20 SANCTUARY ASIA, 2018 MAYKanchenjunga is Kanchenjunga is
India’s tallest peak India’s tallest peak
and is 8,586 mand is 8,586 m. tall!. tall!
WWHO WASHO WAS
J. Vijaya?J. Vijaya?
‘Superwoman’ would be the correct
word to describe India’s first woman
herpetologist* J. Vijaya. In her short,
life of just 28 years, she left a lasting
impression at a time when herpetology as
a subject was rather unheard of, let alone
a woman herpetologist living alone in the
caves of the deep, dense forests of Kerala!
Fondly known as Viji, she was born in- She started out as a volunteer at
the Madras Snake Park in Chennai when
she was just a teenager, eventually joining
the Park as a full-time employee after
studying Zoology at the Ethiraj College,
Chennai. Here, she found her life’s
purpose – studying freshwater turtles.
As a turtle biologist, Viji braved all kinds
of obstacles in search of rare freshwater
turtles such as the forest cane turtle,
which was later renamed after her. From
the ravines of Chambal infamous for
dangerous dacoits to nondescript areas
of Uttar Pradesh, she went wherever her
quest took her. Viji bravely uncovered
and documented the massive wild
turtle trade in India. She found how the
turtles were hunted and smuggled in
terrible conditions across states. She also
documented the slaughter of olive Ridley
sea turtles on Digha beach in West Bengal
and its meat trade. Viji was a fearless
woman whose work has contributed
immensely to our knowledge and the
conservation of turtles.
Vitamin Sea!
YYou never know ou never know
wwhathat
you might fiyou might fi nd in the
nd in the
rwoman’wouldbethecorrectWhat do fi^ sh eat to stay healt
hy?
What do fi sh eat to stay healthy?Mixed Bag
Why is sea water salty?
Almost 3.5 per cent of the planet’s oceans
is salt. To understand how much salt that
really is, imagine this: if all the water were
poured off our planet and the salt left
behind was spread evenly across
Earth’s surface, the layer would be over
152 m. thick! Roughly as tall as a 40-storey
building! But where does all this salt come
from? Most of it makes its way to the sea
from land. When it rains, the minerals from
the soil wash into the rivers and the rivers
in turn deposit the salt into the sea. Some
salt also comes from volcanic vents and
rock beds in the sea.WWhite-handed gibbons hite-handed gibbons
ccan ‘fly’ a distance of an ‘fly’ a distance of
nnearly 12 m. before early 12 m. before
llanding on the next tree!anding on the next tree!* See glossary on page 23FFARAR--OUT OUT FFact ...act ...
Earth’s atmosphere
protects us from meteors.
They burn up before they
can hit the Earth’s surface!ZAI WHITAKER