Manjula goes blogging...

In what now feels like another lifetime, I used to work with crocodiles in India- assisting in Jeff Lang’s study on temperature-sex determination, overseeing the daily feeding of 10,000 crocs, helping catch, measure, and move crocodiles among enclosures…those were really fun days. And reckless days! If someone dared me to climb into the adult saltwater crocodile enclosure, release a calling hatchling near the water and leap back out over a 5-foot high enclosure wall, I would do it - most foolish! Then I was introduced to sea turtles, and there was no going back to crocs. But I still love the occasional opportunity to help at the St. Augustine Alligator farm here in Florida. The challenges and the element of danger associated with croc work are thrilling and irresistible! Here, we are helping Kent Vliet and John Thorbjarnarson measure the bite force of alligators. The largest alligator (>300 cm in total length) had a bite force of approximately 2,125 lbs!

Photo by: T.Barbeau

Posted by Manjula Tiwari at 01:05 PM | Permalink

Christmas of 1990, I was in the North Andamans, visiting the small Karen settlement - tribe of Burmese origin - with the intentions of recruiting a boatman to help with sea turtle surveys in the Andaman archipelago. It was my first trip to the islands and the start of my very first sea turtle project. Christmas festivities in the village included races and volleyball - one of my favorite sports! Although they were all-male teams, they generously let me participate. I am happy to say my team won, but not without a gash on my knee - it wasn’t large enough to worry about. So I didn’t worry about it, returned to Port Blair, and went skin diving around some wonderful coral reefs in the area. A day later, the region from the gash on the knee down to my ankle was completely infected - walking was painful and the few medicines I had or acquired were ineffective against the pus accumulating along the length of my shin. Kind and non-squeamish visitors even tried to squeeze all the pus out to accelerate the healing, but it didn’t help. Finally, I located the best local doctor and was told I needed a couple of shots. After one glimpse of the unsafe, repeated use of needles and syringes I decided it was worth making a brief trip to the mainland for serious treatment. Fortunately, I was able to do so. Ever since, my field equipment has included a heftier first -aid kit with disposable needles and syringes. I am told that a book worth owning when working in undeveloped areas is “Where there is no doctor.”

Posted by Manjula Tiwari at 09:39 PM | Permalink