A little bit of context before you begin reading this book review. I have recently enrolled for an MA in Philosophy at the University of Mumbai. Philosophy is something I have been getting interested in, over the past few years, as those of you who have been reading my blogs and Instagram posts would know. During the pandemic, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do next, and this is what I eventually came up with. It has been a challenge, getting back into academics as a student at this age, especially in a subject I have no academic background in. However, it has also been very exciting, especially thanks to my wonderful classmates (who, surprisingly, are of all age-groups, including some quite near my own) and my teachers, who have been very supportive and understanding. How well I will do is something that remains to be seen, but so far, I am enjoying this new journey and look forward to where it leads. Now that you know the background , you probably get an idea of how
The Malabar Giant Squirrel
or Indian Giant Squirrel is described as “an upper canopy dwelling species,
which rarely leaves the trees. It is a shy, wary animal, not easy to discover;
it is active mostly early in the mornings and evenings, resting in the midday.”
Till recently, I had only
had fleeting glimpses of the Giant Squirrel, usually as it disappeared into the
dense canopy before I could get a close look. Which is why, when I saw one
perched atop a tree outside my room, I waited till I got some decent photos
before calling out to Samhith and the others, informing them of its presence.
As it turned out, I needn’t
have worried. It was a regular visitor here, having its breakfast, and in no
hurry to leave before it had its fill! It stayed on that particular tree for
over an hour before finally taking a massive leap to another one, and
disappearing in seconds!
The Malabar Giant Squirrels
are a species endemic to the deciduous and moist evergreen forests of
Peninsular India, extending as far as the Satpura hill ranges of Madhya
Pradesh.
Incidentally, it is also
the State Animal of Maharashtra, and is called ‘Shekru’ in Marathi. The
Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary was created in 1984, specifically with the aim
of protecting its habitat. However, I saw it, not in its protected sanctuary,
but at Dandeli, at the Dandeli Jungle Camp, where I stayed for a night during
my recent trip.
Great clicks, Anu..
ReplyDeleteThank you, Meghana!
Deletewe recently saw the Malabar giant squirrel when we visited thekkady and went to the deep safari, it was there lazing and sleeping on top of the tree
ReplyDelete