreme Court to ban tourism in the core areas of the tiger reserves has brought the conflict of tourism vis-a-vis conservation into the open. The NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) has favoured the proposal to ban tourism in the core areas. Predictably this has irked the tourism community.

Interestingly, a part of the conservation community – NGOs, media, and a few so called conservationists – have sprung to the defence of the tourist operators. Tourism is a cash cow and many players have a stake in that which includes wildlife activists, forest officials, tribal rights activists, researchers and other NGOs. It is standard ethical practice which warrants people who have a stake in the tourism pie, should refrain from offering their views as conservationists in this issue.

This case in the Supreme Court can have far reaching consequences. The tribal rights activists say that since the conservationists have argued that there is a need for inviolate spaces – and there have been a few successful efforts to shift villages from the core areas – there should not be any human foot fall in these core areas. However, no human footfall is an impracticable idea and can’t be implemented as well.

It is a fact that we need inviolate areas for our wildlife. And it is also a fact that the tourism in its present avatar is highly counter-productive and needs to be streamlined and curtailed in certain areas. I firmly believe and agree with Kailash Sankhala that human interference should be restricted to the minimum and allow “professionals who employ their skill to interpret nature for the benefit of those millions who never get the chance to visit these gardens of Eden” and patrolling units for the protection of these forests. Road building activities inside the core area should be immediately discontinued.

Lack of Tourism Policy:

Unfortunately, the present state of affairs in the tourism arena is such that it is absolutely difficult to derive pleasure during our visits to the forests. It is sad that lack of tourism policy, is pushing our forests into such an abhorrent state. My analysis of the ecotourism practices in Botswana (http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/indiawilds-newsletter-vol-2-issue-iv/)was shared with the MoEF. A year later MoEF came out with its draft Eco-tourism guidelines which appeared to be hurried collated (my analysis of it appeared in the IndiaWilds Newsletter Vol. 3 Issue VI http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/indiawilds-newsletter-vol-3-issue-vi/). It is really unfortunately, that the men and women in power instead of taking a holistic view are playing the game of blind men and the elephant and interpreting this as per their convenience.

The way tourism is run in this country needs to be regulated. At a minimum the following points needs to be tackled immediately:

Ecotourism Operators:

• Due diligence should be carried out before allowing any groups or individuals to set up resorts in sensitive areas.
• Effort should be to minimize concrete or permanent structures. Absolutely no concrete inside the forests. Instead promote camping using tents.
• The individuals, groups, organizations entering into this field should show their commitment to recruit the right kind of resources, adopt best practices etc.
• The Government may help them in enriching their knowledge from time to time by creating a best practices compendium, organizing seminars etc.

Where:

• At present tourism operators are crowded around a few places. In the absence of any legislation, our tourism operators will only move to well established areas to pick up the low hanging fruit first. For example, when CC Africa (a group well known for its ecotourism practices in Africa) set up its operations in India along with Taj (India’s one of the top most ethical organization); they set up their operations in well known areas like Kanha, Bandhavgarh etc instead of venturing into little known places. In sharp contrast, Jungle Lodges, a unit of Govt. of Karnataka’s Tourism Department, popularized BR Hills as a wildlife destination after setting up their resort in a relatively unknown place like K Gudi.
• New areas should be identified, the carrying capacity measured and tourist operators invited to set up their services in a controlled manner. Tour operators in these less visited areas can provide camping experiences by taking people on treks.

How:

• EIA done by reputed professionals and open to public scrutiny. There should be annual Environment Impact Assessment of the resort.
• Local construction materials used. The design should be in sync with the landscape. The construction should be based on the local conditions like weather, fragile environment, water scarcity etc. Brick-and-mortar resorts should be avoided in environmentally sensitive areas.
• A cradle to grave approach should be used to monitor the entire lifecycle of all materials used in construction.
• The resort should have a knowledgeable ecologist/naturalist as part of the team.
• Though it is good to promote Traditional crafts and culture. It should not be made a practice to conduct tribal dance, sale of handicrafts and other items in the forest. Else, this brings in more people from outside to setup shops. A well known case is Tala village in Bandhavgarh which had around 6 original families and now it is a small town offering even massage joints.
• In case the land is already degraded, the tour operator should take action to restore it along with its original vegetation.
• The Government should create a list of plants and trees in each area and make it mandatory for the resorts to adhere to it. The ecotourism site should be landscaped with vegetation native to that area. Landscaping should not be meant as creating lawns.
• Air-conditioners go against the grain of Ecotourism. The use of local materials, natural ventilation and local trees shading the cottages would help in removing the requirement of air conditioners.
• Light pollution should be minimized by designing appropriate lighting.
• Energy conservation should be prioritized. Renewable energy, especially solar energy should be used in the ecotourism facilities. The Government should provide adequate subsidies. A monitoring mechanism should be set up. Solar panels should be used for both, heat water as well as generate electricity for select appliances such as fans, lights, and kitchen equipment, water heating etc. Occupancy sensors should be used to cut down on unnecessary electricity consumption.
• It is estimated that approximately 30% water use in resorts is used for toilet flushing. Low flush toilets should be used to cut down on the water requirements.
• All cleaners, polishes and pesticide must be biodegradable, noncorrosive, non toxic and phosphate-free.
• All buildings should be connected by raised walkways to prevent vegetation from being trampled. Ground cover and other plant and animal life continues to flourish underneath the raised walkways and tent-cabins, and the trees and vegetation whose lives we spared return the favor by protecting us and our guests from the hot tropical sun. A similar structure is present in the White Tiger Lodge in Bandhavgarh.

Our wilderness areas and wildlife cannot be subservient to anyone’s interests and should not suffer due to the negligence of forest department in implementing laws or due to the inability of the law makers to frame adequate laws. I hope the Supreme Court case acts as a trigger to much needed action. Some news articles and discussions can be found here: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7895

Other Conservation Issues:

Windmill Projects and bird hits:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7948

Navy’s Andaman & Nicobar missile test plan threatens Nicobar Megapode

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7899

Articles in IndiaWilds:

IndiaWilds invites articles written on various conservation,scientific and natural history issues. For further details you may mail at administrator@indiawilds.com

Wildlife Photography:

Images shared by our members between 10^thOct 2011 – 9^thNov 2011 that depict interesting behavior, habitat or are just plain beautiful.

A rare sighting: Red Fox by Dipankar Mazumdar

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7875

A rare sighting: Musk Deer by Kaling Dai

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7784

Blackbuck female by Jitendra Katre

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7800

Green bee-eaters in action by Atul Sinai

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7902

Coppersmith barbet by Dr. Kalpamoi Kakati

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7726

Common Crow Chrysalis by Abhishek Jamalabad

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7673

Lizard by Mohan Matang

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7737

Snail by Jitendra Katre

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7762

I look forward to your inputs and your support in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country. For other interesting articles and photographs please check: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/

All the newsletters can be found online at: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/newsletter/

In case, anyone of you has forgotten his/her user id and password can email the admin at the following email id administrator@indiawilds.comOthers may register at www.indiawilds.com/forums/register.php using your Full Name as user id.

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com
Profile: http://www.indiawilds.com/profile.htm
Contact: http://www.indiawilds.com/contact%20us.htm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IndiaWilds/132629240481www.indiawilds.com

Diary: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/

Equipment reviews: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/equipment/

Forums: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/index.php

This issue of IndiaWilds Newsletter examines the impact of Invasive species on our bio-diversity. This issue with images is available online.

Invasives

India’s bio-diversity is under an unprecedented assault from multiple sources. Vast tracts of wilderness areas are submerged due to the ill planned dams, fragmented due to roads, canals, railways; destroyed due to large industrial projects and unplanned human settlements and avaricious builders-politician-official nexus grabbing forest land etc. The last tiger census revealed that an estimated 20,000 square kilometers of forest areas have shrunk. While we are still grappling with such shocking facts, there is also another major issue that is threatening India’s bio-diversity which unfortunately hasn’t attracted much attention. It is the problem of invasive species.

Any species that is not the native of a particular region is termed as exotic species or aliens. When these exotic species find the conditions suitable for them to start multiplying and dominating the native species, they are termed as Invasive Species or invasives. According to IUCN “Invasive alien species are animals, plants or other organisms introduced by man into places out of their natural range of distribution, where they become established and disperse, generating a negative impact on the local ecosystem and species”. IUCN acknowledges that “invasive species represent the second most significant cause of species extinction worldwide after habitat destruction, and in islands, they are undisputedly first. The impacts of alien invasive species are immense, insidious, and usually irreversible. They are causing significant damage to the ecological, economic and health issues. As a matter of fact, they compete with native species, act as pests or pathogens for cultivated or domesticated species, or even disseminate allergic or infectious agents. “

In its 2005 Meze declaration IUCN “urge Governments and donor agencies to increase funding to facilitate the development of prevention, management and monitoring programmes, essential research, and economic analysis on invasive alien plants”.

However, to set the record straight not all exotic species are harmful and some became harmful after passage of many years. Many of our plant species in India owe their origin abroad. According to a FAO report, out of the nearly 45000 (Fortyfive thousand) plant species in India, nearly 18000 (eighteen thousand) of those are exotics which corresponds to a massive 40% (Forty percentage). Only when these species start breeding rapidly colonising large areas by out-competing the local species for food/nutrition, producing allelopathic effects on other plants to inhibit their growth or simply constricting or killing them etc they get categorized as harmful or invasive species.

Mode of Introduction of Exotic or Invasive Species:

The exotic or invasive species can get introduced into a geographical region either intentionally or by accident. Accidental introduction of species happens either through travel, shipments of food grains, goods, logs and even by the ships.

Pet Trade:

It also happens due to legal and illegal trade of species that are often brought in as pets and later on escape into the wild on their own or released by their owners who find difficult to keep them. In USA, owners of Burmese pythons released them into the wild when they found these full grown pythons to large for their comfort. These pythons found Florida to be a suitable habitat and now Burmese pythons are in constant struggle with the alligators to don the mantle of the apex predators with size of the individual python or alligator deciding the winner. These pythons are creating havoc with the local wildlife who were not used to such a predator.

Similarly, there are many species that can breed with each other. So some of the exotic bird species which are brought in as pets get released from the house and can mate with the local ones contaminating the gene pool.

People often bring their pets or domestic animals with them to a new landscape and these being alien to that place create a huge impact. Similar is the case of introduction of deers for sport in islands which multiply fast without any natural predator. Though these pets and domestic animals are not readily viewed as invasives they do considerable harm. In a place like Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the introduction of goats, deers, elephants had a huge impact.

Scientific Experiments:

Exotic species can also get introduced into a country due to experiments – scientific or otherwise. Teleonema scrupulosa is a case of deliberate introduction of a species in India. It was introduced to tackle the problem of lantana, however, they started attacking the teak plantations. They are still found in places in the wild.

In the past, African lions had been brought into India and released into the wild. However, all of them have been known to have been killed as they could not compete with the tigers.

The MoEF has approved a project to bring in African Cheetahs and introduce those in the wilds. (For further details: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1888 ) Since genetically they are different than the Asiatic cheetah that has gone extinct in India, if these African cheetahs ever manage to get released in the wild from their enclosures and start breeding successfully then they would become exotic invasives feeding on the few blackbucks left in the wild.

Major Invasive Species in India:

In India, lantana camara was introduced as a flowering plant in 1809 and it has gone wild to colonise most of our forests and degraded lands. Lantana which grows rapidly to form dense thickets above ground inhibits the growth of other plants. Infact, its cane-like low wood density helps in its fast growth. In India, its leaves were not eaten by herbivores. However, langurs have been observed eating the leaves and flowers.

Langur eating lantana

Birds serve as important agents in its pollination. Lantana is found more in degraded habitat and follows the destructive foot steps of humans as in road building, creating canals, fire lines in the jungles etc. This plant catches fire fast and burns even when it is green. So during forest fires, lantana acts in enhancing the fire. Manual control methods like repeated slash, uproot and burn technique repeated for a couple of years help. Also, immediately after the controlled burning plantation of native species is advised.

Parthenium hysterophorus an exotic noxious weed was accidentally introduced into India when its seeds came to India along with the grain imports in 1951. This quickly went on to establish itself in large parts of India, especially in the degraded lands, road sides, pastures etc. This weed like Lantana has allelopathic effects on other species and causes respiratory problems like asthma, skin infections etc. Apart from reducing the amount of grass and other edible plant species for herbivores, its impact on wildlife is yet to be studied.

Elephant & Calf struggle to get grass due to Parthenium invasion

Mikania micrantha, a climber species was introduced in India during the World War II to camouflage airfields. These climbers too have allelopathic effects on other plant species and it cuts the amount of light available to them. This species is mostly found in the moist deciduous forests and plantation in western ghats, north east etc. Plantations in the western ghats use herbicides on them. A biological control measure in form of Puccinia spegazzinii fungus is being tried out.  Cuscuta a species of parasitic plants which have become a problem especially in South India are being tried to control the growth of Mikania micrantha species in Assam.

There are also many introduced species like acacia, eucalyptus, wattle etc which are harmful to the bio-diversity. Many plantation owners brought in these species for their fuel wood needs. The wattle due to its seeds retaining the capacity to germinate over longer periods of time is able to colonise grasslands, increases transpiration, dries up the soil and impacts the water percolating and appearing as streams. This impacts the balance of shola forests and grasslands in the Western Ghats. Eucalyptus, another species favoured by the plantation owners for fuel as well as the newsprint industry for making pulp, reduces the water table fast. Unfortunately, these are still being planted today.

Eucalyptus plantation in Sholas

Similarly, Gulmohur is a species introduced in India due to its colourful flowers. Though one of India’s foremost naturalist M. Krishnan was very vocal against planting this species, after his demise it seems people have forgotten that this is an introduced species.

In the acquatic ecosystems, water hyacinth or Eichornia crassipes which was introduced in India in 1914 has choked most of our wetlands. Coupled with eutrophication, these plants reduce the amount of oxygen available in water and lead to the death of the waterbody. It has become a huge problem in the backwaters of Kerala and several biological controls like curculionid weevil was introduced in India. Manual control ie weeding it out also helps. In places like USA, boats specially designed to cut the weeds are employed in the great lakes. These results in fragmentation and the fragments can grow elsewhere, however it helps in opening up large areas fast.

In India, exotic species like Gambusia affinis and Poecilia reticulata (commonly known as Guppy) were introduced to control the mosquito menace as these fishes were found to be effective in eating the mosquito larvae. There are indigenous species of fresh water fishes like Esomus danricus, Puntius ticto, Danio rerio, Rasbora daniconius that prey on the mosquito larvae. However, these fishes produce smaller brood than the Gambusia affinis and Poecilia reticulata and also they are susceptible to water quality, turbidity, temperature difference and transportation. Hence the Gambusia affinis was introduced in 1928 in India. Apart from eating mosquito larvae, these two exotic species didn’t appear to impact the other fishes. However, the actual impact of these two species on the micro-habitats of native acquafauna in India is yet to be studied in detail.

The British introduced Brown Trout (Salmo trutta fario) and Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) in Kashmir and slowly in many other rivers in India. Though these are touted as anglers delight, a study by Blinn et al (1993) they are detrimental to the native species as they predate on the eggs and hatchlings of native fishes. According to Molur and Walker, the introduction of Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) has impacted the native fish populations in many places.

The spread of tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus, Oreochromis niloticus) in our rivers and ponds is a cause of concern as it has out-competed our native fishes. Similar is the case with African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) which was illegally imported into India. The control method is to use fishing rods (difficult to eliminate all through this method), nets or simply draining out the waterbody completely. If the water body is small then the last mentioned method works as a good solution, however, if it is a large lake, then this physical control method simply doesn’t work. In a number of countries, anglers are encouraged to fish invasive species and use it for food, unlike other species of fish that has to be released back into the waters. Last year, there was a hue and cry when the forest department drained out the waterbody in Sultanpur National Park on the pretext of removing the African black fish, as there is an immediate impact on the nesting of birds that depend on fish.

Ignorance:

A major problem that causes spread of invasive species in India and other parts of the world is ignorance. Some time back, the former President of India, Dr Abdul Kalam had proposed cultivation of sea weeds near Rameshwaram and other coastal areas. Little did he know that he was proposing introduction of an exotic species which in all probablility will move and colonise the entire Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.

For example, Mimosa pudica also known as touch me not plant which had given us so much of pleasure during our child hood days due to its ability to close its leaves on external stimuli, was introduced form South America and has spread over vast areas in India. Since most of the people don’t know that certain plants are weeds, they don’t make any effort to remove them from their property.

Need of the Hour:

India needs to create a National Action Plan in fighting the spread of existing invasive species and preventing introduction of new exotic species in India. Till date we haven’t estimated an economic impact due to the presence of invasive species in India. Considering that Africa spends roughly about 100 million US Dollars annually to just fight the spread of water hyacinth, one can safely estimate that the overall impact of invasives in India is to the tune of billions of dollars. The newspapers may be grapple with the headline grabbing one lakh crore spectrum scam, however, the overall impact of invasives can be much larger. We urgently need a National Action Plan and bring together all the scientific expertise together along with evangelists who can spread the message to contain this menace of invasives.

Other Conservation articles:

A Wild Thorn: Silent Valey by Murali Sivaramakrishnan

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7702

Goa not keen for inclusion in Western Ghats World Heritage tag:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7765

Impact of mobile towers on birds:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7712

News from Top Slip:

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7745

Equipment Discussions:

Canon Announces Professional EOS 1D X camera with 3 brains: preview and discussions

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7743

Wildlife Photograpy:

Images shared by our members between 10^th Sept 2011 – 9^th October 2011 that depict interesting behavior, habitat or are just plain beautiful.

Salam Walaikum IndiaWilds: By Shalik Jogwe

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7619

Blackbuck habitat: by Mrudul Godbole

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7669

Shikra by Dr. Kalamoi Kakati

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7510

Spotted owlet by Bibhav Behera

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7641

Down Memorry Lane: Beauty of the Manas Tiger Reserve By Shaktipada Panigrahi

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7681

Jumping spiders by Abhishek Jamalabad

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7537

Millipede by Jitendra Katre

http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7574

I look forward to your inputs and your support in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country. For other interesting articles and photographs please check: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/

All the newsletters can be found online at: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/newsletter/

In case, anyone of you has forgotten his/her user id and password can email the admin at the following email id administrator@indiawilds.com Others may register at www.indiawilds.com/forums/register.php using your Full Name as user id.

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com
Profile: http://www.indiawilds.com/profile.htm
Contact: http://www.indiawilds.com/contact%20us.htm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IndiaWilds/132629240481www.indiawilds.com

Diary: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/

Equipment reviews: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/equipment/

Forums: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/index.php

Review of the Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM lens which was launched in August 2001 and has now been replaced by the version II lens. The review of the Version II lens will follow shortly.

I started photographing with manual SLRs using zoom lenses. One of those was a 70-210 mm. After some time, I shifted to longer prime lenses and kind of detested zoom lenses as the prime lenses were much sharper.

It became a habit and when I caught hold of a zoom lens, I used to forget that there is an option to zoom. The zoom lens which I liked for its quality was the Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM. I had even considered buying it before buying the Canon EF 300mm f4 L IS USM.

Basic Facts of Canon EF 70-200 F2.8 L IS USM Lens:

Construction:

The Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM lens was launched in August 2001 and it weighs 1470 gms. It is 197mm long and 86mm wide. This lens has a filter size of 77mm.

The Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM lens was a significant improvement over its non-IS version. People started liking it due to the added benefit of the image stabilization. However, this lens is heavier than the non-IS 70-200 f2.8 L USM lens which weighs 1310gms.

I tested the 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM lens in the wilds for some time and happy with its weather sealing. Most of the time this lens used to hang from my neck. Though it is heavy, it feels rock solid when you handhold it with a Canon 1 Series body.

The bokeh is nice, due to the use of a 8 blade circular aperture. It uses 23 elements in 18 groups and has 4 UD elements. It is the best among all the 70-200 f2.8 lenses available including Nikon’s version of the lens.

Aperture range:

This lens has a widest aperture of 2.8 and minimum aperture of f32.

Minimum Focusing Distance:

The Minimum focusing distance is 1.4 meters and has a maximum magnification of 0.17x. You can of course use extension tubes with it.

Auto Focusing Speed:

This lens focuses internally and so there is no protruding element. The lens has got a ring type Ultrasonic motor and the auto focusing is silent and fast. I was astonished when I first mated it with my 1D Mark II and pressed the AF button and the lens sprang into focus even in very dim light.

MTF Charts:

Though I place lot of emphasis on the image quality that I get in the field, for the technically inclined here are the official MTF charts shared by Canon.

Impressions in the Field:

I used it with its native focal lengths as well as with a 1.4x II TC and 2xII TC. I used to use the 300mm f4 L IS USM lens plus 1.4x II TC to give me 420mm focal length at f5.6 and the EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM was mated with a 2xII TC. At times when the light was low, I would prefer the 300mm f4 without TC and the 70-200 with or without the 1.4x TC. I was happy with the 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM but never liked its sharpness when used with a 2x II TC at 400mm end at f5.6 aperture.  Sharing some images with the exif details. All images clicked in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, India.

Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM Plus EF 1.4xII TC at ISO 200, f6.3, 1/200, Canon 1D Mark II, image from top of an elephant back.

Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM, Plus EF 2xII TC, 1/200, f8, ISO 400, 340mm, Canon 1D Mark II, clicked in a game trail when the adolescent tiger emerged.

Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM at 200mm f2.8, 1/100, ISO 400, 1D Mark II
Without any TC at 200mm and f2.8 aperture, I found this lens to be pretty sharp and without distortion.

Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM, Plus EF 2xII TC at 400mm, ISO 400, f5.6, 1/100 with a Canon 1D Mark II. Very low light in the overcast late evening conditions.

Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM Plus 2xII TC at 400mm, ISO 250, 1/1000, f5.6, morning light, shot through vegetation.

Conclusion: The Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM lens is an excellent lens. It is sharp at f2.8 aperture. The colour and contrast is very good. If you want to use it at its native focal length then it works great. It works well with the 1.4x TC. However, If you are looking for a tele in the 300mm range, then it is better to get the Canon 300mm f4 L IS USM, which costs less and can give you a longer 420mm focal length at f5.6 when you slap a 1.4x TC to it. That would be longer than the 400mm that you get when you use a 2x TC with the 70-200.

During the slide film days, I knew of people who were using this lens with the 2x TC for excellent results. I have used it with good results but am not very happy with the sharpness at f5.6 when used with a 2x TC at 400mm.

Post Script: This article was written much earlier. Now this lens has been superceeded by the Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM lens. However, the Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 L IS lens works well in still photography as well as for filming. Personally, I haven’t checked this lens for focus creep during filming, however, I expect that it shouldn’t be a big problem for many people. If you can find it second hand, then it would be excellent value for money. Also, I don’t use this lens anymore.

The review of the Canon EF 70-200 F2.8 L IS II USM will follow shortly.

Sabyasachi

First screening of the film “A Call in the Rainforest” held in Alliance Francaise de Bangalore on 1st October, 2011. You may check the earlier announcement regarding the same:

http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/a-call-in-the-rainforest-screening-at-bangalore/

and the one minute preview of the film here:

http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/inspiration-for-the-film-a-call-in-the-rainforest/

There was a good turnout of people despite the sudden rains bringing Bangalore to a virtual halt. There were a few last minute blues as one of our speakers from Coimbatore was also delayed by 10 minutes due to rain. Wish I had access to a projector that can project Full High Definition films. Hopefully, RED will launch an affordable 4K projector in the near future. Nevertheless, the film was well received and people liked the amount of information packed in within the 18 and half minutes. A few people have asked me to document other areas as well, anyway those are in the future.

The following was the final program:

5:20 PM – 5:25 PM :: Introduction & Lighting of the Lamp
5:25 PM – 5:45 PM :: Screening of the film “A Call in the Rainforest”
5:45 PM – 6:00 PM :: Presentation on Road Kills Study by R. Arumugam, Biologist Anamalai Tiger Foundation
6:00 PM – 6:15 PM :: Keynote address by Dr. Ravi Chellam, Director (Conservation & Research) Madras Crocodile Bank Trust
6:15 PM – 6:30 PM :: Filmmakers Perspective by Sabyasachi Patra
6:30 PM – 7:15 PM :: Question and Answer Session
7:15 PM – 7:20 PM :: Vote of Thanks

Mr. R. Arumugam presented his findings on the road kills study conducted in the Chinar and Aliyar-Atakatti roads. He highlighted the problems posed by the wide roads and difficulty in climbing over the parapet walls and crossing the roads especially by the herpetofauna. The data presented by him was an eye opener for a lot of people.

Dr. Ravi Chellam shared his perspectives on various conservation issues and expressed his shock at the tragic state of the Lion-tailed Macaques in the Valparai range of Anamalais. His perspectives and frank responses to various conservation issues left a deep impession on the audience.

I was surprised by the quality of questions asked during the discussions. The audience was deeply involved throughout the program and the discussions lasted for nearly 50-55 mins.

Presenting Mementoes

In this image presenting memento to R. Arumugam

It was good to meet some of our IndiaWilds members for the first time. After the event, I was talking with media so could not personally spend time with some of you. Hope to catch up with you all sometime next.

There will be some more screenings in a few corporates and colleges in Bangalore. And I have to work out the DVD release dates soon.

EDIT: Uploading one news article that appeared in Nimma Bengaluru

EDIT 2: Published in Hindu on 12th October, 2011

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-neighbourhood/article2532730.ece

Speaking on behalf of the lion-tailed macaque

MADHAVI SHIVAPRASAD

Some remarkable efforts at protecting endangered species, notably the tiger, have been made over the years by wildlife conservationists. However, what about smaller, less charismatic species that are as threatened but barely get a mention in research and documentation?

This question drove Chennai-based wildlife conservationist, photographer and filmmaker Sabyasachi Patra to make his first film, A Call in the Rainforest , documenting the drastic changes in behaviour of the endangered lion-tailed macaque (LTM) due to human activity.

The 18-minute documentary has been shot in the town of Valparai, home to a majority of the LMT population and situated in the evergreen rainforests of the Annamalai Hills in the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats.

At a recent screening of his documentary at Alliance Française, Sabyasachi shared his concerns and possible solutions to protecting the species.

The documentary, with its keen attention to detail, records some startling behaviour of the primate. Especially striking is the single, shrill mating cry of the macaque heard in the beginning. “For such a creature to call out so loudly and not receive a response had me taken aback. What if someday, this is the only one remaining?” asks the director.

Sabyasachi also managed to capture several other rare sights that normally escape the layman’s eye, such as the shot of a macaque dislodging a honeycomb from a tree.

Ravi Chellam, the former director, Wildlife Conservation Society India, and a panellist at the screening, expressed regret at how fast the LTM numbers seem to be dwindling. “The inherently arboreal primate, feeding mostly on ripe fruits, is forced to turn terrestrial due to felling of trees and widening of roads to make way for the demands of tourism.”

Enforcing speed limits was seen as one solution to prevent road kills, especially at night. “Larger animals such as elephants have to wait for hours to let vehicles pass and smaller animals such as toads and frogs fall prey to speeding vehicles,” said panellist R. Arumugam, biologist at the Anamalai Tiger Foundation.

Conservation is possible only through optimism grounded in reality. “We look at ecology as external rather than as an integral part of our survival, thus failing to connect with it,” said Dr. Chellam.

The documentary manages to not only hold attention but also to enlighten the viewer through a combination of meticulous camerawork and persuasive argument that capture a hard-hitting reality.

MADHAVI SHIVAPRASAD

This issue of IndiaWilds Newsletter Vol. 3 Issue IX examines Conservation, sustainability and moral obligation. This newsletter is available online. To view and to post your comments check at:

Conservation Definition:

As per Webster’s dictionary the word conserve means to avoid wasteful or destructive use and in the context of Conservation means avoid wasteful or use of natural heritage or “natural resources” as it is referred to. So Conservation in context of wildlife, nature and bio-diversity implicitly means that we are treating our natural heritage as a resource and like any other resource it is finite and will run out one day.

In view of this definition, there have been many voices in the past to preserve as opposed to conserve.

Sustainability the bane of Conservation:

Sustainability is currently the buzz word. People want sustainable exploitation of natural resource. Well can exploitation ever be sustainable?

We have realised the importance of a few species or elements in Nature and want to conserve and/or commercially harvest those. However, we are yet to unravel the many mysteries of nature and hence we don’t care if many species that are smaller in size are on the verge of extinction. Of late, some significant work done in the field of biomimetics has resulted in learning and replicating new techniques and designs found in nature to create technologies and products for human good. Such work teaches us that there are probably countless such mysteries that need to be unraveled and has led to conservationist urging to protect at least a few of these species in some parks.

George B Schaller highlights this point lucidly while writing on Rainforests:
“Can a rainforest be harvested sustainably? So far no commercial logging has been sustainable. And reforestation is not an easy solution; we can plant trees but cannot re-create the original forest. Ecological processes are so complicated that planted forests are only superficial replicas. ….. proponents of sustainable development seldom mention limits – limits on the number of persons in an area, on the number of monkeys killed for food, on the amount of forest degraded. Without enforced limits, there can be no sustainability. Who makes the decisions about access to resources and amounts that may be extracted so that harvest rates do not exceed production? Who can make such complicated decisions? We still know too little to manipulate forests and predict the consequences.”

Apart from the benefits that we derive from the various species and elements in Nature, one needs to keep in mind that there is also a complex web of inter-relationships between various species and loss of one species, however small it may be in size, can result in significant challenges towards the survival of human species on this planet earth. In a bio-diversity hotspot like Western Ghats, where news species are still being discovered, it would be preposterous to think that we know enough about the complex relationships between organisms and the impact when one or many species are lost or locally extinct.

To provide some food for thought, I am quoting Dr. George B. Schaller
“An intriguing aspect of rainforest life is its extraordinary mutualism, a dependence of organism upon each other. For instance, each of the many fig species has its own wasp pollinators. …. A rainforest is remarkably complex, yet its stability is tenuous. The extinction of a pollinator or seed disperser may cause the death of a plant species and with it many other species, especially invertebrates, which depend on it. Such responses are subtle and perhaps long delayed. How many key species can a rainforest lose before order becomes chaos, before the community collapses in an avalanche of extinctions?”

All this begs a question. Are we right in destroying anything at will? Man – supposed to be an intelligent species – has abrogated the power of lording over and destroying this planet earth. Are we right in doing so? Beyond the hard economics and politics, don’t we have any emotional reasons to save our wilderness areas and wildlife?

Conservation as a Moral Obligation:

A decade back I was in the mountains in Ladakh, photographing alone and had an amazing spiritual experience. For a person who hardly visits a temple, it was extremely surprising. I am sure in the wilderness areas there would be many people, who would have found peace, solace and would have tried connecting with the almighty. And in a country like India where the Himalaya is considered sacred unlike other mountain ranges in the world, if we don’t preserve that primordial wilderness then apart from the bio-diversity we are losing out on our culture and history as well. I am sure, instead of “conserving” those areas to exploit later, we have sufficient reasons to focus on “preserving” those primordial landscapes to remain in their own pristine state for ages to come.

I think it would be pertinent to quote the legendary biologist George B. Schaller. While writing about his experiences in Serengeti, he has this to say:
“Preservation for profit should not be the ultimate goal. Tanzania has maintained the Serengeti in spite of crushing social needs not for economic reasons but as a statement of the nation’s vision and identity. The Serengeti does, however, have inestimable value as a genetic storehouse of numerous species. At some future date, when we are ready to mend and restore what has been squandered, the grasses and animals may provide stock for rehabilitating other pastures. Parks such as the Serengeti also provide valuable natural laboratories, baselines against which changes elsewhere can be measured and placed into perspective. But, above all, certain places are so unique in the pleasure and inspiration they afford that they must be preserved without compromise as repositories of beauty-as living museums. They must remain unmanaged, as original fragments of our past. Unaffected by human greed, their survival will be witness to man’s moral obligation to society and to other species. And there must be a global commitment to maintain such cultural resources. As Edward Hoagland phrased it in another context, the Serengeti should be viewed as “the best and final future place to make a leisurely traverse or enjoy a camping trip that [is] not rooted in our century.”

Though there is a clamour for “science based conservation”, to set up research stations drilling mountains, creating roads and digging unnecessary waterholes in the wilderness areas etc, like George Schaller we should call for retaining our wilderness areas as “unmanaged, as original fragments of our past”.

I hope that atleast some of our wilderness areas remain “unmanaged, as original fragments of our past”, because it also teaches us humility. Having faced death several times, I have realised how vulnerable we humans are, and this makes us humble. We realise how insignificant we are in the overall scheme of things. And after such a humbling experience, if one gets access to power, then I believe the person is more likely to exercise the power with great caution and responsibility. The feeling of megalomania, of being able to lord over the world may subside.

Any traveler who has just returned from a pristine wilderness area can vouch that his/her visit is therapeutic. The person comes back recharged with a new zest for life. Of course it is a different matter if one takes a safari in crowded Bandhavgharh, Bandipur or Ranthambhore.

With our wilderness areas providing cultural, spiritual, therapeutic and also a humbling experience, it is certainly a moral obligation to preserve such primordial landscapes. Unfortunately, with greed driving all our actions, morality is the first casualty. There are also well-meaning individuals and organisations who take a very short sighted approach and for them the narrow interests of man comes before anything else. So preserving the vast tracts of wilderness areas and wildlife for moral obligations towards other species and towards mother earth, though appropriate, might be the most difficult propositions. This is especially true in a country where we are used to the dichotomy of praying before the elephant headed God Ganesha and killing the elephant in the same time or polluting and destroying our rivers by constructing dams despite considering the rivers as Goddesses. The only exception – the mighty Brahmaputra – is the son of Bramha and is now being “tamed” by constructing dams. With our generation leaving moral obligations far behind us in our quest for materialistic goals, it might be a good idea to try inculcating moral values in the younger generation hoping that they take the lead in saving our Planet Earth. May we use the coming Wildlife Week to generate awareness!

Screening of the film “A Call in the Rainforest”

The first screening of my film “A Call in the Rainforest” which documents the plight of one sub-population of the Lion-tailed Macaques in the Anamalais in the Western Ghats is being held on 1st October at 5 PM at Alliance Francaise in Bangalore. The screening will be followed by talks from distinguished biologists like Dr. Ravi Chellam. This is an effort to raise awareness and I cordially invite you all. A short preview to the film can be found here: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/inspiration-for-the-film-a-call-in-the-rainforest/

Other Conservation News:

Villagers kill tiger in Rajnandgaon (Chattisgarh)
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7595

Koyna Sanctuary and Windmills
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6541

Wildlife Photography:

Images shared by our members between 10th August 2011 – 9th Sept, 2011 that depict interesting behaviour or are just plain beautiful.

Blackbuck by Mrudul Godbole and discussions
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7376

Leopard at Kabini by Mohammad Yasir
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7455

Affection: Indian Gaur by Bhargava Srivari
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7442

Shikra by Dr. Kalpamoi Kakati
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7510

Blue-faced Malkoha by Mrudul Godbole
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7496

Red-billed Leiothrix by Dileep Anthikad
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7354

Two Trees by Gopal Nayar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7437

Indian Bull Frog by Dipankar Mazumdar
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7391

Do not Disturb by Aroon Kalandy
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7482

Hamsons Hedge Hopper record by Vikram Gupchup
http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7433

I look forward to your inputs and your support in preserving the last tracts of wilderness and wildlife left in this beautiful country. For other interesting articles and photographs please check: http://www.indiawilds.com/forums/

All the newsletters can be found online at: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/category/newsletter

In case, anyone of you has forgotten his/her user id and password can email the admin at the following email id administrator@indiawilds.com. Others may register at www.indiawilds.com/forums/register.php

Regards,
Sabyasachi Patra
www.indiawilds.com
Profile: http://www.indiawilds.com/profile.htm
Contact: http://www.indiawilds.com/contact%20us.htm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/IndiaWilds/132629240481

It is a 18 and half minute film. Shot in Full HD (1080p at 24p) using a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV.

The film documents the plight of one sub-group of the endangered Lion-tailed Macaques in the Anamalais in Western Ghats. The preview of the film “A Call in the Rainforest” and the inspiration for making it can be seen in this link: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/inspiration-for-the-film-a-call-in-the-rainforest/

The first screening of the film “A Call in the Rainforest” will be held at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore on 1st October at 5 PM.

Eminent biologists will be speaking after the screening. Further details will be shared later. You all are cordially invited to come for the screening and the talks. Please drop me a line to confirm your participation (email ::  sabyasachi.patra@indiawilds.com). You can also post your confirmation by commenting here.

See you at Alliance Francaise de Bangalore on 1st October at 5 PM.

Credits:

Narration, Cinematography, Direction, Sound:: Sabyasachi Patra

Production Manager & Stills:: Mrudul Godbole

Music:: Anil Nallan Chakravarthy

Editing:: Vinish Vinayan

Additional Stills:: N. Laxminarayanan & R. Arumugam

Creative Inputs:: Ranbir Mahapatra & Jayanta Gupta

High quality two channel recorder with time code recording at 24 bit or 16 bit at sampling rates 32kHz – 192 kHz.

Sound Devices is highly respected for its high quality sound recorders, mixers, portable microphone preamplifiers etc. It is said that the founders of this company – a bunch of engineers who left Shure and to form this company in 1998 – were grappling for a suitable name. And they looked at the carton where Sound Devices was scribbled. And the name struck.

Sound Devices manufacture a range of equipment. Their 7 series recorders are the beginning of the Professional range used in Hollywood/Bollywood and TV channels etc.

Sound Devices has recorders to record two channels, four channels as well as eight channels. The 702, 702T and 722 are the two channel recorders.

The 702 is a two channel recorder and is the starting of the series and sells at 1800 USD. The 702T is similar to the 702 with the added benefit of time code and sells at 2465 USD. The 722 has the added benefit of internal recording but no time code facility. All the recorders have the facility to record to CF cards.

First Impressions:

My first impression of the Sound Devices 702T recorder is Wow! It feels like a solid brick. The weight is close to a kg (970 gms to be precise without the battery). The metal finish gives the visual impression that it can take a few knocks easily. Not that one is intentionally going to subject it to some torture testing. Ofcourse, one needs to be careful not to drop it on your toes.

The knobs are large enough to be used using gloves and are well designed. For example the gain control knobs remain hidden inside the panel till you press it, and then it protrudes out. You can then rotate to increase the gain. The LCD is bright and one can easily read in bright daylight in the outdoors.

Front Panel:

The Sound Devices 702T (as well as 702) is designed to be monitored through the front panel with the two XLR inputs and earphone input on the left side panel. This is designed to be carried in the field with the front panel up. One needs a PortaBrace or a custom designed bag to effectively carry and utilize this equipment in the field. There are about twenty eight buttons/features in the front panel.

The Sound Devices recorder being expensive is not meant for the casual operators. You can safely predict that anyone carrying this recorder has serious intent.

This recorder has numerous buttons and features and one needs to read the manual thoroughly. A beginner may not need all the features mentioned, as a lot of those are meant for specific recording situations demanded by the professionals engaged in recording specific situations. For eg. the analog inputs (XLR) 1 and 2 can be linked to provide a stereo. Also, there is the flexibility of saving your settings in the Compact Flash card (CF card) so that if you are using someone else’s recorder or if the same recorder is used by many people with varying requirements, then one can simply insert the CF card with the desired settings to avoid spending time in going through the menus to individually set the various parameters.

The inputs accept both Mic level and line level as can be seen from the image below.

You can also daisy chain two 702/702T recorders to get four channel recording using the C Link. I am sure it would be a useful feature for many people who start by buying a two channel recorder and later on when their requirements increase or they move into large projects requiring four channel recording, they can just borrow or rent or even buy another recorder. So the recorder never goes waste.

Back Panel Descriptions:

In the back panel, there is the slot for Compact Flash card. Interestingly I had a problem with it. I inserted the 16 GB compact flash card and then I didn’t know how to remove it. The reason being, I was searching for a button which when pressed will release the CF card, the way we are used to in Canon’s DSLR cameras. Probably it is just common sense to simply pull out the CF card. I scanned through the complete manual but to no avail. Finally with no one to call and ask in India (as I don’t know who uses this in India), I tried pulling out the CF card and it worked. I had a good laugh.

The Battery mount is on the right side of the CF Card slot and placing the battery and removing it was intuitive. You need to push down the release pin on the right by a long thin pin or screwdriver etc to release the battery. It accepts Sony InfoLithium L or M Series removable batteries. If you need the battery to last longer, then you can also go for higher capacities as the 702T accepts batteries from 150 mAh to 7000 mAh. Infact, I have an interesting and nice customer service from B&H regarding an extra battery. You can read it here: http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/equipment-buying/

FireWire:
It has FireWire (IEEE 1394) port and provides a chord for connecting your computer with the 702T for high speed data transfer.

External Power:
For those working in the studio, they can use the 10-18 VDC external input power. The battery is simultaneously charged as well.

Power Failure:
Sound Devices has taken enough care for power failure. There are auto save options and the data is not going to be compromised in case your power fails. This is a huge plus point over cheaper recorders like Tascam etc, where you lose the entire file in the event of a power failure.

Pre-Record Buffer:

The Sound Devices 702T has got a nice feature. It has a pre-record buffer available ie. when this feature is active, this feature helps in recording a few seconds before the moment the record button is pressed. Visualise a scenario. You are waiting for a raptor to call and it has been silent for a long time. You don’t want to continue to record for several minutes and waste your CF card space or battery. Or think that you heard a Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus) calling (which hardly many people have heard). So you fumbled and hit the record button. Now your Sound devices 702T recorder can record 10 seconds before you hit the record button if you are recording in 48 kHz. If your recording sampling rate is 96kHz then the pre-record buffer is 5 seconds. It reduces to 2 seconds if you are using 192kHz. Frankly speaking in nature recording 10 seconds buffer is awesome. I wish I had purchased the Sound Devices 702T in the first instance, rather than buying the Tascam DR100 based on misplaced suggestions of people who had no idea about my requirements (present and future) or my intensity of work. Use this feature once, and you will be hooked for life.

Performance:

According to Sound Devices, the 702, 702T, 722 and 744T mic inputs have 114 dB of dynamic range, and the 788T microphone inputs have 123 dB of dynamic range. The figures on the 788T approach the theoretical limit of A-to-D performance.

Why with Time Code:

The difference between the 702T which has time code facility costing 2495 USD and the 702 costing 1875 USD is sizeable. It is not easy to make yourself spend the additional 600 odd USD. However, after careful thought about the future plans and the versatility of the 702T recorder, I thought it would be prudent enough to have the time code facility for future use.

One can of course argue that with several softwares available, one can easily sync the audio with the video. When one is moving up the order in the world of film making, one finds time code facility in the better film cameras. So it would be prudent to have the ability to sync the recorder with the camera rather than struggle later in post processing.

The prices of other Sound Devices Audio recorders:
744T – 4 Channel Portable Audio Recorder with Time Code :: 4095 USD
788T – 8 Channel Portable HD Recorder :: 5995 USD
788T – SSD 8 channel Sold State Audio Recorder :: 6495 USD

A Word of Caution:

Though this is an excellent recorder, one needs to use a good microphone closer to the subject and watch out for noise generated due to your own dress, foot movement or in handholding.

Why I chose Sennheiser:

Sennheiser is one of the most reputed names in the microphones and audio electronics arena. Its microphones have got a reputation of tolerating humidity much better than other microphones. Most of the Sennheiser microphones are RF Condenser based so they tolerate humidity much better. On the other hand most of the other microphones are AF capacitor based and in high humidity conditions like sea side or in tropical rainforests etc there is a tendency for the charge to escape giving rise to the noise. The output is also reduced. The AF capacitor microphones also attract more dust. And in outdoors in India with all the dust and moisture, the situation is really tough. So as a Wildlife filmmaker, it is quiet natural to trust is Sennheiser’s RF condenser based microphones and put it in use in all weather conditions.

Sennheiser MKH 416:

The MKH 416 is a solid, versatile and no nonsense microphone. It has been launched some 40 yrs back, but due to its high popularity it is still being produced and marketed. It is used in major TV channels as well as in films, so it has attained a cult status. You can find many people using this microphone for the last thirty odd years and it is still going strong. So this microphone is likely to last for 20-30 yrs without any problem. In the second hand market it retains its value well. So buying a MKH 416 is a safe investment if you are likely to sell it off in near future.

This microphone requires phantom power which can be provided from a mixer or any decent recorder. It is 19mm in dia and 250mm long. The all black finish lends some elegance as well as doesn’t attract attention like some other flashy coloured microphones. In the wilderness areas, I am too scared about flashy colours. Of course, I never use this microphone without a softie or zeppelin.

When this microphone was first launched it was lapped up by people due to its directional characteristics. Its increased directivity is due to its interference tube principle. It has good off-axis sound rejection ie. the Sennheiser MKH 416 microphone isolates sound from the sides well. So during interviews and recording other sounds one needs to point this carefully at the source. Of course, now there are more modern designs available with better off axis sound isolation. You can see the Polar pattern below (official Sennheiser),

This microphone works well when handled by a boom operator in an interview, as well as handheld or on top of a camera. Ofcourse, any sound recordist worth his salt will tell you that the microphone should be as close to the source of sound and not on top of the camera, however, at times if you are a lone operator then you may make that compromise, as seen in this image taken a couple of years back.

If you are recording indoors, then one needs to look at the room size, presence or absence of sound damping surfaces like curtains, blinds etc and need to take into account the echoes before deciding the microphone to be used. Else, if you are using the MKH 416 in a smaller room, then you may not like the sound. The reason is simple laws of physics.

The direct sound from the source/interviewee passes through the front of the microphone. However, in the small rooms one needs to take into account the reflections from the walls as well. These reflections pass through the side walls as well as through the front of the microphone. When it enters through the front side of the microphone, it changes its phase and this sound mixes with the sound directly coming from the interviewee through the front of the microphone. The result is some frequencies gets cancelled or modified due to the difference in phase. The result is sometimes metallic or booming sound (depending upon the terminology you use to describe it). I was once forced to do an interview and despite the curtains and the longer room, one side was closer and led to slight metallic ring to the sound. For this purpose, I carry large green coloured beach towels which can be used in the forest as well as draped on the walls to make a difference. People often use blankets to dampen the sound from the walls or hard surfaces.

Characteristics:

Transformerless balanced output with an interference tube design.
RF Condenser Microphone
Polar Pattern: Supercardiod/Lobar
Frequency response: 40Hz – 20 KHz
Dynamic range – 117 dB
Maximum Input Sound Level (Passive) – 130 dB,
Sensitivuty 25 mV/Pa 1dB
Current consumption: 2 mA
Output Connectors – XLR-3M Type
Dimensions: 9.84 x 0.74 inch (250mm length x 19mm diameter)
Weight: 175 g

The Sennheiser MKH 416 comes in a case with a MZW 415 windshield and MZQ clamp.

One can place the MZW 415 windshield on the microphone for wind protection. However, if you need higher degree of wind protection, then you need to go for the wind muff or for severe winds a full-fledged zeppelin. In the image, you can see the rycote softie being used over the MKH 416. And if you observe carefully, you can see the rycote tag as well.

Consider buying a good recorder like the Sound Devices if you want professional quality, else you can go for the other recorders providing phantom power.

I have been using this microphone in the heat and dusty National parks chasing tigers as well as in the moist rainforests and other places without any problems. The 1200 USD spent in buying this microphone is well worth.

A Word of Caution:

Beginners may feel that they can record any sound from any distance. However, the fact is this microphone despite its increased off-axis rejection, doesn’t work like a telephoto lens. To get good sound, you have to be closer to the source of sound.

This is a versatile microphone and can be used in various situations, however, as photographers choose different lenses for different situations, similarly your sound recording requirements will dictate the use of other microphones as well.

While travelling in flight, keep some time in your hands as the security invariably checks my sound equipment especially the microphone as it appears like a rod.