08 April,2023 08:41 AM IST | Mumbai | Devanshi Doshi
Their new season takes us on an unpredicted journey across the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons
Are you fascinated by the marine life beneath the Arabian Sea, each time you are seated at one of the city's promenades? If such mysteries about wildlife intrigue you, The Thing about Wildlife is a podcast tailor-made for you.
Founded by Ishika Ramakrishnan and Akshay Surendra, the podcast is a deep-dive into the untold stories of Indian wildlife by professionals from the fields of ecology and conservation. Their new season takes us on an uncharted journey across the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago.
The Thing about Andaman and Nicobar Islands is our favourite of the three seasons. Host Ramakrishnan invites her guests to share fascinating, and sometimes, jaw-dropping anecdotes from their professional expeditions. In the 10-episode-long season, they not only reveal lesser-known facts about monkeys, the seagrass and dugong behaviour, but also stress on the dire need for conservation projects.
The episode called The Thing about Galloping Dolphins also caught our attention. Cetacean biologist Mahi Mankeshwar recalls humorous exchanges with fishermen - there's one in which a fisherman refers to spinner dolphins as Shaktimaan. She paints vivid images with her narrative to describe her encounters with different species of dolphins and whales, and also reveals insider tips on the most frequently visited areas by these amiable mammals.
"It is an accessible podcast, free from jargon, that has been created with the intent to draw in listeners keen to know more about the environment, wildlife, climate change, local communities and the interlinkages among them," explains Ramakrishnan. She notes that the podcast has over 40 episodes, with more in the pipeline to cover topics from wildlife and urban spaces, to remote Himalayan peaks. "I would like to believe there's a story there for everyone," she signs off.
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