My lens on birds

With the leading Snow leopard expert on the planet.

My fortune: A moment with the leading Snow leopard expert on the planet, Dr. Rodney Jackson at Bishkek, Kyrgyztan during the snow leopard forum 2013. Dr. Rodney is also the Executive Director for the Snow leopard Conservancy.

Bomb blast at Mahabodhi temple........For good or bad?

PRINCE was born in the south eastern province of Nepal, presently known as Lumbini. Answer to the prayers of the subjects and the wish fulfilment to the King and the queen, a new born prince was named SIDARTHA.  Destined to take over the throne, little Sidartha changed the destiny of his princehood.  Wandering into the forest, leaving the palace behind was a great sacrifice. Who would have thought so?....It would have been  full of surprise, shock and disbelief. Decision was final that time and I suppose that it was a heavenly and karmic decision.  

Sidartha’s way of practice wandering in Nepal and India without having to process visa was a sign of transboundary peace. For the survival it was full of peace, but for the enlightenment it wasn’t so. With much difficulties and hardships, a prince who would have enjoyed the ultimate freedom of worldly materials has attained the buddhahood enlightenment at the verge of his only skeletal body remains collapsing. Popularly known as Jagar Dorji Dhen (Bodhgaya in INDIA) is the very place where he attained enlightenment. I believe that is the very place where Sidartha got an ultimate enlightenment  under the boddhi peepal tree called Jangchub shing and became so called BUDDHA.

7^th July 2013 marked the day of reminder of princely Buddha. To me I feel that Buddha doesn’t belong to the Buddhist world only, but to the universe.  Therefore, why a blast at the site where he attained enlightenment?

My personal views: 

1.     It’s a warning as well as reminder for the host country India to give due importance to their heritage site and also other countries to support for the greater cause. We all must be concerned and reminded of the unseen and unpredictable future.

2.     Why do we blame Naxalites and terrorists?. I don’t see any reason for the Naxals and terrorists in planting a bomb at the place of so much respect and importance. Even the terrorists are human beings in search of peace and wellbeing.  They too have religion. They have faith in god and mercy on others sufferings.

3.     Security needs to be strengthened. It could be an alarm call from the concerned group of individuals to have a tight security for such an important place. Small damage for now could mean saving the great monument for future.

4.     Blast at Mahabodhi temple is a sign of flourishing buddhism. Disturbances are inevitable in the journey of success and accomplishments. Charming Prince Sidartha encountered endless disturbances towards the path of Dharma to the destination of enlightenment. So its a process of glorifying Buddhism. 

At this very moment, I write these instant thoughts with sadness. I am sad that they targeted on the holy eepal tree (Ficus religiosa) under which Buddha attained enlightenment.

 I am not sure if some one has already tried to raise a seedling from this tree and its high time that something is done to save its originality through certain means. Cost of losing this holly tree would mean a lot for our future generation. We may not be able to hand over the legacy to our children and grand children.

Therefore, its time for us to unite and cooperate in saving the global heritage monument of great significance. May peace prevail on earth and happiness to the people around the globe.

A trip to be remembered: Jomolhari trip through my lens

Part I: Jomolhari trip through my lens

Letter to my office mates

Letter that I wrote to my office mates when I have been transferred from Wildlife Conservation Division (2008-20013), Thimphu to Jigme Dorji National Park, Damji, Gasa (2013........)

LOSAR TASHI DELLEK

Happy Daw Chuni pai Losar

Dear WCDian’s,

As the year 2012 ends and 2013 unfolds, after having  five successful years in the office of Wildlife Conservation Division, the then  Nature Conservation Division, it’s time for me to say good bye for now. Coinciding with the traditional day of offering (Daw Chunipai Losar-1^st day of the 12^th month of Bhutanese Calendar), I would like to offer my humble offering  ‘KADRINCHE’ (Thank You) to you all for being a part of my life.

As a young boy, I have joined this very office with pride and dignity on the 1^st January 2008. End of the new beginning is finally here as its time for me to leave this office (my home). I have been personally benefitted through the wildlife surveys that we undertook together in sun and rain to the simple analytical skills that I have gained over the years. For all these, I am not swollen with pride, but just humbled.  I am leaving this office neither out of hatred nor with dissatisfaction, but as the same person of 1^st January 2008 with pride and dignity and the only difference that I go today is as a young man with satisfaction.  Working in this office has refined me, fine tuned me  and nurtured me. All these has happened just because of three reasons, trust, support and guidance from you all. For this I am deeply grateful to you all and will remain ever so thank ful to you all.  When I look back for the times that we spent together through this office, I just rejoice the days that we spent together in the office and fun that we shared in the field supplemented by knowledge and experiences.  We all had faith in each other, trusted one and all and cared without any exceptions and I have valued each and every bit of it.  I thank you all for everything.

On the traditional day of offering (Chuni pai losar), I wish you all a happy losar and convey my heart  felt gratitude to your family members for always being behind the scene of our common success and accomplishments. With deep respect and faith,  I thank you all once again for everything and I wel come you all to Jigme Dorji national Park anytime for anything.

GOOD BYE!

Thank you and Tashi Dellek.

With the leading biologists on this planet

Dr. John Sidensticker ( red shirt)  and Dr. A.J.T Johhn Singh (grey shirt)

Text to be soon uploaded

The evolution of human wildlife conflict scenario: My own perspective

High tolerance level has been closely associated with Bhutanese since time immemorial. I personally heard and came across many people from all sections of society, young and old, illiterate and literate, ignorant  and learned, poor and rich and so on…often chanting the word ‘jampa and Nyingye’ roughly translated as love and compassion.  If everyone practice what they chant, what a lovely world it would be and surely would be true shangrila.

Since my high school days, Buddhist jargon “Dhue ni me jur –Mi nam jur wa yin” ( which means : Time does not change, but humans do) has always struck  me and have been longing for a true and worthy answer. Now after completing my studies, this quest still exists in me, but now with more perplexity and mystification. Through my profession as a conservationist, now I feel that I am closer to the awaited answer. Still I am not sure if what I understand and perceive personally really is near to truth. 

 Our people especially in Bhutan have been living in harmony with nature since time immemorial and so did with the wildlife (wild animals). Predation of domestic livestock by wild animals is nothing new, but just a part of life and that’s the way our fore fathers survived and more so happily survived generation after generations. In the past, when a livestock was killed by wild predator, the most common and traditional answer was faithful blaming on the local deities. It was considered that when a local deity is not pleased with the actions of the individual or community, it often results in to the loss of livestock to wild predators.  Therefore, in the past, the present terminology ‘human wildlife conflict’  has been a synonymous to the warning response from one’s  local deities. More often,  people took such mishaps as a warning from deities to prevent disasters in the family  and community. More than anything, wild animals killing livestock were a part of life. Despite complaining and expecting compensation, people used to spend little money they had on performing rituals to please their deities in order to prevent other tragedies.

Today, truly the people have changed and society is changing. The world has become more than materialistic and everywhere is a show of competitions.  Livestock predation by wild predators still continues, but no more a local deity factor now. The then local deity factor has been replaced with the greed factor and thus the media catchy phrase HUMAN WILDLIFE CONFLICT  attracts the attention.  

After knowing that government is trying to pay a minimum compensation (consolation) for the livestock lost to wild predators, the response from the people have really changed. A change that is inclined towards greed. Everyone wants money as a compensation for their livestock killed, but no one wants to spare the predator given a chance to kill it.   There is no talk of the unpleased local deity and tolerance. Does it mean that due to over use of’ jampa and Nyingye ‘ (love and compassion) in schools that it got totally exhausted? Or is it a monetary magnet that is constantly repelling the local deity stigma. We (people) are not at all ready to accept that we are encroaching on the habitat of wildlife by virtue of being ourselves a superior being.  Would such things have happened  if the animals were superior to us?. May be YES,  may be NOT.  At times, the existence and seldom predation on the domestic cattle of  influential families reaches to the house of the peoples representatives. What would happen if  these wild animals (ecological guardians ) too have an equal right to vote for electing the representatives of the national assembly. At times, as a biologist, I just wish that they do have that right too, so that their rights are protected as well.

 These days, people are too honest to declare that they want to kill the predators?  May be they are right because they (farmers) are over victimized, but  people (I refer to people reporting and taking people’s views and not considering the right of wild animals) trying to give every right to people and  treating wild animals and their guardians (foresters) as close to terrorist associate is inhumanly treatment. Does this testify our superiority over animals?........

Is the time also changing?  Are we less religious than our previous generations? Are we becoming less Buddhist?  Is there a decrease in local deities?  Has our deities been transferred to other planet? Are wild animals killing more livestock today than before?   Are we getting greedy?    Or …… Are we  (people) changing?