#and here we see the wild author in its natural habitat

[horizonandstar]

and here we see the wild author in its natural habitat

hi! just posting to say that im not dead and im still trying to update the fish fic (next update is not coming soon, sadly). fic is not yet abandoned i just have not been updating it

#yeah ive been stuck on this 1 scene so i let it marinate #its still stuck after all this time which is probably an indication i need to overhaul the entire chapter #anyways in my free time rather than writing ive been modding instead #and from a precursory search on subnautica modding i could probably add rhe 2 fishy boys into the game itself #most likely replacing the peeper model tbh #some of the instructions look familiar to rw modding. ill just have to figure the rest out #its even in c sharp yaaay just like rw #oh i have a funny idea i can do for a first mod

[thedreadpiratejames]

On Wednesday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals said it would restrict access to the main abortion pill, mifepristone, allowing its use only through seven weeks of pregnancy (down from the current 10) and banning telemedicine prescriptions of it. (None of the proposed changes will take effect until the Supreme Court weighs in on the case.)

But Fifth Circuit Judge James Ho—who was sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas in GOP megadonor Harlan Crow’s library in 2018—wanted his colleagues go even further. He would have fully reversed the Food and Drug Administration approval of the abortion pill, and he used some uh, wild, reasons to support his argument. Ho wrote in his unhinged concurrence that the plaintiffs, a group of anti-abortion doctors, have standing in the case because they like looking at babies, and the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill deprives them of that right. He cites “aesthetic injury” precedent from past cases involving federal decisions that threatened wildlife and plants:

It’s....pretty close to comparing women and pregnant people to wild animals! And he kept going!

The Supreme Court has recognized that “the person who observes or works with a particular animal threatened by a federal decision is facing perceptible harm, since the very subject of his interest will no longer exist.” Lujan, 504 U.S. at 566. Every circuit, including our own, has concluded that, when a federal agency authorizes third parties to harm flora or fauna that a plaintiff intends to view or study, that satisfies all of the requirements for Article III standing. ... In all of these cases, a federal agency approved some action—such as developing land or using pesticides—that threatens to destroy the animal or plant life that plaintiffs wish to enjoy. This injury is redressable by a court order holding unlawful and setting aside the agency approval. And so too here. The FDA has approved the use of a drug that threatens to destroy the unborn children in whom Plaintiffs have an interest. And this injury is likewise redressable by a court order holding unlawful and setting aside approval of that abortifacient drug. I see no basis for allowing Article III standing based on aesthetic injury when it comes to animals and plants—but not unborn human life.

This whole flora/fauna line of reasoning gets even creepier when you read this sentence from Ho: “Pregnancy is not a bad or unhealthy condition of the body—it’s a natural consequence of a healthy and functioning reproductive system.” It really sounds like, to him, that women are nothing more than broodmares whose function is to gestate and bring joy to others gazing at them in their habitat.

Judge Ho is an established troll. He notoriously asked during a May hearing, “Is pregnancy a serious illness? When we celebrated Mother’s Day, were we celebrating illness?” But it’s still scary to think what the Supreme Court will do with his writings in the case when they finally weigh in—right in the middle of the 2024 election. It’s also scary to think that Ho, who was on Donald Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist, could get nominated to the high court if Trump wins the presidency in 2024.

#reproductive rights #reproductive health

[senseofscience]

Week 5 Already? Your Science Round-Up.

Welcome to week five (!) of Sense of Science, your weekly roundup of the latest scientific news. As we reach farther into our mission to enrich our readers’ understanding of the natural world, we hope you’re starting to see a new relationship between yourself and the earth around you. If you’re new to the blog, we’re ecstatic to help begin your journey today. This week will take us a little farther around the world than we’ve gone so far, from the oceans surrounding North America all the way down to the Antarctic. 

A new federal American listing has placed emperor penguins under the Endangered Species Act for the first time. This comes as many aspects of the act have been reinstated after its authority was weakened by the Trump administration. Going forward, federal agencies will have to work to undo the melting of Antarctic sea ice, the emperor penguins’ primary habitat, partially caused by the burning of greenhouse gases here in America. It’s been estimated that without sweeping regulations from the world’s main producers of these gases, 99% of the species’ population will die off by the start of the next century. These gases trap heat which in turn melt the ice and leave the animals with less room to live and avoid predation in the waters below. The classification of emperor penguins as endangered means that all or a large portion of their estimated 625,000-650,000 population is likely to face extinction. This threat has been referred to by the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the larger extinction crisis occurring worldwide. 

Learn more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/25/science/emperor-penguins-threatened-species.html

Although bear attacks are rare, they’re often gruesome when they occur, and the Washington Post recently published an article detailing how to avoid an attack if you do happen to come face-to-face with one of the animals in the wild. Three essential tips are to have bear spray handy (it’s been proven 98% effective in attacks in Alaska), avoid hiking alone, and fight the urge to run away when you come across one. But firstly, it’s important to know if you’re in bear country- a good idea is to ask a park ranger in the area you intend to roam whether there have recently been any sightings, and to find out the type of bear that inhabits the region. Another tip is to make noise as you travel in order to avoid surprising them (making extra noise as you approach bends in a path or bodies of water is suggested). You definitely want to let any other parties know the path you intend to take before doing so. One avid camper said that when camping, your best method to avoid a confrontation with the animals is to keep them away from your tent as a whole, by hanging food far above the ground and away from the tent, and even running a small electric fence around it.  

Learn more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/10/25/what-to-do-bear-sighting-attack/

The total population of the North Atlantic right whale is continuing to plummet, according to a group of scientists who have been watching the remaining animals for decades. Their numbers have been steadily decreasing since 2010, and now total at around 340. This concerningly low estimate can be attributed to climate change and other environmental issues.  

Learn more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2022/10/25/north-atlantic-right-whale-population-climate-change/

Be sure to check back next week for the next roundup of the latest scientific news from Sense of Science. We’ll also touch on more important environmental issues like climate change, habitat loss, and the fate of the Endangered Species Act. We will see you then!

[irwin69macmillan]

Centre For Wildlife Rehabilitation

Help the refugee and migrant neighborhood to achieve a foothold in Europe by supporting shelters, faculties, health care and actions tailor-made to their long-term integration. Our Souvenir shop is stocked with a big selection of responsibly sourced, native crafts and wildlife-friendly merchandise. Another beautiful species on the tour was the Blue Crane which is the nationwide bird of South Africa and is featured on one of South Africa’s coins. OWL continues to be obtainable to supply care for injured or orphaned Raptors that you may discover. As I always say, ask, ask, ask, individuals are joyful if they see you’re thinking about their work and mostly if instances enable they may attempt to accommodate. Here there may be an extra value for a combined program as it must be a private tour, but it's so price it, consider me. Operating as a non-profit organization, the FreeMe Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre depends on donations, membership fees, sponsorships and the services of volunteers to proceed its life-saving work. The centre has been granted an Open Permit from the Gauteng Department of Nature Conservation signifying that it holds to the highest requirements. While the Wildlife Center has a staff of devoted and highly educated workers, its accomplishments wouldn't be possible without the numerous volunteers who donate their valuable time every week. This is not a rehabilitation centre, however an educational centre. Possesses a listing of wildlife custodians within the Waterloo Region that may accept migratory/ songbirds. This location accepts all indigenous wildlife in addition to migratory/ songbirds. Accept migratory/ songbirds, all species of wildlife including species at risk. wildlife rehabilitation centre Others arrive at animal rehabilitation centres after being poisoned by native farmers who use lethal and untargeted methods to stop animals attacking their crops and livestock. And care for sick, injured, deserted or orphaned animals under the care of our professional veterinary staff. Once these animals have been nursed back to health, they are released back into their natural habitat. Since 1998 Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre has been accepting volunteer students. These students journey from all over the world for a singular African expertise. Pangolin Rondavels are situated at Shikwari Nature Reserve and offer a cushty budget possibility camp roughly 500m from the primary lodge. Set beneath the gorgeous Northern Drakensburg Mountains; Shikwari Nature Reserve offers lodging in comfortable suites. Thornybush River Lodge is the place the place you come to immerse yourself in luxury while surrounded by nice recreation viewing, panoramic bushveld views ... Mali Mali Safari Lodge presents lodging in the Ndlovumzi Nature Reserve about 35km exterior the small city of Hoedspruit. Mike MacIntosh who is one of Canada’s most experienced authorities on black bears was asked to turn out to be Ontario’s first centre for injured or orphaned wild cats. While Ontario has a really small population of wild cats , their preservation is of concern. We run educational and volunteer programmes in a bid to teach the general public and future generations about conservation and want for protecting natural assets. Injured turtles and cetaceans are taken to San Lucjan’s Rehabilitation Centre and/or a veterinarian’s clinic the place they're treated by or beneath the supervision of a qualified veterinarian. Other animals , after being examined by a veterinarian, are taken, beneath ERA allow to the volunteer’s homes the place they're handled, medicated and brought care of till they might be launched once more into the wild. Turtles are released during dedicated events within the presence of the media and distinguished friends, amongst others, as a half of an effort to boost consciousness about risks to biodiversity and rehabilitation efforts. Other species are released by the volunteers at the place of rescue or in a nearby protected space.

#moholoholo lodge #maholoholo #moholoholo wildlife rehabilitation centre #moholoholo wildlife rehabilitation centre volunteer #volunteer work for students #wildlife rehabilitation centre #south african wildlife rehabilitation centre #care for wildlife #moholoholo ya mati

[pyrebriight-a]

rules: answer 20 questions then tag 20 (give or take) followers you wanna get to know better! tagged by: @hyaciiintho (YAS FAM, THANK YOU)

name: My given name? Katie. nickname: Pi, my mom calls me Mimi for some reason, people soooorta make fun of me on the trawl boat for holding onto boat hooks like a wizard staff, I'm fucking HOPING they start calling me "The Wizard." height: 5′3" nationality: Recovering Floridian favorite fruit: Apples, Nectarines, Cherries favorite season: Fall favorite smell: Musk smells, petrichor, salt breezes favorite color(s): Greens, blues, browns and tans favorite animals: Cats, dragons (shush), bats, owls, alligators tea, coffee, hot cocoa: Tea and hot cocoa, I don't drink coffee average hours of sleep: 7-8 dogs or cats: Cats! dream trip: New Zealand and Australia, or Hawaii. I want to hike big mountains and see endemic fauna! when my blog was created: The original Downfall Zel blog was made back in January of 2015. I've rebooted it a few times since then. Most recently a few weeks ago when I was a dumbass about which delete button I was clicking. random fact: I'm afraid of heights, so I used to go to rock climbing gyms and climb blindfolded. I was a stubborn, stupid child. favorite food: Curry of any variety, ice cream, french fries, dried apricots, sauerkraut, sharp cheeses. favorite t.v. show: Right now, I'm into Castlevania, The Good Place, and Stranger Things! favorite movie: Star Wars! This becomes apparent after knowing me for maybe five fucking minutes, because I often wear Rebel Starbirds in my earholes. favorite vine: I love the "Ah fuck, I can't believe you've done this" one. I die laughing no matter how many times I watch it. sexuality: Asexual gender: Female favorite book series: I read too much to keep track of this. Garth Nix's Abhorsen Chronicles stick out, and so does Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy... I don't fuckin know, man, I love sci-fi and fantasy books. favorite video game(s): Pokemon, Knights of the Old Republic, Zel-duh, Portal, and Supergiant's stuff is pretty damn good too. favorite subject: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology favorite fandoms: None of them. As a whole, I hate fandom. I stay for the maybe seven people I like, huddled spitefully in the corner, seething. favorite superhero: THOR guys or girls: In terms of romance? I'm not into guys, no. I know that much at least. celebrity crush: I have never had a celebrity crush. No, I know. It should have been a tip-off as to my current struggle with "Do I like girls or am I aromantic?" But I strongly recall a drama teacher asking me about who my celebrity crush was to explain the emotion she wanted out of me, and I remember just... staring at her blankly like "People do that?" last time i cried: I think it was Tuesday, at work, in the middle of trying to wrangle chlorophyll-a data? hair color: Brown eye color: Blue what I should be doing: I'm at a standstill right now, actually, this guy has to answer me back about the problems I've got with the chlorophyll-a data.

tagging 20 people: I think you tagged everyone here again, haha. Go ahead! Do it!

#ooc #and here we see the wild author in its natural habitat #although this creature may seem shy it can turn into a raging bitch at the slightest provocation #like for instance when THe CHLOROPHYLL-A DATA IS FUCKED UP

[swimmingleo]

Harry Styles and Two Loves - A love that dare not speak its name.

‼️Disclaimer I am in no way an English literature expert or student for that matter and can barely organize my thoughts but I’ll try my best. If something doesn’t make sense or is regretful thinking please tell me‼️

Basically Harry is a fervent reader that does not limit himself to Buk*wski and Mur*kami though for some reason he loves to bring up those dudes. Queer literature seems to play a big role when it comes to his inspiration and I love that about his music. A good example is his Shakesqueer Sweet Creature madness. But another one that I hold close to my heart are the parallels he draws with Alfred Douglas’ poem, Two Loves.

Here is the full poem. Give it a read if you can because I won't break it down verse by verse for this post sorry :(

To make it short, the poem is about the narrator (let's say Douglas) wandering in a garden where he meets a young man that turns out to be his lover. For context, Alfred Douglas was very much queer and in a romantic relationship with Oscar Wilde. Both developed their own coded language to express their love and ''sexual tendencies'' through their art (been this way foreverrr will we ever leaarn). However they were not always so sneaky about it and Two Loves in particular was so in your face that it was used against Wilde to prove his homosexuality in trial. He did get away with it this time. Here is his defense. Blueprint of denials. No iPhones at the time.

In Two Loves, two different personifications of love introduce themselves to Douglas and his lover:

The first love is loud and cheerful and sings about pretty women and men that love the said pretty women.

The second love is discreet, almost erased by the other’s presence but is beautiful and draws the attention of the narrator.

Obviously the first love is Heterosexuality, the one that is openly praised by society and the second is Homosexuality who is bullied into silence by Heterosexuality if he tries to speak. The poem ends with Homosexuality saying "I am the love that dare not speak its name." Yeah. And isn’t that the story of H’s career.

HS1 opens with MMITH which ends on "We don’t talk about it, it’s something we don’t do". And from there follows SOTT, "We don’t speak enough". And right after we get the very loud, very explicit and very well documented Carolina. So far the album narration goes "There is something painful going on but we can’t talk about it, I say ‘we’ because there is a you and I and yeeEEAAH THIS GIRL I MET ONCE GETS A WHOLE SONG THE WORLD DESERVES TO KNOW HOW GOOD SHE FEELS FOR A LADDY LAD LIKE ME ALSO HER NAME IS TOWNES YOU CAN CHECK FOR YOURSELF SEE IF SHES REAL I LOVE REAL WOMEN AS IN WOMEN THAT EXIST". Heterosexuality is loud and sings about pretty women right.

But then, THEN we get Two Ghosts. Which is the center piece of this whole post. I mean, the title... Two Ghosts//Two Loves Two hearts in one home ? Sick.

The parallel that hits the most is the physical description that is made of Douglas’ lover and of Homosexuality (which are technically two different characters in the poem).

Douglas’ lover / Homosexuality

Same lips red / Same eyes blue / Same white shirt

Red were his lips / His lips were red / His eyes were clear as crystal / His large eyes were strange with wondrous brightness / White as the snow / His cheeks were wan and white

In Douglas’ poem, it is meant to be understood that the young boy he meets first, his lover, is related to Homosexuality through their physical appearance. Douglas’ love is therefore inherently queer. With Two Ghosts, I’ve always wondered why Harry chose specifically to point out a white shirt as it comes across a bit generic and not really personal yk? But if you compare it to Two Loves, it checks out the recurrent descriptive color scheme: red, blue and white. In both works, red are the lips, blue are the eyes, and white is the ~envelopp. RIGHT. I suppose Harry didn’t feel like describing his lover with pale white skin since it’s brown with lemon over ice when under summer skies so he went with a plain white shirt instead.

I’m not going through a whole analysis of Two Ghosts yet I can safely say that it deals with unspoken words. Not saying things is a recurrent theme in H’s songwriting but within the album, Two Ghosts is the first song that deals with it through the undeniable prism of romantic love. Right before with Carolina, H had no issue being straightforward and wanted to "scream and shout it out", but with Two Ghosts he’s tongue tied and doesn’t say what he really means. Communication issues go on with the following track Sweet Creature, btw may I just:

But oh, Sweet Creature (!), Sweet Creature

Would he […] cry "O sweet creature!", Othello

I cried "Sweet youth…, Two Loves

Queer Literaturry is going wild(e).

Expanding this post with Sweet Creature allows me to speak about the garden metaphor. In lyric poetry, the expression of emotions is often done through nature. It is a process that Harry seems pretty fond of when singing about love (ie Olivia, Adore You, WS, Canyon Moon and Sunflower are good examples) but it’s way more subtle with TG and SC. In Two Ghosts, nature is the moon, and in Sweet Creature it’s the garden.

Would you look at that, Two Loves happens to combine both:

Moon dances over your good side and this was all we used to need, Two Ghosts

Running through the garden oh where nothing bothered us, Sweet Creature

Flowers that were stained with moonlight / Alone in this fair garden, till he came unasked by night, Two Loves

For Harry, the night is where the moon enhances his lover’s beauty, when it’s just the two of them and they need nothing more than each other. The garden is where they run (free?away?), once again alone, unbothered. For Douglas, Homosexuality took form and began to occupy the garden at night, while Heterosexuality who thrives in the golden light (um I- nvm) wasn’t paying attention.

It is also interesting to note that Homosexuality is associated with the night but also with death. And he’s super pale. So like… A ghost ? ANYWAY.

The garden in Two Loves is where love happens, it is a piece of heaven. It’s elevated on a hill and untamed with flowers of various colors growing everywhere. There is sunshine and moonlight, there are "pools that dreamed" and by pools I assume the author means vernal pools which are habitats where flowers grow and oh look over there:

Nice ruffles on that white shirt by the way. Very Victorian.

Two Ghosts, 2017 Mularry so true

So yeah. I don’t want to go into full analysis mode but I find it all interesting. Once again, Two Loves holds a great significance regarding the Oscar Wilde’s lore, and Harry is probably very familiar with anything Wilde related (don’t even start) and by that I think about the Carnation business.

I’ll just conclude with that quote from Maurice by E.M Forster whom I love very much:

"I am an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort."

#song analysis #idk if it has been widely discussed already #ive done a bit of research and i haven't found anything but if you've seen similar posts dont hesitate to pass me the links #anyway first try at this kind of rambling i hope it's ok eek #but really I love this parallel or at least the idea i make of it lol #harry styles #two ghosts #queer inspo #my analysis

[bufomancer]

Comparing Pacman Frogs, Tomato Frogs, and Chubby Frogs

Pacman frogs, tomato frogs, and chubby frogs are perhaps the three most common terrestrial frogs in captivity. At just about any pet store or reptile expo you’re bound to find at least one of these delightful little fellows. While they’re relatively similar to each other, they’re not identical, and their ideal care in captivity will look somewhat different. Today we’ll be going through some of the main points regarding their care and comparing and contrasting the three species!

This is NOT a care guide, just a brief overview of some of the similarities and differences between these frogs and how that will influence their optimal care as pets. It is critical to do in depth research prior to acquiring your new pet. Additionally, “pacman frog” can refer to any of 8 different species in the genus Ceratophrys as well as any hybrids thereof. In this article we will only be talking about the one most common in captivity, Ceratophrys cranwelli. While their congeners share many similarities, their care is not identical and they should not be treated as interchangeable.

Lastly, please do not share the above graphic without the included written text here, and please attribute myself as the author, as well as the photographers of the frog images.

With that out of the way, let’s get into the details.

Cranwell’s Pacman Frog (Ceratophrys cranwelli)

Pacman frogs are native to the Gran Chaco region of South America, a hot, semi-arid expanse of land containing forests, wetlands, and savannas. During periods of extreme temperature or dryness, pacman frogs burrow into the soil and encase themselves in a thick protective layer of skin until conditions are more suitable. During the day they are often found partially buried with their heads exposed. They are ambush hunters and will find a place where they can both find prey and hide from predators. Insects will walk right past the motionless frogs, unaware that they are being watched- until they strike. They are nocturnal and primarily active at night. During this time they may move to find water, or a better place to settle in the morning. When it is breeding season they gather in temporary pools of water to seek out mates and lay eggs.

Pacman frogs are generalists, eating anything they can get their huge mouths on. Invertebrates, other amphibians, reptiles, and small rodents are most common but even crabs have been found on occasion in the stomach or gut of a wild specimen. They are solitary and cannibalistic, and must be kept singly in terraria. Otherwise, you’ll quickly end up with just one pacman frog anyways, especially if there is a notable size difference. Female pacman frogs have no qualms about attacking males whom they do not want to mate with, though this species is not difficult to breed in captivity with the right seasonal cycling and a little effort. Their powerful bites can draw blood, so be careful during feeding and handling.

The ideal terrarium for a pacman frog has a deep layer of substrate for burrowing into, mixed to mimic the sandy soils of their native habitat. A large water dish is very important, large enough for your frog to soak its entire body in. While you want a few plants (live or fake), they do not require a thick jungle. It is good to provide a hide or two for them, but typically they will burrow into the soil with their heads sticking out instead. A halogen bulb is best for daytime heat; they typically require no additional heating at night. It is also key to provide UVB in the Ferguson Zone 1 range. Many issues with frogs burrowing constantly are resolved when proper lighting is provided, encouraging their natural cryptic basking behaviors. Be sure that there is room for your frog to choose between full exposure, partial exposure, and zero exposure to the lights.

A male pacman frog grows to roughly 3-3.5 inches, whereas a female can grow to 5-6. Males may be kept in an enclosure with a minimum of 360 square inches of floorspace, such as a 20 gallon long terrarium. Females should be kept in an enclosure with a minimum of 650 square inches of floorspace, such as a 40 gallon breeder terrarium. Height is not very important except to provide a deep substrate and safe distance from lights. Your frog may use minor climbing opportunities such as rocks, the tops of hides, and broad branches, but they’re certainly not tree frogs.

Pacman frogs can live 10-15 years in captivity.

Tomato Frog (Dyscophus guineti)

Tomato frogs are endemic to Madagascar, in swamps and moist forests. Their red, orange, yellow, and brown coloration blends in with fallen leaves. Captive bred specimens are generally selected for the boldest reds and oranges, like a ripe tomato. Tomato frogs breed during the long rainy season and lay their eggs in pools of water. At night they roam the forest floor hunting invertebrates, while during the day they hide in the leaf litter. They are often found in soggy areas of land near slow moving bodies of water.

Typically, tomato frogs, male or female, max out at 3.5 inches though specimens just over 4 inches are not unheard of. Generally, a terrarium with 360 square inches of floor space is suitable for a single tomato frog, but an individual on the large end of the spectrum would benefit from an upgrade. Of course, you can go as big as you like for your frog no matter their size!

While they are not considered to be truly social, they lack the same bloodthirsty instinct as pacman frogs and can sometimes be successfully maintained in breeding pairs or groups. Small tomato frogs may become prey for a larger one, but they are not as cannibalistic as pacmans. Cohabitation in captivity requires a larger than minimum enclosure and special care to prevent competition over resources, such as fighting for the prime basking spot or to soak in the water dish. This can be solved by providing multiple larger water dishes, and a large enough basking zone for all individuals to share without being crowded on top of each other.

The ideal terrarium for a single tomato frog includes ample substrate to burrow into, and a layer of leaf litter on top. You may find they snuggle into the leaf litter rather than actually burrowing all the way into the soil layer. They will appreciate plenty of vegetation to hide beneath, and a large water dish for soaking into. A drainage layer is recommended to prevent buildup of harmful bacteria from the damp conditions tomato frogs prefer. Ensure that parts of the terrarium remain drier, rather than the whole setup being waterlogged. A halogen bulb is ideal for daytime heat, in most homes supplemental nighttime heat is unnecessary. Include access to UVB in the Ferguson Zone 1 range and ensure they have the room to choose between full exposure, partial exposure, and no exposure to the lights. Tomato frogs may not use hides, but it is good to provide one or two anyways. Usually they are right at home nestled amongst the leaf litter and various foliage in the terrarium. They are a little more agile than pacman frogs and may use minor climbing activities, but they are also primarily terrestrial.

Tomato frogs live on average 5-10 years in captivity.

Chubby Frog (Kaloula pulchra)

Chubby frogs are native to the forests and rice fields of mainland Southeast Asia. Despite their wide range and prevalence in the pet trade, their wild behavior is minimally studied though there is still some interesting information to be found on them. Multiple papers have recorded chubby frogs and their congener, Kaloula taprobanica, several meters up in trees. This suggests that they may potentially be best described as semi arboreal rather than solely terrestrial. While all species, no matter how terrestrial, are capable of climbing here and there, scaling trees is a little different from clambering over hills, logs, and other obstacles in your path.

In any case, those papers should be taken as evidence that chubby frogs in captivity should be provided with climbing activities, which is why a 29 gallon terrarium is recommended as the minimum enclosure size for a single chubby. It has the same base dimensions as a 20 long, but an extra 6 inches of height. A 24x18x24 inch terrarium would be even better. Chubby frogs are quite small, typically getting no larger than 3 inches.

They are the most placid of the three species, with many keepers maintaining them in pairs and groups without issue. Their small mouths make it difficult for them to cannibalize each other, though care should still be taken to prevent stress from competition over resources. Their diet primarily consists of ants and similarly sized prey, though in captivity they can take suitably sized crickets, roaches, and small worms.

The ideal terrarium for a chubby frog includes deep soil with a layer of leaf litter. They should have plenty of foliage for hiding in, though live plants should be hardy enough to withstand a squashing from a small but chunky frog. Broad branches can create climbing opportunities, which are sure to be appreciated- just be aware as primarily nocturnal frogs you may not see them being used! A halogen bulb is ideal for daytime heat and typically no supplemental heating is needed at night. UVB should be provided in the Ferguson Zone 1 range and as always your frog should be able to choose between full exposure, partial exposure, and no exposure. A large enough water dish for soaking in is required.

Chubby frogs live on average 5-10 years in captivity.

Conclusion

Pacman frogs, tomato frogs, and chubby frogs share a lot of similarities- they are Ferguson Zone 1 animals, they are insectivores, they are primarily terrestrial and nocturnal- but they are not identical. They are different sizes, live in different habitats, and use their environment differently. Their ideal setups are a little bit different. All three of these frogs make great pets, and are a delight to care for and observe. Knowing what makes them similar and what makes them different is key to figuring out which you would most like to own. Maybe you even want one of each!

The information above is, once again, merely an overview and not a replacement for in depth research on their care. This information has been compiled from a variety of sources such as websites containing habitat information, scientific papers about these species, images of the frogs and their habitats in the wild, personal experience with caring for these frogs, discussion with keepers and breeders, discussion with those living in the native ranges of these frogs, and more. Below are a few resources to get you started with learning more in depth about the care of these frogs, but by no means an exhaustive list.

If you have any questions, please ask.

Pacman Frog Resources

Image used in graphic:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/adrian-afonso/1664147176

iNaturalist photos: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/22844-Ceratophrys-cranwelli/browse_photos

Vera Candioti, María Florencia. "Morphology and feeding in tadpoles of Ceratophrys cranwelli (Anura: Leptodactylidae)." Acta Zoologica 86.1 (2005): 1-11.

Grayson, Kristine L., et al. "Effects of prey type on specific dynamic action, growth, and mass conversion efficiencies in the horned frog, Ceratophrys cranwelli." Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology 141.3 (2005): 298-304.

Souza, Paulo Robson, et al. "A voracious female during the courtship of Ceratophrys cranwelli (Anura: Ceratophryidae) in the Brazilian Chaco." (2014).

Schalk, Christopher M., et al. "On the diet of the frogs of the Ceratophryidae: synopsis and new contributions." South American Journal of Herpetology 9.2 (2014): 90-105.

Miller, Mark D.H. , Webb, Kempton E. and Martin, Gene E.. "Gran Chaco". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Feb. 2015, https://www.britannica.com/place/Gran-Chaco. Accessed 15 August 2021.

Tomato Frog Resources

Image used in graphic is my own, © Aster Laurel Montor

iNaturalist photos: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/25152-Dyscophus/browse_photos

Monroy, Jenna A., and Kiisa C. Nishikawa. "Prey location, biomechanical constraints, and motor program choice during prey capture in the tomato frog, Dyscophus guineti." Journal of Comparative Physiology A 195.9 (2009): 843-852.

Brenes‐Soto, Andrea, and Ellen S. Dierenfeld. "Effect of dietary carotenoids on vitamin A status and skin pigmentation in false tomato frogs (Dyscophus guineti)." Zoo biology 33.6 (2014): 544-552.

Segev, Ori, et al. "Reproductive phenology of the tomato frog, Dyscophus antongili, in an urban pond of Madagascar's east coast." Acta Herpetologica 7.2 (2012): 331-340.

Andreone, Franco, Vincenzo Mercurio, and Fabio Mattioli. "Between environmental degradation and international pet trade: conservation strategies for the threatened amphibians of Madagascar." Natura 95.2 (2006): 81-96.

Chubby Frog Resources

Image used in graphic: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rushen/20253335546

iNaturalist photos: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/326303-Kaloula-pulchra/browse_photos

Vyas, Raju, and B. M. Parasharya. "Painted Frog (Kaloula pulchra) from Anand and Surat, Gujarat, India." Zoos’ Print Journal 19.4 (2004): 1444.

Kanamadi, Ravishankar D., Grish G. Kadadevaru, and Hans Schneider. "Advertisement call and breeding period of the frog, Kaloula pulchra (Microhylidae)." Herpetological Review 33.1 (2002): 19.

Major, Tom, et al. "Observations of Arboreality in a Burrowing Frog, the Banded Bullfrog, Kaloula pulchra (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae)." Current herpetology 36.2 (2017): 148-152.

Soud, Rakesh, et al. "Defensive and burrowing behaviour of Kaloula assamensis Das et al., 2004 and Kaloula pulchra Gray, 1831 (Microhylidae)." frog leg 18 (2012): 48-50.

Bhattacharjee, Partha Pratim, et al. "Sighting of Asian Painted Frog (Kaloula pulchra) from West Bhubanban (near Agartala city), West Tripura district, Tripura." (2011): 18-19.

Lalremsanga, H. T., Saipari Sailo, and R. N. K. Hooroo. "External morphology, oral structure and feeding behaviour of Kaloula pulchra tadpoles Gray, 1831 (Amphibia: Anura: Microhylidae)." Science and Technology Journal 5 (2017): 97-103.

Ganesh, S. R. "Arboreal behaviour in the Indian Painted Frog Kaloula taprobanica parker, 1934." Herpetotropicos 8.1-2 (2012): 67-70.

#reptiblr #amphiblr #tomato frog #pacman frog #chubby frog #kaloula pulchra #ceratophrys cranwelli #dyscophus guineti

[alexandriasbox]

Does Foraging Harm the Environment?

By Samuel T.

Our culture embraces, in the words of the ethnoecologist Kat Anderson, a "schizophrenic" approach to Nature: we destroy it for profit, or we idealize its beauty and preserve it untouched. Although these attitudes appear opposite, they go hand-in-hand; both reflect alienation from our environment. When we limit our discussion to the two extremes of human intervention in Nature, one of which is impossible and the other unsustainable, we deprive ourselves of any opportunity for responsible stewardship. But there is a scarcely explored middle ground between exploitation and protection, and it is here that many answers to our environmental troubles reside.

In spite of the environmental movement, our relationship with Nature continues to weaken, our ecosystems continue to sicken, and our insane consumerism grows more unquenchable. Environmentalism has fallen short in the most fundamental way, failing to appreciably change (or even address) the human relationship to the landscape. The dominant conception of Western environmentalism is one of detached appreciation. We need a new paradigm-- one of attachment and participation. We don't need more concerned intellectuals pondering the importance of nature from third-floor offices; we need people who know the land because they live and work there, who love the woods because it nourishes them. All of our abstract theorizing, meticulous computations, and predictive models mean nothing until we have practical applications for them. Only participation in Nature can produce the intimate knowledge necessary to guide us in establishing a sustainable lifestyle.

Yet there are those who somehow believe that foraging, the oldest and most sustainable occupation on Earth, destroys the environment. They would have us treat the woods as a museum, to be admired but never touched. The most dangerous falsehoods often sneak in unseen, holding hands with a truth they resemble. Such folks may call themselves preservationists, but their irrational fear of human interaction with the landscape is one of the greatest challenges to establishing a healthy pattern of interaction with the natural world. Strictly proscribed limits on the outdoor experience simply keep people indoors, breeding yet greater indifference to the environment.

There are times and places where collecting wild plants should be forbidden, to protect extremely rare or precarious populations. But we are seeing much more than this-- a total onslaught against harvesting wild plants in many areas, as authorities seek to forbid collection where there is simply no ecological basis for this prohibition. The influential and often outspoken anti-foraging faction presents no evidence that gathering food harms the environment. (The rare cases of overharvest are invariably perpetrated by commercial collectors.) Instead, it makes subtle appeals to covert elitism and taps into the long-standing prejudice against hunter-gatherers to support its agenda.

I am deeply offended that many parks bulldoze forests to build tennis courts, ball fields, and even golf courses-- destroying habitat and permanently displacing or killing millions of plants and animals-- but forbid the picking of dandelion, sorrel, and wild lettuce. A parking lot and hiking trail, standard at most Nature preserves, cause far more damage to the ecosystem than allowing plant gathering ever would. And as "Wildman" Steve Brill points out, so does lawnmowing.

This is perhaps an eerie vestige of the feudal system, where the wealthy claimed ownership of the forests and everything they produced as part of their subjugation of the peasantry. Social posturing has long been disguised with specious reasoning and make-believe morality. The real reason that golf is catered to and mushroom collecting forbidden is that one is pursued by the wealthy and one is associated with lower-class rural folks who do hard labor for a living.

#science #biology #foraging #classism #nature #environmentalism #helyxeb

[gemstone6]

5 Reasons To Start Bird Feeding

The practice of outdoor bird feeding has seen a vast increase in rural and urban areas in the last decade. This activity consists of feeding wild birds that live outside our houses with the food we get from a food supplier. Many people choose to use a window bird feeder to connect with nature and others to enhance wild bird’s health. But do you know what the real benefits of bird feeding are? Is it perfect for the animals, the environment, and for people who do it?

In this article, I will describe five reasons why you should consider bird feeding as a part of your life.

1. Bird feeding connects people with nature 

 One of the main reasons people choose to start bird feeding is to interact with the natural world, especially in urban areas where people spend most of their days disconnected from nature.

According to different studies, people are willing to make little effort in their daily routines only to get an opportunity to interact with the natural world. Watching garden birds gives people a feeling of being connected to nature and belonging to the natural world. These feelings promote their conservation and environmental behavior, which usually leads to positive actions towards the planet. Also, many authors have confirmed the physical, psychological, and social benefits of interacting with nature.

2. People that feed wild birds report feelings of relaxation and lower stress levels 

In 2016, a study was developed by the University of Exeter (UK) to get to know the reasons that drive people into bird feeding. In this study, 331 questioners were completed by people who did and didn’t feed birds daily. The study revealed that:

For most people, watching birds in their gardens made them feel connected to nature and, therefore, relaxed.

These feelings were stronger in people who were around birds for a greater proportion of the day and fed them regularly.

Maintaining and watching these bird feeders gives a feeling of relaxation, contributing to lower stress levels. These benefits are related to the deep connection to nature that people experience while watching and being surrounded by wild birds.

3. Bird feeding is good for bird’s welfare 

Many people choose to feed wild birds in their gardens because they consider this to be beneficial for their health. And they are right! With climate change around the corner and its consequences already affecting many areas of the world, we must acknowledge that bird’s natural habitats have been affected by this phenomenon. Even if birds have been able to feed themselves through nature for all these centuries, they might be struggling now. Climate change brought extreme weather and drought conditions, which have directly affected these animals’ food sources.

A recent study that compares this practice between North and South communities found that there are particular examples of birds that are entirely reliant on supplementary food in winter. Some of these include species from Finland and Canada that without bird feeding may not survive through the entire winter.

Another study tested different health-related parameters of birds that were and weren’t fed by humans through outdoor bird feeding. This study reveals that birds with bird feeding activities showed:

Greater overall health patterns.

Lower physiological stress 

Enhanced innate immune defense 

that those without bird-feeding activities.

Bird feeding may also be associated with extreme drought conditions that persisted for long periods. This environmental disturbance may have reduced food availability for birds that were not bird fed and, therefore, their health patterns and immune system. However, Bird feeding must consider these drought conditions as expected to increase in the following years as a climate change consequence.

One last observation from this study is that after removing the feeders, the health of birds with and without a feeder history didn’t differ significantly. Therefore, they concluded that birds are using these food sources as supplements but not relying upon them as their primary sustenance. This shows they are not developing a dependence behavior on these food sources.

4. Bird feeding enhances bio conservation

The fact that bird feeding contributes to bird’s health and welfare is crucial for these species conservation. Bird feeding recommended by organizations such as the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO), who promote bird feeding as a “positive investment in the survival of our birds”.

According to a study from the University of Arizona, 1 out of 3 plant and animal species could face extinction by 2070 due to climate change consequences. Bird feeding will be due to warmer conditions, droughts, and lack of available food resources. If we can help species whose natural habitats are being affected through bird feeding, it would lower the number of extinguished animals due to human actions consequences on the planet.

5. Bird feeding leads to community engagement 

Many people that practice bird feeding has joined different organizations and projects to share their experiences with this practice. Here, they learn about regional birds and participate in other events that promote this activity and connect people who practice it. One of these projects is Celebrate Urban Birds. This project focuses on understanding the value of green spaces for birds and has partnered with more than 9000 community organizations to connect people to birds and the natural world.

As you may have noticed, all these reasons deeply connected. In many cases, one leads to the other, and all of them lead to encouraging bird feeding. In Image, you will see this connection and a summary of all the benefits this activity has for us, our communities, and our planet.

Summary of birds feeding’s benefits. Source: Own elaboration.

Conclusion

The fact that bird feeding has grown so much over the last decade shows how many people want to engage with nature and their wildlife. This activity is beneficial not only for bird’s health but also for people’s overall well-being. It enhances the community’s engagement with nature and our planet. And with climate change around the corner, this is already a lot to ask for. People who care for birds care for nature. People who care for nature care for their planet. And this is the society we need to become: where it doesn’t matter whose yard, tree, or animal it is. It is, after all, our planet.

#window bird feeder #suction cup bird feerder #bird feeder #bird feeding #watch wildbird

[thecreatureawaits]

The Creature Awaits #126:

Each week I plan to feature an amazing creature, admiring God's fantastic artistry.  Hopefully it’ll brighten someone’s day to see something new and interesting if they haven’t seen it before. : )

This week we continue "Shockingly Yellow" Month, where we'll be featuring animals sporting surprisingly sunny shades! : )

(Gorgeous image taken by the photographer known as Tambako the Jaguar.  Be sure to visit their gallery, especially if you love big cat photography even half as much as I do. : )  (CC BY-ND 2.0))

"Albino" Burmese Pythons

Scientific Name: Python bivittatus

Region: Various terrains throughout Southeast Asia

Size: Usually between about 16'-23' (~4.9m-7m) in the wild, with females being a bit longer and bulkier than males

Interesting Note: The word albino is in quotes above as, despite the name, Albino Burmese Pythons are not true albinos, but actually amelanistic.  This means that they lack the black skin pigment present in the more common markings of Burmese Pythons, but still retain their yellow and red pigments.  If it were a true albino, its scales would be completely white. Though mostly only present in captive-bred snakes, Burmese Pythons have other color variants, too, in more khaki-green and caramel tones - with the rarest being the blue-eyed, white-scaled leucistic version.  

Also, as a native Floridian, I'd feel remiss to not mention this... Ball and Burmese Pythons are a pair of a majorly devastating invasive species down here.  Remember, if you do choose to keep one of these beautiful animals as a pet (..though they'd probably be best left in their natural home in the wild..), please make sure they are properly and securely contained (preferably in a really nice habitat that keeps them warm and happy!), and if, for whatever reason you're no longer able to care for them, please responsibly pass them on to another handler or wildlife service.  NEVER just release them into the wild - for both the sake of our native species, and for their own sake.  (..Sadly, Florida - especially since, in 1992, a hurricane destroyed a python zoo and breeding facility in the Everglades - has had to resort to extreme measures, such as massive yearly "python hunts", to lessen the damage they cause to native species.  Though some try to capture and relocate them, the use of lethal force (year-round as of 2020..) is authorized. : ( )

#creatureawaits #burmese python #albino python #amelanism #amelanistic animals #respect wildlife #protect animals #florida python hunt #yellow animals #bright yellow animals #beautiful animals #hide

[kristallioness]

The guardian lemur

Summary: When Momo starts acting strange around Katara, she turns to Aang for advice.

Word count: 2,544

Author's note: I don't remember whether it was a blog post I saw here, or an online news article I stumbled across.. But, I think it's adorable when sometimes cats can sense if their owners are pregnant, so they become protective of them and start acting motherly towards them (like their natural instincts are kicking in). This cute concept inspired the following story. By the way, my mom has told me stories about how her grandmother (my great-grandmother) used to have a cat who'd catch mice and bring them back into the house and then release them, which infuriated her to no end. So, I guess this tidbit with Momo is inspired by that kitty, who didn't exactly understand how to be a cat. *lol* Anyways, I hope you like it since 'keeping warm' was one of my prompts, which I submitted this year (and it got chosen, yay!). Oh, and a happy beginning to all of you for Kataang Week 2020! *throws glitter and confetti*

----------x----------

The kitchen was filled with a mixed aroma of seaweed, herbs and noodles, all boiling in hot water. Katara added a pinch of salt into the broth and stirred the liquid with a big wooden spoon before taking a sip. From the corner of her eye, she could see the winged lemur, who'd quietly been sitting next to her feet for the past ten minutes.

"No, Momo. You can't have any until I'm done cooking."

Momo merely scratched the back of his ear with his hind leg, but otherwise didn't budge. Katara did feel bad for not giving him a taste before lunchtime. She wasn't even sure whether lemurs eat noodles, not to mention ones made out of seaweed..

And there it was again, the gentle rubbing against her shins. Momo began circling her legs in an attempt to persuade her to give him something to nibble on. Poor thing must be starving, she thought. If he was trying to make her feel guilty for not feeding him, it worked.

Katara released a heavy sigh and stepped away from the stove for a second, her small buddy padding right after her on the floor. She opened a cupboard door and grabbed the last moon peach from their dwindling fruit supply.

The constant following around nor the tiny gestures of affection weren't the things that had been driving the waterbender crazy. It was their pet's new habit of bringing live prey into the household. Last week, he'd caught dozens of bugs, five mice, three hamsters, two frogs and one unconscious bird.

Aang had nurtured the bird back to health and released it into the wild. The frogs weren't a problem either, so Katara had simply shooed them out of the house and they'd found a cosy habitat in the pond in front of their home. Luckily the bugs were also typical inhabitants on their little island, and the ones Momo brought inside eventually became dinner for the domesticated frogs.

However, it was the rodents who'd soon found their way into the pantry. Within a day, almost half of their pastry supplies were gone. Katara was furious. She had to ask her husband to buy more food from the market, and her brother to come up with ingenious traps to catch the annoying critters without killing them, like Aang had pleaded, before they could destroy their entire food supply, not to mention the vegetables in the greenhouse.

What really got on her nerves were the times the winged lemur would approach her with that proud smile on his face, something apparently dead caught between his small fangs or in between his paws, and release his catch right in front of her feet. Only for her to watch it scurry away before she could even blink, let alone catch it.

"This is the last one. Here you go," Katara said as she squatted down and extended her hand. She felt confused when the lemur pushed it back.

"Don't you want it? C'mon, it's your favourite treee-eat.."

She threw the peach into the hallway like a ball, in hopes that Momo would leave her alone to go fetch it. He did fly out of the kitchen for long enough to let her return to her cooking, but came back with the fruit fully intact between his fangs.

"Well, go on. Eat up!" Katara urged him with a wave of her hand, but Momo let out a disappointed moan and drooped his ears at that. He dropped the peach in his paws and with the utmost care, he pulled off a small piece and offered it to her instead.

"Thanks, Momo, but I'm not craving for a moon peach right now. You can have it."

The lemur hesitated at first, but under her watchful eye, he finally bit into the juicy fruit, allowing her to finish preparing lunch for herself and her husband in peace.

Speaking of peace, Katara couldn't recall the last time she and Aang had been given a moment of privacy in bed for the past couple of weeks. Often times when waking up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water, Katara would discover that she'd inched further away from her partner, due to a scrawny furball who always managed to squeeze himself in between their tummies, no matter the positions they were in. Or if their intimacy wasn't being disturbed, she'd wake up due to the curled up, personalized heater sleeping on her belly whenever she was lying on her back.

Since when had she become a magnet for winged lemurs? Did she smell of something that attracted them to her? Had Momo grown fond of her and simply wished to spend more time by her side instead of hanging out with Aang all the time? Katara had no idea, but all of this was becoming a bit much.

As she poured the steaming seaweed noodles into two bowls, Momo leaped up and landed on her shoulders. He curled his tail around her neck for support, then held a leftover piece of the moon peach in front of her face.

"Oh, alright.." she chuckled, snagging the small piece from his paw and putting it in her mouth.

"Thanks, Momo!"

She scratched him from below the chin with her finger, earning a series of content purrs from the lemur. Once the bowls were full, she was ready to join her husband in the living room.

Aang was leaning on the windowsill, admiring the view of Republic City straight across the bay, when he heard footsteps coming closer.

"Lunch is served!" Katara announced as she joined him. The airbender grinned at the sight of two steaming bowls filled with delicious food, watching how she placed the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch. The smell that accompanied her was mouth-watering.

"Finally! I could eat a whole barrel of noodles by now."

His wife giggled at that comment.

"Well, I hope we didn't keep you waiting for too long."

He walked over to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and giving her a loving smile.

"Sweetie, I waited for you for a hundred years. I don't think you could ever top that record again."

Katara laughed wholeheartedly this time, letting him give her a quick kiss on the lips afterwards.

Aang tenderly ran a hand over her slight belly bump before beckoning her to have a seat on the couch with him so they could have lunch together. They both grabbed a bowl, along with a pair of chopsticks, and clinked them together like those snobbish citizens in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se would do.

"Dig in!"

While the couple indulged themselves, Momo hopped off Katara's shoulders and disappeared to a different room. She noticed the lemur fly off into the corridor, but didn't pay too much attention to it. At this point, she was grateful for any given moment she could get, just to be alone with her beloved.

"What do you think? Is it too spicy?"

Hailing from the Water Tribe, Katara had grown up with a blander range of foods available in the frozen landscape, with the exception of meat that was either cooked or fried, and seasoned prior to the devouring.

Hence she tried to spice up their plain meals, such as these noodles, by experimenting with adding various spices or herbs. Aang shook his head.

"Nah, I think it's really good. You might wanna go easy on the garlic next time. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't wanna kiss me anymore if my breath stinks."

She laughed when he planted a greasy kiss on her cheek, after which she continued to slurp her own seaweed noodles.

Her attention turned to her feet when she spotted Momo, who'd returned from another one of his adventures. For a second, her heart dropped at the sight of a mouse caught between his teeth. Fortunately, it was just a toy he'd brought along.

"Momo, why are you bringing your stuff here? Do you wanna play?"

The winged lemur jumped up on the couch and supported his front paws on the waterbender's thigh, dropping the toy right into her lap. Katara stared at the fake mouse for a mere second before Momo flew away again.

"Wait! Where are you going? I was gonna play.. with you.."

She sighed, picking the toy up from its string of a tail. Aang could sense her frustration.

"What's wrong?"

Katara put her half-empty bowl on the table and continued to stare at the toy mouse hanging from her fingertips. She twirled the tail around, making the rest of its body spin.

"I don't know. Momo's been acting really strange lately."

"Strange how exactly?"

"He's always following me around and rubbing himself against me. Not to mention he's practically invaded our personal space in bed. I don't need to remind you that he's bringing all kinds of small creatures inside the temple every day.."

Aang's focus shifted from her complaining to the culprit himself. Momo had returned to the living room and he gleefully hopped beside the waterbender, this time dropping his favourite ball in her lap.

"..He brings me food even when I'm not hungry. And now, when I find a place to sit still for a little while longer, he keeps piling some of his toys around me."

Momo tilted his head and stared back at the airbender, almost as if he was trying to communicate with him. Tell him the motives behind his actions and all the mischief he'd caused within the last month. Katara picked up the ball he'd dropped.

"See?.. Aang, are you even listening to me!?"

"Sh-shh!" he hushed her, raising a finger to her lips so she'd quit yammering.

"What?"

He pointed down to her stomach. Both their eyes were fixed on the winged lemur, who lay down in the waterbender's lap and nestled the side of his face against her round belly, one ear covering it like a blanket. Momo looked up at the married couple, then shut his lime green eyes and began purring ever so silently. Aang started laughing, but Katara became even more annoyed.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Oh, Katara.. He can tell when you're in the family way. He's trying to take care of you and the baby in the only way he knows how - by acting as a daddy lemur."

Her face twisted through several expressions of anger, confusion and eventually, realization.

"So, that's what he's been doing this whole time? Tending to me as if I'm an expecting mommy lemur? Which I technically am, except for the lemur part.."

Aang reached his hand out to pet his caring companion. The winged lemur arched his back a bit and nuzzled his face against the fuzzy material of Katara's coat. His purrs become louder with each stroke.

"Momo can sense that there's life growing inside of you, so he's been acting like a proper papa lemur and looking after the unborn child and its mother. That includes bringing you food and stuff to play with to keep you well-fed and entertained."

Katara felt as if he'd opened her eyes to a whole different reality. She never thought that Momo's odd behaviour could be related to the fact that she's pregnant now. The timing fit, and Aang's reasoning explained the weird new habits.

"But, what about the snuggling? Why's he so keen on sleeping on my stomach?"

"He's trying to keep you and the baby warm. Also, since there are a lot of hormonal changes going on with you right now, your body's radiating more warmth in this area," Aang explained by running his hand over her bump, careful not to move the lemur's ear off of it.

"Which means your stomach is the perfect hotspot, literally. You're keeping him warm, too."

"Where did you learn all of that?" Katara wondered, her tone playful and curious at the same time. The cheeks on her husband's face turned crimson and he looked away for a moment, rubbing the back of his bald head awkwardly.

"I might've found some books about pregnancy on the top shelf of the bookcase in your office the last time I was waiting for you to finish work..."

She giggled and rewarded him with a soft peck on the cheek for being so caring and putting in more effort to understand this new "condition" of hers better.

"Thanks, sweetie. I appreciate you looking out for me."

Aang accepted her gratitude with a wide grin, and by snaking an arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. After that, she joined him in stroking the winged lemur, who seemed to be happily napping in her lap.

"Oh, Momo.. Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He looked up at Katara and let out a short disgruntled screech that could've been translated into an 'I told you so'. She laughed at that.

"Oh, okay.. I guess you did tell me. I was just too oblivious to pick up on the signs."

Momo rested his head in her lap again and raised one of his ears above her belly bump.

"Why do you think he does that thing with his ear?" the waterbender wondered out loud, tenderly running her hand over the soft fur on the lemur's head.

"Maybe he's listening to what the little tyke is doing in there. Animals can hear sounds with a much higher frequency. Take my bison whistle, for example. We can't hear anything, but Appa always comes to me when I blow it."

"I doubt that Momo can hear anything else besides my stomach growling. I mean, the baby hasn't even developed a heart yet. Believe me, I've checked.. If anything, he might be able to sense its movements in my womb."

Katara was right. She was barely into the last weeks of her first trimester. As hard as she'd tried, she couldn't detect the baby's heartbeat through her healing abilities yet. And it was too early for it to start kicking her, too.

The only changes she could sense in her body were the slight weight gain, which led to her developing a subtle belly bump. Her breasts had become a bit tender, which meant that making love with Aang at night would be less fun for a while. Not that he wasn't being more gentle with her because of this.. And finally, some unusual cravings, which was probably why she preferred to cook spicier foods recently.

Either way, these slight changes were enough for Momo's paternal instincts to kick in. He rolled over onto his back and let the couple scratch his soft belly instead. The corners of his mouth curled into a content smile as he purred against Katara's tummy.

"Aww! I guess this is kind of endearing. Plus, this way the baby can get acquainted with one of its future furry friends, too. That's right! Yes, you can!" she cooed to the winged lemur, who rubbed himself against her thighs as he twitched with delight at her scratches.

"But no more mice in the house, okay? I'm capable of finding my own food," Katara said with a wave of her finger, to which Momo replied with another chirp. Translation - 'yes, madam'.

#Kataang Week #keeping warm #Kataangtag #Kataang #Aang #Katara #Momo #ATLA and TLOK #my fanfiction #mine #shards of Kristal

[kathasworld]

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Folklore expresses a culture – and translation builds the bridge between different cultures.

Kali of Kolkata – Chitreswari

november 7, 2018 by kathamukh

This story is based on history. The early 20th century author Jogendranath cites reference from Calcutta Review, volume III of 1845. I had to rewrite while presenting it for English-speaking readers of 21st century.

I was walking through Chitpur Road. Renamed as Rabindra Sarani, it was given a chance to associate itself with the Nobel-laureate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. True, that the palatial ancestral home of Tagores is located by this road; but while renaming, did anyone ask the road whether it wanted to forget its colonial past or even the notorious Kali temple located here? – A sudden though crept in my mind. If not, why commoners in the locality still love to call this Chitpur Road, why do we still see nameplates before many old buildings here displaying the address as Chitpore Road? Local belief says that long before the road was made for motorized vehicles it derived its own name from the terrifying Chitreswari – form of goddess Kali, who once offered boon to devotees in exchange of human blood.

This is one road of much significance in old Kolkata. This crowded road was constructed later for trams and other vehicles by the British ruler, at a time when they developed Calcutta as a city to be suitable as the capital of India. India became one of their prestigious colonies from the very beginning of their coming here.

That day while walking, I heard the road telling me something whispering:

-“Do you know, I did not always look like this?”

-“You mean you looked different before?

-“Yes.”

-“How did you look previously then?”

-“That is your task to find out.”

The road went silent making me speechless. Only the vehicles kept on moving on it making noise as usual.

I knew what Chitpur Road told me was true. Probably it was trying to encourage me to tell the story of its past.

Long before the Battle of Plassey, the Dutch, Portuguese and British were engaged in trading in Eastern part of India. Current West Bengal became the centre of their activities. They conducted mainly import and export business from the business houses – locally known as Kuthi which they had built in cities and towns. The country was being ruled by Islamic rulers – Mughals were still in control from their throne in Delhi, though their power started decreasing and influence shrinking. The Nawabi throne in Subeh Bengal was seeing disputes – Aliwardi Khan became the ruler defeating the competitor Sarafraj. Anarchy overtook law and order in this area.

During that chaotic period, none could imagine Kolkata to emerge as an enormous city like today’s. Only three small villages, Sutanuti, Kolikata and Govindapur were human-habitats surrounded by forests and canals. Near Chitpur canal, one route starting from the bank of river Bhagirathi connected Sutanuti, Burrabazar, Kolikata, Govindapur and Chowringhee through its serpentine course before ending near the temple of Kalighat at the bank of Adiganga, an older course of Ganga. British settlers named it Pilgrim Road. This had no resemblance to the asphalt road we know these days. If we could go back few hundred years from now, we would find dense forests adjacent to Chitpur. Large Sundari and other varieties of trees lined up besides cane forest, long bushes, narrow and wide canals, water bodies, marshland and bamboo forests surrounding that narrow muddy track. These bushes and forests were inhabited by dacoits and slaughterers and burglars. Also the famous Royal Bengal tigers, wild boars and different venomous and non-venomous snakes were others inhabitants of this region. Tidal waves also created knee-deep muddy patches on the track in this low lying area. Our story evolved in that area called Calcutta by the European traders.

Kolkata in 17th\ early18th century

There were two old Kali temples in northern and southern end of this area. The one in the north was for Chitreswari Devi in Chitpur inside the forest on the bank of Bhagirathi. Legends tell that the dacoit-leader Chitreshwar established this Goddess and named her after own name – announcing own notoriety reflected by the Goddesses’ look. His Goddess Chitreswari looked as ferocious as Vargbhima of Tamluk, Kali of Kalighat or Yashoreswari worshipped by Pratapaditya. People believed that Chitreswar gained his power from some secret Tantric practice. He set out for his looting action leading own team every time after performing a special Puja in this temple. The indispensable offering of the Puja was human sacrifice. After the sacrifice, he asked for the Goddess’s blessings placing red hibiscus and other flowers and leaves from wood-apple trees (considered sacred leaves) at the idol’s feet. That offering’s staying on her feet for some time was considered to be the sign of her consent to their future heinous activities.

This temple is now far from the river that changed its course in the meantime. The other Goddess in the south end of the area was Kali in Kalighat. Pilgrims used to walk down to Kalighat through the long pilgrim’s road forming a large group after visiting the Goddess Chitreswari. Walking alone almost ensured death by tigers, snakes or dacoits on the way. Dacoits used to throw the dead bodies of pilgrims in the dense forests or canals after looting them. Killing the victims was part of looting process those days.

Chitreswar terrorized not only these three villages, but all the localities on the banks of the river. Local people called this De facto ruler of this area Chite dakat.

He used to lead a large gang of almost 500 people including thyangare – looters who killed before looting, stick fighters, sword-fighters, archers etc. Numerous pirates operating in this area used to work under him. His dominance was extended over neighbouring districts like Howrah, Hoogly, Nadia and Bardwan which fell within 200 kilometer radius from Calcutta.

The gang included people from different communities from different regions – some from Bihar, some from Odisha, some were Gypsies and some Mohammedan. They were so well organised that catching hold of them became difficult for the administrators. Whenever they anticipated the threat of being caught, they fled to some remote village in Chandernagore, Hoogly or Burdwan – making all the efforts to catch them futile.

Chite dakat was extraordinarily desperate who seldom left his own forest fortress. He used to perform Puja in his own temple reciting own chants. None had an idea what exactly the chants were.

The defiant Chite looted the merchandise ships of East India Company between Kolkata and Murshidabad. Govindapur was, in fact famous as business hub of cotton and cotton yarn. Ships loaded with cotton yarn were frequently attacked by his gang. They invariably killed the sailors after looking the cargo. Another group controlled by him was into looting small cargo boats carrying salt from Hijli using same Modus operandi. River transport was the main option for carrying goods those days. Ships and boats en route between Kolkata, Murshidabad and Dhaka were being looted so often that not only common people, also traders had to be extremely cautious while travelling. The gang of Chite earned infamy for being even more ferocious than Portuguese pirates.

At some point of time, East India Company realized the necessity of finding a solution for this. Chite became irresistible also as burglar invading wealthy people’s mansions. The Brobdingnagian size of his gang and the inaccessibility of his abode in the dense forest was main obstacle for Company.

Chakrapani Datta, a commander of Bengal Nawab’s army had ancestral home in Chitpur. The Kayastha* nobleman was gallant fighter. He stayed either in Gaud or Murshidabad, capital of Bengal at that time. Once he came to visit Chitreswari temple along with his family members. The dacoits dared attacking this wealthy administrator’s group too. Chakrapani Datta, like all other influential aristocrat, travelled well-armed. Also the local villagers came forward to help his family. Chitreswar could not succeed. But the Nawab’s commander took an oath to demolish the dacoit gang after this incident. He began consulting with officials of Bengal Nawab and East India Company regarding this.

Chitpore Nabaratna Kali temple in 1798 – destroyed in natural disaster.

It was the new moon night of a Saturday – the auspicious day for traditional criminals. The dacoit’s team met in the temple’s courtyard.

The auspicious time for worshipers was in the middle of the night. The night was silent; not even the trees in forest dared to break the silence it seemed. Only the sound of some wild tigers roaring somewhere far from there was announcing the existence of life in the earth. The Puja was being performed by two priests – one Tantrik and the other – Chitreswar himself. They collected all necessary materials for this Tantric form of worship – only the human body was left. The ferocious long haired Goddess, standing on the corpse, wearing human skulls and holding sacrificial axe seemed to be waiting for human blood. Where to find the human offering? The Tantrik priest smeared in red sandal paste continued muttering prayers while counting the conch-shell garland.

A young handsome Brahmin was walking alone towards Kalighat at that time. He missed the group of pilgrims he was supposed to come along. The dacoits hunting for a man did not miss the chance of catching him. He was brought before the Idol. The wild idol in the violent ambiance frightened the young man. He requested them – “Don’t kill me, I am a Brahmin* – only child of my widowed mother.”

The barbarous gang-leader yelled at him – “The Goddess calls you. You have nothing to be scared!” Gang members dragged the man towards the sacrificial post. The Brahmin found no other way but to scream for help as loud as possible and forcibly making himself free. Fortunately, he was strong enough to push those brutal yet drunk dacoits. Calling for help he began running towards the Pilgrim’s road. The gang chased him, but failed to catch him.  Another large group of pilgrims was coming towards the temple following the same route. This group went to Kalighat at first and then started for Chitreswari temple. They lost their way in the dense forest and found the it again late in the evening. The prey was miraculously rescued.

Chitreswari’s puja was disrupted that night. Even the offering was missed. Did this frighten Chitreshwar?

Chitreswar was preparing for the Puja once again after the Brahmin youth ran away. Other gang members were guarding the place. All on a sudden, the combined force of the Nawab and Company attacked them. They surrounded the temple from all corners of the forest, making it impossible for the dacoits to flee. The leader too tried to, but could not succeed. He was convicted and sentenced to death to law of those days. People believed catching him was possible because he could not complete the ritual of human sacrifice that night. A properly completed Puja of the Goddess Chitreswari would keep him irresistible as ever.

The temple and Goddess were abandoned for sometime after Chitreswar was caught. People started worshipping her again at a later point of time. From the same clan emerged Raghu Dakat – another infamous dacoit who operated after a few decades.

 

(illustrations from Wikimedia commons)

* Kayastha – Hindu upper caste – was mainly engaged in administrative and legal jobs at royal courts in Pre-British Bengal.

*Here we see conflicting religious practices in the name of Hindu rituals. Brahmin, as a caste was on the one hand considered to be of higher quality and that’s why killing a person of Brahmin origin was considered to be a sin as per puranic tradition. People believed that a killer of Brahmin would be sent some treacherous hell after his death. On contrary, young Brahmin male, preferably a handsome one without any scar or defect in the body was considered to be best sacrificial offer to God according to Tantrik tradition.

 

 

© Kathakali Mukherjee, 2018

tagged folktales, hindu goddess, kali, legends, west bengal

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#folktales #folk tales #india #legend #historical crime fiction #kolkata #cultural history

[hazel-writes]

Summary: A nightmare, a new friend, and an old enemy — your first official day of work gets off to an interesting start.

Notes: This is a dialogue-heavy chapter, sorry!

Word Count: 2,200

Warnings: minor canon-typical violence

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

For when your troubles start multiplyin',

And they just might,

It's easy to forget them without tryin'

With just a pocketful of starlight

• Catch a Falling Star - Perry Como •

Panic. Complete and utter panic. You are searching for something, but you can’t seem to find it. You need this thing to survive. Where the kriff is it?!!

A bang. Heavy footsteps. A scream; your scream. You are being dragged away, helpless, no one around to save you.

Eventually you feel your bare feet hit freezing cold ground, but it’s a sinister voice that sounds from above you that chills you to the bone.

You sit up with a start, panting heavily. You hadn’t had a dream like that in a while. This one was scary, but what really terrified you was how strangely familiar it felt. It’s probably just the stress, you thought.

You looked at the clock across the room: 5:13. You were too anxious to go back to sleep and you had to get up in an hour anyways, so you decided to get ready for the day.

You showered, brushed your teeth, and inspected your closet for something to wear. You chose a dark grey tunic with a matching grey skirt that went just below your knees. In typical First Order fashion, you pulled your hair into a tight bun. Looking in the mirror, you barely recognized yourself.

No, this wouldn’t do.

Still feeling a bit rebellious from yesterday's encounter with the injured stormtrooper and General Hux, you decided to leave your hair down like you did on Lothal, two loose braids winding around the sides of your head, the rest of it gently cascading over your shoulders.

Better.

Content with your appearance, you headed straight for the cafeteria. You didn’t recognize most of the food — It all looked like gray mush compared to the vibrant, fresh foods your parents cooked back home.

Lothal was known for its large farm-based economy and culture, something you took immense pride in. Lothalians had fought hard to preserve their land, as it was often victim to exploitation by those with galactic authority. Many times the planet was under imperialist occupation, namely the former Galactic Empire. During those times, the planet was essentially destroyed, its sacred habitats burnt to a crisp. Natural resources were depleted, pollution enveloped the air, and Lothalians were either forced into a life of servitude or were killed. A small group of rebels, called the Spectres, led a resistance effort against the Imperial occupiers, eventually succeeding in driving them out. Since then, relations between Lothal and the First Order were tense, which explained some of General Hux’s disdain towards you. Lothal, however, managed to restore its previous prosperity and you had been lucky enough to grow up in relative peace.

Right now, all you longed for was your favorite fruit, jogan, but it didn’t look like you were going to find it here anytime soon. With a sigh, you settled for the indistinct mush and sat down at a table in the corner.

Since you woke up so early, you were the only one in the cafeteria, but you didn’t mind. You were actually thankful — this meant no more run-ins with stormtroopers, generals, or ridiculously tall men in capes.

After forcing down the last of the mush, you strolled the hallways, attempting to somewhat gain your bearings before your first official day of work. You pulled out the map you had been provided and followed its twists and turns to the yellow dot labeled: Office of Imperial Promotion, Galactic Truth, and Fact Correction.

As you rounded the last corner, you saw a door a dozen feet away which appeared to be guarded by a stormtrooper. This must be it, you thought.

You apprehensively approached the door, willing your feet to move forward with more confidence than they were. As you reached for the handle, you did your best to avoid the trooper’s gaze. Suddenly, he reached his arm out towards you.

Terrified, you stumbled backwards, hitting your head on the wall behind you. The trooper advanced, both arms now outstretched.

You protectively put up your arms as well, attempting to shield your head from any incoming injury — but it never came.

“Hey, hey, whoa.” You heard the trooper say, his hands now raised in surrender. “I’m not gonna hurt you, it’s me!”

Your hands were shaking as you lowered your arms slightly. You tried to think of any stormtroopers you knew. Not any on the Finalizer, you thought.

“I- I’m sorry. Who are you?” You stuttered.

“Oh, right!” He gestured lazily to his mask. “This ol’ thing.” He sighed and shook his head.

He spoke unlike you’d ever heard a trooper speak before. He sounded kind, normal even! Normal… Something clicked and you started to put the pieces together.

“You - you were the one I found in the hallway!”

You were shocked; you thought for sure you had left him to die. A stab of guilt pierced your heart.

“Yeah, that’s me, good ol' Mr. Concussion!”

“I thought you were... Well, I thought you were going to be-” you started.

“Trust me, I’ve been through much worse.” He shrugged nonchalantly. You paused, looking him over in astonishment and thoughts running wild. What piece of space junk sent him back to work the day after receiving a head injury?

“You should be lying down, or resting, or getting treatment in the med bay, or-”

“Wow," he said. "You sure worry a lot about other people for someone who doesn’t worry enough about themselves.”

“Why do you say that?” you questioned sceptically.

“Well, going through with that stunt yesterday, you not only risked your career for me, a stranger, but you risked your life as well.”

When you didn’t respond, he paused for a second, reaching behind him to reveal the large First Order coat you had used to stop his bleeding the day before. Hux’s coat.

“I take it this isn’t yours?” He asked, knowingly. You imagined a small smirk forming under his helmet.

You responded with a breathy laugh. “No, it most definitely is not. That used to belong to General Hux, but now it’s yours, I suppose.”

His eyes widened in a mix of shock, fear, and a hint of admiration.

“Son of a blaster, how’d you manage that?” He replied.

“Well, I uhh- I just kinda took it from him?”

“You just kinda took it from him?” he repeated, stunned.

“Without his permission…” you continued, quieter this time.

The trooper just stared at you in shock, and you started to feel uncomfortable. Maybe he thought you were crazy. Maybe he would turn you in. Maybe he would bring you to Kylo R-

A laugh bellowed from behind his mask, slightly distorted.

“You!” A laugh. “And Hux, how-” More laughter. “Without his permission-” He could barely get his words out between laughs.

This was the first time you’d heard laughter since arriving on the Finalizer, and you couldn’t help but smile in return. As his laughter mellowed, he sighed and stuck out his hand for you to shake.

“I’m FN-2187.”

FN-2187, you thought. “That’s hardly a name…”

He shrugged. “It’s the one I was given.”

You thought for a second. “Mind if I give you a new one, to be used privately of course,” you clarified.

He looked taken aback, even through the helmet. “Yeah, that would be… okay.”

You paused, thinking. “How about I call you Finn?”

“Finn… Yeah, I like that,” he said. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. My friends back home call me Wren, but it’s probably better you call me by my real name here,” you said, referencing the Finalizer.

He nods, and after telling him your name, you drop his hand. He looks around the hallway before moving a step closer to you.

“In all seriousness, thank you. No one has ever asked for more than my trooper code, and no one ever stops when… you know...,” He trailed off, lowering his gaze, that sadness you sensed from him yesterday having returned.

“Hey,” you reached out and placed a gentle hand on his armored shoulder. “We got each other’s backs now, right? We’ll make it outta here in one piece. Maybe we can steal Hux’s toupee next time.” You winked at him, making him chuckle.

“Ha, yeah, that’d be great,” he replied.

At that moment, the Ginger General himself rounded the corner of the hallway, followed by two obedient stormtroopers.

You started to feel the panic building again. Had he heard what I said? Is he coming to fulfil his promise of my death by trash compactor?

“It’s alright,” Finn reassured. “Follow my lead.”

Kicking Hux’s bloodied jacket behind the door, Finn moved to stand in front of you a few feet. You started to follow him, but he held his arm back, keeping you in place. Finn stood at attention as Hux neared, and you attempted to make yourself as small as possible. You noticed that his coat seemed a few sizes too big, and you chuckled internally, knowing that you were the reason for that.

“Ah, I see you have yet again managed to involve yourself in the business of pathetic stormtroopers,” he spat.

You glanced down to Finn’s fists, which were clenched in anger.

“No, General. I was just asking for directions” you replied.

Hux’s eyes slowly trailed over your body, like a predator stalking his prey. Finn subtly shifted his balance back and forth, continuing to clench and unclench his fists. The General’s eyes came to land on your hair, which he scowled at disapprovingly. He began to approach you, and as he did, you noticed Finn start to move towards you. You made a small gesture with your hand, pleading with him to stay back. He listened, reluctantly.

Hux grabbed a chunk of your hair. “This is not within protocol,” he seethed.

“Neither is that coat, General,” you replied, gesturing to his oversized garb.

You had no idea where the sudden burst of confidence had come from, but you immediately regretted your comment as Hux pulled harder, causing you to wince in pain. He pulled his face to your ear.

“Strike two,” he whispered threateningly, before shoving you back into the wall and turning around, almost knocking into Finn.

Expecting Finn to move out of the way, Hux waited, but neither of them stirred. The two were locked in a stalemate for what seemed like eons. Finn eventually sidestepped, letting him pass, and with a final glare, Hux and the troopers continued walking down the hallway.

You leaned against the wall, rubbing your now-sore head. As soon as Hux and the troopers were out of sight, Finn rushed over to you.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, concerned. His armored hand helped you smooth down your disheveled hair.

“Yeah,” you replied shakily.

“I could’ve helped,” he stated dejectedly, a hint of frustration laced in his tone.

“I know… I just didn’t want to see you get hurt — again,” you responded stubbornly, giving him a small tap on the side of his helmet.

“Hey, this whole saving each other’s lives thing only works if it goes both ways,” he argued.

“Save your saving for another time. I’m sure I’ll need it soon enough.”

He sighed. “I really hope that isn’t true.”

Silence filled the hallway before you had a sudden realization.

“Hey, how did you know who I was when I first walked up? You were unconscious when I found you yesterday…,” you asked, perplexed.

“When I woke up in the med bay, I asked the nurses how I got there. They told me I arrived with the help of a girl from this sector of the ship. So I came here and waited. I don’t know how, but I just knew when I saw you — you were the one who had saved me.”

“Oh,” you replied, still puzzled.

“Yeah, pretty weird, huh?” He paused. “Anyways, I should let you get to work — wouldn’t want you to be late.”

“Right,” you replied. “I guess I’ll see you around then Finn.”

“I hope so, coat thief,” he said with a smirk, placing a large hand on your shoulder. “Stay safe out there.”

“I’ll try my best, Mr. Concussion,” you replied, making your way to the door of your new workplace before directing a final wave back at Finn. You watched as he walked down the hallway, stopping at the very end to turn and salute you. You chuckled. At least I made one friend today, you thought.

You pondered over your father’s words of wisdom: nothing bad can ever come from helping those in need. So yeah, maybe that wasn’t completely true. But you could amend the advice a bit, taking today’s events into account: something good will always come from helping those in need. So far, despite everything you had gone through, that seemed to remain true.

With a new spring in your step, you smoothed your uniform, fixed your hair, and held your head high as you walked into your first official workspace, feeling prepared for whatever else you would have to face throughout the day.

-------------------------------

Previous || Masterlist || Next

[ask-pokemon-ranger-kara]

Hi! Fellow Ranger here. I'm currently in the process of setting up a Ranger network for the Galar region's Wild Area and I was wondering what kind of structures you'd recommend for attracting nearby Pokémon? Just so we can have some close at hand to partner up with when we need 'em. So far I've built a nesting tree for the local bird Pokémon and started work on a bug/grass type garden but I know there's gotta be other stuff I can set up. Thanks for the help! Great to see another Ranger out here

Hello! I admittedly have very little knowledge of Galar or its Wild Area, but Im a little concerned about your actions. A wild area, by its very name, is meant to be untouched as much as possible. Surely in your training as a Ranger, you were told again and again how much of Ranger work revolves around preserving the area in it natural state as much as possible, unless for the safety of pokemon and people? These things, while they seem ok, likely are going to do more harm than good. I can only assume these were being authorized due to some agreement the local Ranger branch has with the Galarian government I can very much sympathize with not having pokemon nearby when you need them. We have all been there, but we all have to adapt and go searching for what we need. Its nice to think of the posibilities, but the risks outweigh the benifits.

1. Wild pokemon will learn that buildings and gardens provide a ready supply of food, and will wander into cities or harass humans to obtain what they have learned these structures provide. A large pokemon who learns they can eat from the garden will go to other gardens. A Pokemon who expects these things to be provided has a good chance of getting violent if the spot doesnt continue to provide, and overall pokemon will leave thier wild habitat and leave voids in the ecosystem that normally isnt effected by, say, a trainer catching one or two pokemon. Many pokemon species are social, so youd be looking at a group of pokemon relocating. 

2. Pokemon Lures, like honey in Sinnoh, are often easy for trainers to spot, and since these structures are permanent, it would be fairly easy for a Trainer to camp out nearby and nab pokemon without much effort, thus also depriving you of these hypothetical helpers, and open up a possibility of poaching. There is also the high chance that other trainers might see this and decide to make thier own. This makes habitat and population monitering much harder, and again, poachers will capitalize on these structures. And they can all say they thought it was ok sice they saw them out in the wild area with nothing to say others couldt build thier own.

3. Structures like you mentioned are generally only authroized for Rangers to use by research groups or in population rebuilding efforts. I havent heard of any pokemon species populations in desperate need of homes or having a food scarcity, so this is still very much out of the norm. 

4. Generally structures built for Ranger use comprise only of Waystations for Rangers to shelter in, Small sheltered spots to recharge your styler and take care of things and communications that your styler cant handle by itself or that has more first aid supplies or tools than you might be able to carry, or a solid permanent base. None of these ever have things to attract pokemon, and at most they have places for a partner pokemon to shelter with you, or a place for a pokemon you are tasked to help rest while you give it some first aid. 

I wish you the best over in Galar, but I recommend you build nothing more. 

#Pokemon Ranger #pokemon #pokemon headcanon #pokemon galar

[southeastasianists]

What is often overlooked is that most of the elephants employed in tourist industry in Thailand come originally from Myanmar. Iconoclastic artist Ai Weiwei recently made a 360-degree VR video documentary (Omni) about Myanmar’s furloughed elephants wandering aimlessly in the jungle since the government prohibited them from working, these scenes are then relayed to images of Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, a particularly poignant testimony of two populations who lost their job and are chased away from their home, a documentary without music or any voice over commentary, stigmatizing a phenomenon that has become common in our chaotic world today.

Ai Weiwei stated in The Guardian in January 2020: “I relate to the elephants. There are lot of small ones who have lost their parents. Elephants are like humans. Without parents they cannot survive. They have to stay with them until they are seven years old.”

Here are two stories of baby elephants told by the Burmese photographer Ko Myo who specialized in the fate of elephants, because Myanmar, and in particular the Karen region, remains the main source of elephants provided for Thai tourism and unfortunately also the poachers of the clandestine market of ivory and elephant skin (for traditional Chinese pharmacy) in Asia. Ko Myo, a regular at the Yangon Photography Festival, has been awarded several times for his documentaries full of empathy and humanism on Burmese elephants. During the 2019 edition of the Yangon Festival of Photography (YFP) the appearance of two elephants caught the imagination of spectators in the Maha Bandoola Park in central Yangon: young and old taking selfies in front of the large prints of the “Last Elephant” by Ko Myo, for whom Myanmar elephants are facing the threat of complete extinction in 20 to 30 years at the current rate of poaching and export to Thailand. Others were photographing themselves in front of Francis Latreille’s baby mammoth, a 40,000-year-old mammoth recovered in Siberia due to global warming. Latreille’s frozen mammoth and the snowy landscapes of Siberia brought the park’s public a welcome freshness under an ambient temperature of more than 30 degrees at dusk in the former capital of Myanmar.

According to Ko Myo, there are less than 50,000 wild Asian elephants in the world today. Myanmar is home to one of the largest populations, although this number has dwindled from 10,000 to one or two thousand head in the past two decades. Myanmar elephants could be extinct by 2030/2035 due to poaching, loss of habitat and land disputes between humans and elephants. Myanmar therefore faces a major challenge to save its elephants: its rate of deforestation is one of the highest in the world and it is the second most vulnerable country to climate change.

So, Ko Myo tells us the story of baby elephant Mi Chaw. One day, bamboo cutters working in the jungle heard a wild elephant screaming near their workplace. Fearing a possible encounter, they made noises to chase him away. They realized too late that they had scared away a mother elephant who had just given birth, leaving her newborn behind. Villagers called the veterinarian Dr. Myo Min Aung, a member of EERU (Elephant Emergency Response Unit). He baptized the female baby Mi Chaw (“Pretty girl”) and cared for her as if she were his own child. Orphan, and deprived of maternal milk, Mi Chaw suffered from acute diarrhea after taking powdered milk, the vet tried in vain with the breast milk of lactating women in the village. The baby elephant was too sick and weak, she slept in the doctor’s house and the village children came to see and pet her every day. After about 20 days in the company of humans, Mi Chaw did not survive the separation from her natural mother. The veterinarian and the mahouts then organized a religious burial led by a Buddhist monk who recited prayers of good deed to accompany Mi Chaw to heaven.

Ko Myo also tells the story of Ayarthu, an eight-month-old female calf elephant. Following the death of her mother at the hands of poachers, Ayarthu got lost and ventured near human habitats. Local villagers called the forestry office to come and capture her and send her to Wingabaw elephant camp. In Ko Myo’s reportage, we can see the mahouts with the help of domesticated elephants, the forest guards and the police trying to capture the Ayarthu baby elephant (at Nga Pu Taw, Irrawaddy, in August 2017). They tried to keep her on the ground after capture. Ayarthu was then tied to wooden poles and struggled all night before being sent to Wingabaw camp. The mother of the baby elephant was killed for her skin by poachers in the Nga Pu Taw Forest Reserve.

Among Ko Myo’s portraits there are the majestic portrait of a domesticated elephant who was working in an elephant camp, and that of a wild elephant, leader of his herd, posing like a statue in the jungle. The most dramatic ones are the portraits of wild elephants killed by poachers, like this carcass of an elephant on his knees almost entirely skinned. At the same time Ko Myo shows us the arrest of two poachers with the tools of their crimes, posing in front of pieces of dried elephant skin, ready to be sold on the underground market for the Chinese traditional pharmacopoeia considered them possessing whatever mysterious therapeutic virtue.

According to Ko Myo, at least 115 wild elephants have been killed by poachers in the past five years in the dense jungle of Irrawaddy, the Pegu range (Bago Yoma) and in the outskirts of the Yangon region, with a record 59 victims in 2017. This sudden spike led to increased support from the Myanmar government for the protection of elephants, as well as international organizations such as WWF and local Civil Society Organizations. Campaigns such as Voice for Momos to ban the sale of wild animals (http://www.wwf.org.mm/en/yangon_wwf_today_list_page/) have been organized and training has been provided to forestry staff, for mahouts and rangers from the Myanmar Emergency Elephant Response Unit. The increase anti-poaching patrols led to 15 arrests of poachers in 2017.

Ko Myo has also documented the destruction of ivory confiscated by the authorities in the fight against trafficking. The destruction ceremony of confiscated elephant ivory and parts of wild animals was organized for the first time by the Myanmar Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation in Naypyidaw on October 4, 2018. According to Ko Myo, in total, 277 pieces of elephant tusk worth US$1.3 million, 227 pieces of elephant and other wildlife bones, 45 slices of skin, 1544 pieces of horn, 45.5kg of pangolin skin, and 128 other wildlife parts confiscated throughout the years were burned at the ceremony.

Fortunately, we have also a playful portrait of a rare young white elephant, considered sacred, the 7-year-old white elephant was properly bathed and washed before receiving the title of “royal” and entering a special enclosure at the royal palace. White elephant had been the subject of a war between Thailand and Burma in the 16th century.

Let us hope that with these rarely seen images of Ko Myo, we will never forget our beloved pachyderm, a giant in the wild, faithful in family, endowed with great memory, the incarnation of the god Ganesh for the Hindus, symbol of wisdom and intelligence, the patron saint of intellectuals, students and writers. Beyond tourism, the circus, zoos in the city, and beyond the exploitation of animals in forest logging work, beyond the safaris and reservations in Africa (*) which continue to see a large number of elephants disappear, we should reflect and review our relationships between humans and elephants in a perspective of harmonious coexistence in how to balance urban and agricultural development with the urgently needed protection of nature, so as to ensure a real sustainable longevity of the elephant.

#ko myo #photography #elephants #myanmar #wildlife trafficking

[rockislandadultreads]

New non-fiction titles in the 500′s! 

Summaries from Goodreads.com; Title link will bring you our local catalog

When the Earth Had Two Moons: Cannibal Planets, Dreadful Orbits, Icy Giants, Dirty Comets and the Origins of Today's Night Sky by Erik Asphaug

An astonishing exploration of planet formation and the origins of life by one of the world’s most innovative planetary geologists.

In 1959, the Soviet probe Luna 3 took the first photos of the far side of the moon. Even in their poor resolution, the images stunned scientists: the far side is an enormous mountainous expanse, not the vast lava-plains seen from Earth. Subsequent missions have confirmed this in much greater detail.

How could this be, and what might it tell us about our own place in the universe? As it turns out, quite a lot.

Fourteen billion years ago, the universe exploded into being, creating galaxies and stars. Planets formed out of the leftover dust and gas that coalesced into larger and larger bodies orbiting around each star. In a sort of heavenly survival of the fittest, planetary bodies smashed into each other until solar systems emerged. Curiously, instead of being relatively similar in terms of composition, the planets in our solar system, and the comets, asteroids, satellites and rings, are bewitchingly distinct. So, too, the halves of our moon.

In When the Earth Had Two Moons, esteemed planetary geologist Erik Asphaug takes us on an exhilarating tour through the farthest reaches of time and our galaxy to find out why. Beautifully written and provocatively argued, When the Earth Had Two Moons is not only a mind-blowing astronomical tour but a profound inquiry into the nature of life here—and billions of miles from home.

Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes: The Science of Animal Personalities by John Shivik

In Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes, Shivik serves as an accessible, humorous guide to the emerging body of research on animal personalities. Shivik accompanies researchers who are discovering that each wolf, bear, and coyote has an inherent tendency to favor either its aggressive nature or to shyly avoid conflicts. Some bluebirds are lovers, others are fighters. And some spiders prefer to be loners, while others are sociable. Unique personalities can be discovered in every corner of the animal kingdom--even among microscopic organisms. The array of personality types among all species is only beginning to be described and understood.

The Elements We Live By: How Iron Helps Us Breathe, Potassium Lets Us See, and Other Surprising Superpowers of the Periodic Table by Anja Røyne

An around-the-world journey to discover where in the wild we can find the elements of life and the surprising ways they’re essential to our survival.

We all know that we depend on elements for survival—from the oxygen in the air we breathe to the carbon that forms part of the structure of all living things. But how many of us appreciate the ways our bodies also depend on phosphorous, say, to hold our DNA together, or potassium to power our optic nerves so that we can see?

In The Human Elements, physicist and award-winning author Anja Røyne takes us on an astonishing journey through chemistry and physics, introducing the building blocks from which we humans—and the world—are made. Not only does Røyne explain why our bodies need iron, phosphorus, silicon, potassium, and many more elements in just the right amounts in order to function properly; she also takes us on a tour around the world to where these precious elements are found (some of them in ever-shrinking quantities).

Røyne makes us understand how precarious the balance that keeps us and our environment alive really is, how there are finite amounts of our life-giving elements available to us, and how, from the smallest to the grandest scale, the world and everything that lives in it are wonderfully interconnected. The Human Elements will make you look at the world and your place in it in an entirely new way.

Every Penguin in the World: A Quest to See Them All by Charles Bergman

A narrative and photographic book about the author's pursuit of penguins-to see each variety of the species in its natural habitat. This book tracks the author's forays around the southern hemisphere, from the Galapagos to South Africa to the Antarctic in his quest to see all the penguins in the world. The sections of the book are organized around themes of adventure, human-animal connection, and conservation-in which stories of each penguin species will be touched upon.

The Sakura Obsession: The Incredible Story of the Plant Hunter Who Saved Japan's Cherry Blossoms by Naoko Abe

The remarkable 1,200-year history of the Japanese cherry blossom tree--and how it was saved from extinction by an English gardener.

Collingwood "Cherry" Ingram first fell in love with the sakura, or cherry tree, when he visited Japan on his honeymoon in 1907. So taken with the plant, he brought back hundreds of cuttings with him to England, where he created a garden of cherry varieties. In 1926, he learned that the Great White Cherry had become extinct in Japan. Six years later, he buried a living cutting from his own collection in a potato and repatriated it via the Trans-Siberian Express. In the years that followed, Ingram sent more than 100 varieties of cherry tree to new homes around the globe, from Auckland to Washington. As much a history of the cherry blossom in Japan as it is the story of one remarkable man, the narrative follows the flower from its adoption as a national symbol in 794, through its use as an emblem of imperialism in the 1930s, to the present-day worldwide obsession with forecasting the exact moment of the trees' flowering.

Giants of the Monsoon Forest: Living and Working with Elephants by Jacob Shell

High in the mountainous rainforests of Burma and India grow some of the world’s last stands of mature, wild teak. For more than a thousand years, people here have worked with elephants to log these otherwise impassable forests and move people and goods (often illicitly) under cover of the forest canopy. In Giants of the Monsoon Forest, geographer Jacob Shell takes us deep into this strange elephant country to explore the lives of these extraordinarily intelligent creatures. The relationship between elephant and rider is an intimate one that lasts for many decades. When an elephant is young, he or she is paired with a rider, who is called a mahout. The two might work together their entire lives. Though not bred to work with humans, these elephants can lift and carry logs, save people from mudslides, break logjams in raging rivers, and navigate dense mountain forests with passengers on their backs. Visiting tiny logging villages and forest camps, Shell describes fascinating characters, both elephant and human—like a heroic elephant named Maggie who saves dozens of British and Burmese refugees during World War II, and an elephant named Pak Chan who sneaks away from the Ho Chi Minh Trail to mate with a partner in a passing herd. We encounter an eloquent colonel in a rebel army in Burma’s Kachin State, whose expertise is smuggling arms and valuable jade via elephant convoy, and several particularly smart elephants, including one who discovers, all on his own, how to use a wood branch as a kind of safety lock when lifting heavy teak logs. Giants of the Monsoon Forest offers a new perspective on animal intelligence and reveals an unexpected relationship between evolution in the natural world and political struggles in the human one. Shell examines why the complex tradition of working with elephants has endured with Asian elephants, but not with their counterparts in Africa. And he shows us how Asia’s secret forest culture might offer a way to save the elephants. By performing rescues after major floods—as they did in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami—and helping sustainably log Asian forests, humans and elephants working together can help protect the fragile spaces they both need to survive.

#science #science books #nonfiction #non fiction #non-fiction #reading recommendations #reading recs #book recs #Book Recommendations #currently reading #animals #elephants #sakura #space and time #astronomy #penguins #animal personalities #space