A photographer's take on all things wild

Meet Saravanakumar, a wildlife photographer who has made several documentaries and films in the wild – from mad elephants of Assam to the snake bite victims in Kerala. Aparajita Bose catches up with the man who captures the wild 'on film', and his opinion on wildlife scenario today; and tomorrow.

12 years of wildlife – where did it all begin?

I was essentially a keen biology student and then I took up zoology for my undergraduate studies at Loyola College, Chennai followed by my masters in wildlife sciences from the Wildlife Institute of India – Dehradun. As part of field study and projects, we always had a camera at our disposal. This developed into a passion and by the end of the course it became a career.

How does the knowledge of wildlife help?

If you are a tourist or an amateur and hope to capture a tiger or an elephant in the wild, it takes a lot of luck to get good pictures. One almost always comes back with a mug-shot of the animals. At a professional level mug shots will not be enough. Behaviour and extraordinary moments are what make great pictures. Wildlife photography is about being at the right place at the right time, and you can't get it right until you know and understand the way an animal behaves.

Does wildlife photography help create awareness?

I do a good mix of both filming and photography. While photography brings about an awe and appreciation of the beauty of wildlife, filming it gives you information.

Where was your last shoot?

At the Sunderbans. For once it was not about the animal, but about the people who live in the vicinity of the sanctuary, the dangers and the perils, and the fear they live with. Almost every family has lost a member to the Bengal tiger. Since agriculture does not happen around the year, the villagers depend on fishing and honey collection. While honey collection happens in the forest and is legal, they have to do so at their own risk. Some have lost their lives, but mostly it happens when they go into the forest for fishing (illegally) as they have already fished from other areas, and the concentration of fish is more in the deeper reaches.

The tigers have attacked the fishermen boat but that is mostly because you are in its territory. The dense growth makes it difficult for them to spot the tiger, and one wouldn't know until it is too late.

Did you get to see a tiger?

The day I landed at the Sunderbans, there was an 18-month-old tiger cub which had strayed into the village. It is about the age when they start dispersing to establish independent territories, plus there was a storm the previous evening, so it could be that it had become disoriented. But yes, it was tranquilised, caught and released back into the wild, I did get the chance to film that.

What is your advice for wildlife tourism in the Sunderbans?

Well, it is a really beautiful place to be in, but it is accessible only by boat. For safety reaons one cannot get off the boat and walk inside the park. As a tourist you won't have a lot of freedom to move around. My advice would be – go for the experience, but don't go assuming that you will see a tiger.

The tiger is almost extinct, but that is not the only animal in danger. Have you noticed any drop in numbers?

Well, unlike a researcher, I do not visit the same place too often. In 2008, there was a mysterious death of about 100 adult gharials in the Chambal River. This die off was concentrated at the confluence of the Yamuna river and the Chambal. Most of the animals that died were diagnosed with `gout' a condition where uric acid (a waste product) gets accumulated around the joints. This makes movement extremely painful and most animals would have died because they could not swim and feed. There are a few theories but the most accepted is that the Tilapia fish, which is highly aggressive and tolerant to the toxins in the Yamuna, which was consumed by the bigger gharials could have lead to the accumulation of toxins.

How up close and personal have you been with danger?

Twice, and both times involving elephants. Once in the Anamalai wildlife sanctuary near Pollachi, TN and once in Assam. Elephants are fascinating animals to film but can be unforgiving if one oversteps their comfort zones. In both cases someone from the team did just that.

What is your take on zoos?

It is mixed. From the point of view of an animal it is bad, but then it is a great tool for education. One has to remember that the majority of the people will never get to visit a wildlife part and an even smaller fraction will get to see wild animals. For such reasons zoos are useful. The awe and fascination that the sight of a live animal generates is irreplaceable. It would be great if the quality of existing zoos can be improved by make the enclosures more animal friendly, and maybe even recreating wild habitats.

What is your biggest area of concern today?

Well, you must have seen these television commercials (TVCs) where movie stars have been endorsed to talk about the diminishing numbers of tigers today.

I think we are at a stage where awareness about the precarious nature of our wildlife is widespread. People know that cutting down forests is bad, and tigers along with many other animals are in great danger. But the public are quite benign when it comes to doing something about it…following TVC campaigns or blogging on the web satisfies the soul but really does nothing on the ground. I think people have to get more proactive about such issues. I would rather that the money spent on making TVCs be given to forest reserves. Tell me, how will blogging about tigers help?

Favourite wildlife destination?

Anamalai forest, Western Ghats. a wildlife photographer's dream destination.

Lastly, are you a vegetarian?

(Laughs) I do eat meat which is farmed for human consumption.

Saravanakumar resides in Chennai and is now working on his next documentary shoot that takes him to the length and breadth of the country documenting the dangers of snake bites.