Thursday 24 March 2016

Capturing Clouds

Clear, blue skies are perhaps a sign of nice, sunny weather.

Not a cloud.

Beautiful.

Right?

If you don't agree, congratulations, welcome to the elite society which believes in clouds and their magnificence!

Cloud watching is quite the pastime, if you have a little patience. Looking at the sky for a different cloud is all one has to do. People don't usually take any notice of these white swathes of moisture, but when one does, one may indeed be in for quite a visual treat.

Here are some pictures I've taken over the years of some ceaselessly captivating clouds:

The lightning that isn't

The flying lion-cub

Lion face

Now that's an angry hippo

What are you pointing at?

A frightening smile

Cloud wall

Nice hairstyle, though!

A white smile

The tornado that isn't

Dude, motorboats are not for flying

Elephant's trunk, or devil's tail?

A duck about to enter a pond

Superman?

Dragon-serpent

Power-packed punch!

Grim Reaper!
So for once he's actually captured on camera.

Turkey (the bird)

Orange lightning

Question mark

An eagle, or a cockatoo?


Copyright © 2016 Manas Trivedi
All rights reserved.
All images are copyright protected and are the property of Manas Trivedi. For permissions, please contact me at:
manasdtrivedi@gmail.com
-         Manas Trivedi

Wednesday 23 March 2016

Role of Wildlife Sanctuaries in Preserving Wildlife


          You must’ve heard about wildlife sanctuaries. Wildlife sanctuaries are places where animals can live freely. India has 550 wildlife sanctuaries. And quite a bit of them are private sanctuaries engaged in buying, selling and trading wild animals. But are they wildlife sanctuaries in real sense?

          First, let us understand the difference between a wildlife sanctuary and zoo.

          Zoos are places where animals are kept in cages, while the people roam around freely. The zoo keeps animals for their conservation. They’re given food and a safe place to live, but not a free space to roam around, where they can feel free.

          But wildlife sanctuaries are places generally spread over huge areas. The animals are free to roam, but the visitors have to move in a restricted area only.

          Nowadays, many wildlife sanctuaries are becoming places for breeding of animals, and where the paying public is allowed to play with the young ones, like tiger cubs.

          If people are coming and playing with the cubs, will the animals feel safe? Do people feel safe when a leopard enters their village? How do people react? They try to get rid of the leopard as fast as they can. In the same way, the animals don’t feel safe when people are around them.

          A wildlife sanctuary should be a place where animals should feel as if they’re living in their natural habitat. They must have sanitary conditions, roomy enclosures, proper vet care, appropriate feed and the like.

          Visitors shouldn’t be allowed to get close to the animals, let alone playing with them. The sanctuaries mustn’t be breeding places and places for sale of animals. They never should be used as a place of entertainment for people.

          Wildlife sanctuaries must be places for animals, not for humans. That must be their sole purpose. Their environment must be one of complete serenity and tranquillity, so that the animals could spend their lives peacefully and safely.

-         Manas Trivedi