PfA Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre

Humanity has made massive strides in the understanding of ourselves and the world around us in the relatively little time we have been around on Earth. Our awareness of our own biological systems, our interaction with the environment, and the ways in which we have adapted to our surroundings by making use of the resources available to us reflect how mankind has been successful in using the intellect we were blessed with. While this curiosity and thirst for experimentation have allowed for civilisation to develop and for scientific advancement, there has been a very large price that animals have had to pay to help make this progress possible. A large part of our understanding of biology and behaviour comes from studies conducted on animals. Also known as in vivo testing, animal testing involves studying the behaviour or systems of animals as a part of research conducted in establishments or institutions, either for the sake of knowledge or to apply the information gained in the producti...

A quick look at the base of your nearest tree may seem to offer nothing more than broken-down soil particles and pebbles, but this deceiving surface hides underneath it a whole world of living creatures operating to keep functioning a system that lets life thrive on Earth. The world of the soil’s microbiota, although mostly unseen by the human eye especially due to its large existing underground, is a fascinating one that has been around since an estimated 4 billion years ago. A microorganism is a living organism that is invisible to the human eye and can thereby only be seen under a microscope. These can be categorised into bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, nematodes, and actinomycetes. Just one teaspoon of soil contains billions of microbes, more than the number of people on the planet. Scientists estimate that there are around one trillion species of microorganisms on Earth, of which 99% are yet to be discovered. It’s evident that there’s still much about these organisms that we don...

India has always had a deep and sacred relationship with nature. Whether it’s with animals, plants, the different elements – there is scarcely any aspect of nature that India’s cultures haven’t revered. A firmly rooted connection to tradition and ancient knowledge has kept this relationship alive throughout the centuries of development, both scientific and otherwise, that the country has undergone. Perhaps one of India’s greatest characteristics is this ability to hold on to the past while opening itself to new possibilities, and this compassion has largely retained our closeness with all aspects of nature in the face of modernity’s rationalism and alienation. While this closeness had ensured a healthy codependent relationship between humans and nature in the past, the effects of development, modernity, and urbanisation leading to overexploitation were inevitable with the onset of capitalism. Harmonious coexistence and the “take only as much as you need” mindset which regulated our con...

When we think of plants or animals, our minds generally visualise forests or lakes devoid of human activity. We tend to consider cities as spheres of purely human life, but the truth is actually far from this. Squirrels, pigeons, trees, ponds – it may be tricky to pay attention to it amidst our busy lives, but nature is all around us no matter where we are. The topic of urbanisation is often placed parallel to nature, but the truth remains that despite the destruction of natural habitats or the displacement of animals due to human activity, elements of nature do not simply vanish with the onset of urban settlements. Plants and animals having been subjected to our interference for centuries now have learned to adapt and coexist with us, thereby allowing cities to harbor various life forms in increasingly complex and interesting ways.   Indeed, towns and cities offer different habitats for plants and animals to thrive with conditions that are vastly different from those found in...

Darting up tree trunks, shaking branches and leaves, and scurrying along compound walls – these small mammals lead fascinating lives that we often only get to catch a glimpse of amidst our busy daily schedules. We’re bringing into the spotlight our fruit and nut-gathering urban neighbours, the three-striped palm squirrel! Native to India and Sri Lanka, this species of rodent has also been named after our subcontinent as the “Indian palm squirrel” due to its prevalence in various parts of the country as well as its mythological significance here. These squirrels get their name from the three distinctive white stripes running along the length of their back. Mythology accounts for these stripes as originating from a tale in the Ramayana, when a little squirrel contributed to the building of the bridge at Rameswaram and Lord Rama, pleased with its effort, stroked the squirrel’s back, leaving the three stripes we can see today. They are closely related to the five-striped palm squirrel foun...

In a world of increasing ecological imbalance, environmental protection and sustainability are key topics of discussion. The ecological crisis calls for immediate action to reverse or at least pause the damage done to the planet we have been blessed with, and the reason why we’re called to act on this is simple – our planet allows us to thrive, and we want to keep thriving. It’s simple reasoning on the surface, but as evidenced by the lack of meaningful progress in our collective goal to save our planet, it isn’t effective enough in creating real change. A large portion of the population continues to view the goal of humanity through a lens of materialism and anthropocentrism, as a result of which the web of systems being affected by the ecological disturbances remains out of sight. This warrants a shift in perspective; one where spirituality acts as the root for environmental concern. Eco-spirituality acts as the meeting point of spirituality and the Earth. It transcends environmental...

In recent years, it has become increasingly evident that bird diversity in India is reducing at an alarming rate. Sparrows that would once sing to the rising sun have now become a rare sight. Media outlets and news sources have pointed to our electronic devices as a major cause for this loss in diversity, particularly the cell phone and other network broadcasting towers. Though it’s easy to point fingers and shift the blame, in this day and age we are admittedly heavily reliant on the very devices and systems that we assert are the source of this problem. So, while we can’t regress to a technologically inferior era and hope for an avian revival, what we can do is better understand exactly what electromagnetic radiation is and how it may be affecting the world around us.  Electromagnetic radiation consists of waves of the electromagnetic field that are present all around us, although invisible to the human eye. They’re used to transmit radio waves and TV or other wireless signals. T...