About Gowri Shankar:
“Within our dreams and aspirations we find our opportunities” this saying by Sue Atchley Ebaugh summarizes my life so far. It was during my early teenage years that I dreamt of living in a forest and working on snakes, and these dreams paved the way to doors of opportunities which I embraced. Its been over two decades now and I am happy to say that I am living my passion everyday!
I started handling reptiles at the age of thirteen and never looked back since. My stint as an animal inspector (at KARUNA, formerly BSPCA, Bangalore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) , education officer (at the Center for Herpetology, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, Mamalapuram Chennai),a Conservation Officer at the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), molded me well for my current profile as a conservationist.
I am based at Agumbe and focus primarily on studying and conserving king cobras. I have been staying at Agumbe for over five years and during this time had life time opportunities of observing and documenting the nesting, male combat, courtship, mating and cannibalistic behaviors of king cobras in the wild. I was also instrumental in the pioneer efforts of ARRS in conducting radio telemetry study on king cobras.
I have worked for several wildlife documentaries behind screen, and featured along side Rom in two wildlife documentaries, ‘The King and I’, ‘Secrets of the King Cobra ‘, ‘Asia’s Deadliest Snake’ , ‘One Million Snake Bites’ and ‘Wildest India’ by BBC, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild and Discovery channel respectively.
Apart from rescuing over hundred king cobras from distress situations I have collected vital scientific data which has led to new insights into the life of a king cobra. My interests lie in studying the ecology, breeding biology, and conservation biology of king cobras. I also find it very important and satisfying in reaching out to masses through education programs.
About Sharmila:
Sharmila and I shared a common vision for over a decade. We got married in November 2008 and now work as a team towards realizing this. Formerly, she was techie with Microsoft GTSC working on database management systems. An M.Tech post graduate in computer science her interests are varied from Microsoft SQL server, to blogging, writing, reptiles, bird watching, ants and butterflies.
Note: The purpose of this blog is to reach out to people to share my thoughts and experiences. But as most of you know I am a good story teller but not all that great at writing. This is where Sharmila comes in to help me out. We sit together, I narrate my experiences and she puts them into words in her own style. An amalgamation of thoughts and skills! Hope you all enjoy reading our posts!
Great Blog ana…
My hearty wishes for having started one like this and I’m sure that you will sustain it in a great way. Keep posting… It is so sensational to see the efforts that you have taken towards transforming ARRS to what it is today… Wish you great success…
CM
Hey amazing blog guys….
Its great to know that even at this era where youth are crazy about cars,fun and party.. we have people like you who actually think about conservation and environment….i have personnally seen ARRS.. great goin guys amazing work done so far…..keep bloggin with lots of pics and experiences….We are all here to support you
Hello Gowrish,
Gowrish, I want to congrats and appreciate your efforts to setup ARRS and First King Corbra study in the world..in Agumbe, Karnataka..
I have seen both your documentaries like King and I, Secrets of King on NGC, I do remember in recent times the only forest from Karnataka show on NGC is ARRS Agumbe
Being a Kanndiga, I am Very happy at least any one of forest and efforts of our people show on NGC…
Your efforts are always appreciable..
Hello gowrish
Gowrish, I want to congrats and appreciate your efforts to setup ARRS and First King Corbra study in the world..in Agumbe, Karnataka..
I have seen both your documentaries like King and I, Secrets of King on NGC, I do remember in recent times the only forest from Karnataka show on NGC is ARRS Agumbe. Infact i recorded your programme telecasted from NGC & discovery channels.
Being a Kanndiga, I am Very happy at least any one of forest and efforts of our people show on NGC…
Your efforts are always appreciable..
Can we also join with your team, so that we can explore the agumbe forest. Another we are also having trekking habit, can you send some guide for trekking in this forest.
Thank you very much Dr.Prasanna. I will write to you personally with details you have requested for.
Hello Gowri Shankarji,
Congratulations to you and Sharmila… for this wonderful blog. Your work is really fascinating.
I have a daughter, she is 4 yrs. old and we both love to watch your documentaries on NGC and Discovery channels. We got to know so much about King Cobra, truly the king of the serpents. (“Elvis & Priscilla”, I will never forget these names)
I really want to visit ARRS. I am a fan of Romulus Whitaker and want to meet him in person. Is it possible?
Hats off to Romulus Whitaker and you to protect this highly endangered and much-feared snake.
All the best !!!
Thank you Poonam, I am glad you and your daughter like our work.
Pictures tumba chennagi ide, looking forward to a trip to Agumbe when I return to India in March.
hi gowri shankar, this is Nilutpal, remember a boy from assam, we met in ZSI with my excursion team, Alipore, I asked u a lot about snakes. i love snakes and reptiles, I am glad to meet you, and surely one day again i’ll meet you in some forest.
thanks a lot for those inspiration.
hai GOWRI i am a snakelover who like to know more about them .i am a fan of king cobra the great snake .Am also a fan of gerrymartin and you, we indians are proud of you two. after seeing your program in NGc,discovery my dream is to visit agumbe,is it possible our commen citizen to visit there , hearty congragulation to u for resquing and protecting kings and his surroundings
Thank you Harish. I have responded over email, please check
Hi Gowri,
Nice blog you have!
I am a photographer and would like to shoot all the little creatures of the world!
I primarily shoot butterfly and I love them! I haven’t got a chance to take the snaps of snakes in the wild. I hope if i get a chance I can do that as well. As with Harish’s question can common ppl get into agumbe forest for a photo shoot of the little wonders of nature??
Thanks Arun. We conduct nature, herp and photography camps quite often at ARRS. This is a good opportunity for you to shoot both big and small wonders. You could be part of this or if you’d like to explore yourself you can visit ARRS (arrs.india@gmail.com) as a visitor. Hope this helps.
Hi gowri,
This is guru, think you remember, really a great experience for me, i want to know more about snakes. As you said i will start my homework. Please guide me if i have any doubts.
It was a pleasure meeting you too Guru. Will surely guide you any time.
Hi Gowri.
A very nice blog with loads of information & awesome pictures, I always had a dream to see the KING in wild & during my stay at ARRS ..you not only made me to see it but also to shake hands with King (You). A very hearty good wishes for your work & godbless you all 🙂 .
Hello Gowri Shankar,
I am Sindhu from Bangalore. I found out about ARRS, Romulus and your work through “King cobra & I”. I must say, it is one of the most wonderful documentaries ever made. The spectacular beauty of western ghats, the Malnad is beyond words. The glamorous black king, his poise and dignity are somethings beyond mere words of appreciation. Thanks to your work, it truly feels proud to be a part of this wonderful state.
My love for wildlife dates back to childhood when I wrote articles for my school and college magazines on tiger conservation, poaching reptiles for skin, poaching in Africa and other topics. I grew up watching Animal planet, discovery and NAT GEO and I still do. Every show I watch seems all those Children’s book on wildlife/encyclopedia coming true.
To me there is nothing more fascinating than wildlife and nature. My love has further pushed me to pursue a hobby in wildlife photography.
Its my pleasure/dream come true to be a part/volunteer/participate in ARRS programs particularly studying the behavior of the king, their habitat and conservation. I need details for the same. I have trying to get in touch with you. Looks like the numbers on ARRS website are invalid. I also have dropped in a mail to arrs.india@gmail.com but haven’t received reply as yet. Can you please mail me your number? Please send it to sindhu.naropanth@gmail.com
Best Regards,
Sindhu
Glad to see your interest Sindhu. Please check my response over email.
hi Gowri..
It was really a pleasure to read… I really appreciate the work you people do… I am a great fan of rom whitekar too… I feel soo proud to say agumbe research station is in Karnataka…but still I feel wildlife knowledge is very very low in our country…
I wud love to join you in any wildlife voluntary programmes.. so if possible let me know…
thank you
Thank you Vikram. You are most welcome to join me.
Regards
Gowri
Gowri,
Greetings from the Chennai Trekking Club a 14000 member non profit volunteered based group of nature enthusiasts. As part of our 4th birthday we are organising an awareness event on nature and wildlife on march 10-11. Would you be interested to give a talk as a guest speaker?
Peter
http://Www.chennaitrekkers.org
9600004509
Peter.vangeit@gmail.com
Dear Peter,
I have heard about your club and congratulations on your 4th birthday. But sorry I will not be able to deliver a talk as I am away at North Orissa during that time. All the best.
Regards
Gowri Shankar
My son has chosen to do his year 4 science project on the King Cobra so I’ve been trying to find info online for him. Your website has some brilliant information & beautiful photos .. great work! The short presentation you have posted would be really useful to show him but it keeps crashing on my pc .. do you have a powerpoint version you could email or a .pdf?
Good to know that Helen. I have emailed the pdf version of the presentation to you. All the best to your son.
hi how is life going on with cobra plz send ur facebook id
Hai..
I am Xavier Elthuruth. Thrissur
I want your real email id for private communication.
So please mail your email ID to:
xaviertrichur@yahoo.com
Dear Gowei Shankar,
Recently a Cobra was killed because the rescer took lot of time to reach as he was far away and the locals didn’t want to loose the snake.
In another incident a group of people killed a Cobra just because if they call rescuer they will have to pay him money (a mear Rs.500).
This disregard to a snake’s/animal’s life left me shattered and made me think if I could take up some training for rescuing animals including snakes and also study more on rescue and post rescue insights.
Could you please help me in this regard ?
Thank you,
Suneel Mekala.
9008066442
sun.1601@gmail.com
HI.
I want to volunteer in ARRS for a month, the phone is dead i guess out there.
can you help me out pls
Kashyap here
Hi Kashyap,
Please write to them at arrs.india@gmail.com.
Regards
Gowri
Cool post . Thanks for, visiting my blog dude. I shall email you soon. I did not realise that!
Hi Gowri, excellent, is all I can say. My wife and I will be in Belur and wish to visit Agumbe on October 28th or 29th. Need your help – a guide, permissions (?) Thanks a lot
Hi Saurabh,
Thank you. Sorry, I will be off to Amboli herp workshop during these dates. Please contact info@rainforestecology.com for this.
Regards
Gowri
Thanks. I have emailed them.
Hi Mr.Gowri Shankar, this blog provides a very interesting insight into the snakes world. I just want to clarify something. I heard a rumour that once a snake is 100 years old (which is unbelievable to me), it produces a stone called “Naga Manickam” and uses it to find prey. Is this true? I also heard another about a snake sprouting wings once it is 100 years old. It sounded a bit absurd but I wanted conformation from a professional viewpoint. Are these rumours true or is it all like those superstitions that swivel around snakes?
Hi Koushik,
These are all just myths. There is no truth to it.
Regards
Gowri
Hi Gowri and Sharmila,
It was a pleasure to meet you along with Joy . Happy to note that , in spite of being a world famous herpetologist, you still show great humility. You two are a rare couple, completely devoted in the conservation of nature and protecting the biodiversity of the fragile western ghats. Day in and day out you are exposed to life threatening risks and yet you go all out to save these beautiful awe inspiring reptiles. We salute you and wish you great success in all your endeavours.
Dr.Anand Titus
Hello Dr.Anand,
It was our pleasure to meet you and thank you for your comment. We are humbled by your praise and thank you for your wishes. There is of course lots to do. We really hope to meet you and your wife sometime and learn about your innovative inventions about which though we wanted to discuss could not happen due to time constraints. Please do visit us at Agumbe, it will be our pleasure to have you here.
Warm regards
Gowri Shankar & Sharmila
Hello sir ,
I have seen your documentaries . They are just great . Hope you enjoy your work even more . I had actually visited arrs when I was in 7th std . I dont think you remember but its ok . I am in 2nd pu now and I am planning to visit arrs once again .
Hello Aishwarya,
Thank you. Well I am not associated with ARRS anymore. I have an environment education centre are Agumbe called the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology. All the best to you.
Regards
Gowri
I came to know that king kobras change thier skin color slightly during change in seasons . Is that true ?
There are colour variations in king cobras depending on seasons. But the science behind it is yet to be studied.
Actually I had many more questions about king kobra . It would be great if you can give me your email id .
Sure Aishwarya, here it is gowrishankar.pogiri@gmail.com
Thank you sir . So sweet of you . 🙂 🙂 .
Hi Gowri Shankar Sir, congrats to you and Sharmila. I’ve been searching for your contact number after I lost contact of you in the year 2004. I was part of the team who did an NSS eco camp from Hindustan College of Engineering in year 2002 (hope you remember) at the Vadanemmeli village… I’ve attended your training camps at Madras Crocodile bank trust. I stumbled upon this blog today while searching for adventure activities at Agumbe. Harish (my college mate who also was with me during 2002) told me that you were at Agumbe. It’s really nice to see you’ve featured on BBC and National Geographic. Is there any workshop organized this year June onwards – I’d like to participate. My contact details are mentioned below.
Regards
Arun Kumar Ellangovan
M – +91 8762095088
arunkumar.elanko@gmail.com
Hello Arun,
Nice to hear from you. Of course I remember you guys. Do come over to Agumbe anytime. As for camps yes there are couple of them happening. You could join the one from 5th to 7th July at Agumbe. It will be great to catch up.
Regards
Gowri
Congratulations Mr.Gowrishankar for all the efforts you make to save the most revered snake especially in coastal and malnad…I had seen almost all episodes of you and Rom that was aired in Discovery long back when i was in school…more interestingly after my postgrad i work in Manipal just 48km from Agumbe and quite often i venture into ther just to feel the Monsoon…on my next visit i wish see your conservation project live!!!
Goodluck to you both
Thank you Suhas. You are welcome to come over and be a part of our efforts.
Regards
Gowri
Hello sir, I am Yaswanth from Andhra Pradesh,Kadapa. I would like to know about one of the member named Anju Reshma who worked with Romulus Whiteker, Gerry Martin, Saloni, Matt Goode, Dev and more in king cobra research center in Agumbe. Please if you have send me contact information of her as i live in her native place.
Sorry Yaswanth.
Sorry for what sir. For not having any contact information or not interested to give. Please give me clarity.
I don’t have her contact details, Yaswanth.
hello sir i m anubhav singh from rajsthan, please give your contact num., sr i m intersted in snake and i like to open my snake house then plese tell me how i catch a snake if you give me your contact num. then i will call you plese dont ignor me…..sr
Hello Anubhav,
I can see you are really keen about snakes. The best way to go about it is to start reading about them first (books, online etc.). You could attend workshops and camps, intern or volunteer with organizations/Researchers who work with snakes. All the best.
Regards
Gowri
I have a question. Is there any species of venomous snake that the king cobra has difficulty hunting and killing? I realize the king cobra has resistance to certain types of venom, but would the king fare well against a mature diamondback rattlesnake, assuming they shared the same habitat?
Apologies for the late response. In regard to your question, size of the prey and predator plays an important role. The bigger and the stronger one get the better of the other. During our radio telemetric study we have observed that kings use different techniques to tackle/capture venomous and non-venomous snakes. In captivity, zoo keepers have tried to feed king cobras with Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelii) (the fangs of these snakes are quite big – almost 2 inch long) and have observed them to be very careful in tackling and feeding on them. This is expected considering two factors, one is the venom and the other is the size of fangs. If they do not exercise caution these snakes (Russell’s Viper) have the ability to cause severe damage to the king during their struggle if not death. Russell’s Viper can be compared to rattle snakes and I believe similar reactions may be expected. I hope this answers your question.
Dear Sir,
I am a student of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata studying 2nd year Integrated MS.Though i am from mysore. I am interested in behavioral ecology. And in particular as for my first study in it i want to study the king cobra and its behavior with its own species as well as with the other species of snakes in its own habitat. So i want to do a internship at your research center on the behavior of king cobra to study its behavior. So can you please whether its possible for me to do an internship at your agumbe research center as i am really very interested in it.
I was interested in these things from my childhood and also seen your documentary on the national geographic channel and now i am science student i want to scientifically know about the cobra which i had been alluring for such a long time after seeing snake shyam of mysore so gracefully taking the snake while it does nothing to him but to others is a wild creature. I am aware of the workshop thats held in december but i dont want to take part in that because i want to study the king for a long period so that i can really get to know it a lot.
I hope you look forward to my request and reply.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
Sachin
IISER-Kolkat
Hello,
It was very rewarding to read about the King Cobra. I recently saw a one at close quarters on my trip to the Malnad area. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Nisha. Seeing a king from close quarters is one of a kind of experience!
I will be reading your other blogs soon. Are you on Face Book? I have posted a few pictures of the king on face book, not very good ones as I met him at 11pm onwards with no lights except for the moon light and of course torch light. All the best to you.
Yes Nisha I am on facebook. Thank you.
My son is doing a report for school on King Cobras and we cannot seem to find any information on whether the King Cobra lives alone or in groups. Can you answer this? Many thanks.
King cobras are solitary.
Hello Gowri, i am 22 year old backpacker from Spain.
I love snakes as much as you do!
I am thinking about visiting Agumbe in the second half of april, could i meet you there??
Thanks a lot
Borja
Hello Borja,
I will most likely be around. Kindly confirm the dates and will let you know. It will be a pleasure to meet you.
Regards
Gowri
Hello sir,
I am Harsha from shimoga. Its been my earnest desire to meet you as I am a true follower of your research in the field of snakes particularly, King Cobras. I came across a fact that you would be staying in Agumbe for your research program. Is it possible for me to meet you there?
Hello Shree Harsha,
Thank you and I appreciate your interest. I will be in Agumbe during the weekends of this month.You are welcome to come down. Please intimate in advance to this email info@rainforestecology.com before hand(atleast 2 days in advance).
Regards,
Gowri
Thank you sir, Thank you very much.
Hello! I am currently in Rishikesh and longing to find a way to learn and experience more about the local snakes. Back home I work with and handle various reptiles and educate the public them and the importance of conservation. If you have any tips or contacts for this area you could pass in, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!
Jasmine
Hello Jasmine,
Good to see your interest. You could contact Manish Rai at manrai62@gmail.com, who is from Thalla Ramgad, Uttarakhand. He may have more contacts. All the best.
Regards,
Gowri
Sir,
Can i be able to meet you if i come to agumbe this saturday sunday (29th march)?
hello : gowari sir
i am vishal (age19 years) from mumbai ,and i am interested to join your crew in nat geo But i don’t have any idea about your contact details………… so sir can you please help me with your contact and iam so crazy in wild life…… so please help me with your contact details… so in case if i come to bangalore i will meet you at your location
Hello Vishal,
We are not part of Nat Geo crew. We only work with them on projects. You may reach me on gowrishankar.pogiri@gmail.com
Regards
Gowri
Thanku for you replay mr. shankar sir
hello sir…….
Iam interacting on ur blog second tine. Sir actually i really need ur help for advise , pls sir i have many expectations wid u. Sir i want to decide my future line,my career , sir if i truely say i dont want to do engineering or anything else bcoz since i have grown up it has always been my dream to be a part of environment conservation or animal conservation.Whenever my parents ask me in which college i want to go i dont have any options bcoz i dont want to do that. It has always been my dream to live for animals, our environment. U r one of d persons who really motivates me. Sir pls can u suggest me some job opportunites in this field, pls sir i hope u cn show me some light, email it to my id or can i talk wid u once. It’s v imp for me sir, i will be v thankful to u……….
Hello Harishita
I can see you are very keen about wildlife. Please share your educational background. It would be good for you to start reading up, volunteering or interning at environmental organizations and learn about things you like first. Your career decision will come later.
Thank u sir for ur response, and ok sir I will search for the organizations as u said. And I will definitely try to come at ur camp at least once in future.
Hi Gowri shankar, have you moved to Bangalore? We came to Agumbe but couldn’t find your rainforest station / base camp. Can you share any contact details?
Hello Naina. We conduct educational workshops and camps at our camp site, Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology in Agumbe. Please write to info@rainforestecology.com for further details.
hello sir my name is kshitij shakya.
i study in 12th class. i intersted in snakes.and i want to make a carrier in snakes.so please give me a advise for my future plan
Hey Guys,
An excellent read. This is Subhrajit from http://www.adventureclicknblog.com and we would love to have your blogs listed in our website. We have also launched a credit system for contributions by which contributors can reimburse the points for cool travel stuffs (adventureclicknblog.com/moreblognearn.php). The credit points are a way of saying thank you for your sincere effort and time for writing.
Regards,
Subhrajit,
Subhrajit.ghadei@gmail.com
0091 8378997510
sir my name is Keshav Kumar Jha and i want to be a snake catcher like you and my favorite Indian snake is cobra,
Sir I want to request to you if you ever need a assistent please call me I really want to now more about cobra as much as I can and sir I search a lot about you and to contact you but I got only this blog.
Sir please ever you have a time please call me on this no 8285282696
Basavaraj
hi Gowri,
I completed 4th semester integrated M.sc (5 years) in biological sciences in the department of biological sciences, Bangalore university, Bangalore. As a student of Biological Sciences I have been fascinated by the very existence of life. Being surrounded by the amazing life forms, I look forward to put-forth myself in learning and understanding the biological aspects of life. I have gone through your website and work and I’m very curious about the happening things which are really interesting and I’m fascinated by every aspect of the king cobras.
I’m very keen on working with you. I would like to assist you in your project. Since I’m new to this and inexperienced I would request you to give me an opportunity to learn. I would like to work and assist as an intern/volunteer under your guidance. I’m looking forward to hear from you.
Thank you.
Email id: basavarajmulage@gmail.com
Ph no: 7411231063
[…] To read personal blog of Gauri Shankar […]
Hai Sir, I am interested in the snake rescue and working on snake. I want to join your team. Please sir give me an opportunity to work with you and your team, its my humble request sir……… By Ranjith N T
Email: ntr071991@gmail.com
Namaste sir. My self narayan from hubli I’m a commerce student but I’m very much interested about wild life studies. I’m very much happy about u sir beacouse u are the only researcher of king cobra in our country. Nowadays it is very difficult task to research about wild life but u got success in that. Really u are doing good job. I watched your programmer which was telecasted in national geographic channel. I was very curiosity to watch your programme. Sir if possible can I meet u in agumbe
Thank you Narayan. Sure do come down to KCRE, Agumbe and we can meet.
Hi Gowri, it is a very nice blog. You put impressive amount of work into it. Good luck for your current and future projects!
Thank you.
Hello sir! I am impressed about your work on saving,rescuing and creating awareness about snakes.So Im interested to join your team after my studies. How can I join? Please inform me.
Hello Gowri,
I am from Mlore. I watch ur documentaries and really amazing and proud to see our kannadiga in national geographic conserving the wildlife . Keep this ongoing journey in the hills of agumbe. All the very best on the coming days.
Thanks,
Supreeth
Hi Gowri,
I see the documentaries of urs on national geo and it feels proud to have our kannadiga working with wildlife preservation that too in agumbe. I am from mlore. Wish you a very best in near future and keep up this ongoing along the hills gowri. If you dont mind can u provide me the email address.
Thanks,
Supreeth
Thank you Supreeth. You may reach me at gowrishankar.pogiri@gmail.com and you are welcome to visit our camp site Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology at Agumbe (kalinga@kalingacre.com)
Hello sir,
Love to read the page and yes i would want to be a part of Agumbe carer.
Wanted to visit Agumbe on Feb 28-March3 for the observation in Agume Rain forest.
Also sent a mail to you on the same and waiting for your welcome cal.
Thank you
Hi,
Want to visit KCRE on 25-26 march. Send email to kalinga@kalingacre.com . waiting to reply for availability for that time.
Thanks
Hello Sir,
I read You Blog and big Fan of your Documentries. I want to start a snake farm, So i need a guidance from your side Sir.
Sir, Please Guide me how can i start a snake farm.
Also sent a mail to you on the same and waiting for your response.
Thank You
Zubair Mirza
zubairmizz@gmail.com
Hi sir,
I’m from hosanagara,from highschool days I’m watching ur documentaries on NGC and youtube,always I think that must spend atleast a part of ma life like you in serving nature and with those KING of our Western ghats……can you pls provide info regarding visiting you and augumbe ARRS(season,working times)becauce I frequently visit Tirthahalli ma granny home…….i hope my this wish to meet you, will fulfil in the near coming days……
thank you sir….
Hello Mr.Gowrishankar,
Myself Darshan from bangalore, I am interested in attending the STORM workshop. I also did send a mail regarding the same couple of weeks back, guess you are having a buys schedule. Please let me know where and when is the next STORM workshop happening. I would be very keen on attending the same.
Hello Gowrishankar, have read a lot of stuff about your good work. Need your help regarding one query I have received from one of my friend. They are a group of foreigners who are keen to visit Agumbe Research Centre to see the natural habitat of king cobra & other snakes. What would be the best way to make this happen & I also need a naturalist who can accompany my guests. Looking forward to your reply. Thanks Sushmita (9845201802)
Hey Sushmita, I suppose we connected through email regarding this.
Hello sir, I am a scientist from Centre for Electromagnetics(CEM) Chennai, I wanted to learn snake handling from you…as too much interested in snakes and want to be a snake friend…Can u please teach n train me…Sanket N Bhagat…CEM Chennai, 7387512172/7598767921
Hello Sanket, We conduct the STORM workshop where we address the topics you have mentioned. Please share your email id or write to kalinga@kalingacre.com for more details about the STORM workshop. The next one is happening in Mysore on the 9th and 10th of Sept.
Hi Gowri Shankar and Sharmila, congratulations on living your dream! Your pics of Agumbe are beautiful, thanks for sharing. I have a question: I recently found 6 eggs about the size of hens’ eggs, in a hollow on the ground near my house. I don’t know if they are the eggs of a snake or a bird – there was no creature nearby, guarding or even watching it. If I send you a picture, will you be able to identify them?
Hello , So sorry about the late response. If you think we’d still be able to help please send it to kalinga@kalingacre.com
I wanted to send snake pictures which was taken in our office farm. Will you identify, it looks like a King Cobrag
I am happy to see someone doing a prolific work to save the flora and fauna of Western Ghats. I have decided to to come and explore and learn. I will try my best to join you sir. All the best for future programmes.
Thank you Prashantha.
Can you please let me know when is the next workshop planned near to bangalore.
Hello Suresh,
The next STORM Mysore workshop is happening on the 18&19th May 2019. Shall mail you details.
Dear Dr Gowri Shankar
Great blog and contents are highly educative. I want to contact you personally either through email or over phone in order to get solution for a community issue involving snakes.
My mobile is 9845946958
Hello Vishwanath,
Very sorry about the late response. I hope we can take this forward.
Any upcoming workshops for kids in Chennai..
Sorry none from our end at Chennai for kids. STORM adult is happening in Chennai on the 14&15th of Dec
Respected Sir,
I am Toufique Shahnowaz from West Bengal, India. At present I am a student of Master Degree (1st year) in Zoology from Banaras Hindu University(BHU); Varanasi; Uttar Pradesh.
During B. Sc. 3 year degree, I have discovered ecology; both field and modelling as well as conservation biology as my field of interest. Working in the field under a non governmental organization in my district boosted my interest in conservation biology and wildlife related awareness programme.
While browsing through the website, I came across your research interests and found it to be very exciting and matching to mine. I look forward to learn and develop more knowledge about ecology and wildlife in future. But in my home University there is no special paper on Ecology that’s why I have no opportunity to work on my field of interest.
So, it would be very kind of you if you could let me know if there is any opportunity for me to work in a summer internship programme and learn under you as my guide in near future.
I would be very happy to get a reply from you.
Thank you.
Your Sincerely,
Toufique Shahnowaz
Thank you for stopping by Toufique. Please write to kalinga@kalingafoundation.org they will help you out in this regard
Sir, I am now 74. I have been working on snakebite management and conservation in rural areas for the last 51 years. I shall feel much honoured if you teach me the process of identifying the genus of snake by counting head and body scales. With thanks.
That is wonderful to know Marit Deb. Thank you for sharing your comment. I conduct a session called Basic Course in Snake Ecology, we cover this aspect here. We will be announcing the dates soon and you are welcome to join. Due to COVID presently all our courses are online.
Hello sir
I am presently studying my intermediate and I aspire to become a herpetologist,but not much guidance is available so it would be very kind of you if you could please help me out.
Thank you with anticipation.
Thats great Abhay. Please write to kalinga@kalingafoundation.org
sir i am aesha 19 years.
Nees some guidance in studying snake and reptiles and how to go ahead in this field.
Sure Aesha, please write to kalinga@kalingafoundation.org
Hello,
Is this chat still live?
My student would like to write a letter to Gowri Shankar.
Thank you!
Kathy
Hello Kathy,
Yes it is alive. Please write to Gowri Shankar at gowrishankar.pogiri@gmail.com
Great! He is writing his letter now! He is pretty excited to send this to you. Have a great day 🙂