Young photographers join hands to create awareness on Telangana’s grasslands

Hyderabad: A group of young photographers have joined hands to do their bit to create awareness on Telangana’s grasslands, and if possible, trigger some action from the authorities to protect these crucial ecosystems. Their team, collectively known as ‘Wild Telangana’, is all set to release a series of wildlife documentaries on grasslands, which are home […]

Hyderabad: A group of young photographers have joined hands to do their bit to create awareness on Telangana’s grasslands, and if possible, trigger some action from the authorities to protect these crucial ecosystems.

Their team, collectively known as ‘Wild Telangana’, is all set to release a series of wildlife documentaries on grasslands, which are home to some rare and endangered animals and birds like the Indian Grey Wolf, Black Bucks, Striped Hyena, Great Indian Bustard, Sandgrouse and the Lesser Florican, apart from various reptiles and migrant species.

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The team, comprising cinematographer and automobile photographer Pradeep Praz, software engineer and wildlife photographer Harikrishna Philkhana, product photographer John Justin, wildlife photographer Ch. Avinash, techie and wildlife photographer Sanjay and Reuben Ashish David, recently released a teaser on the initiative, ‘Grasslands – a Short Documentary Series’.

Ninety percent of work on the series has been completed, informs Pradeep, while Harikrishna says the project has opened their eyes further to the need for protection and conservation of grasslands, something that Telangana has in several of its districts, but with not much attention.

“Grasslands are important because they are a natural carbon sink and natural carbon sinks are an important part of the natural process of carbon cycle, which keeps global temperature more or less in balance. The grasslands are also feeding grounds for so many endangered species,” says Pradeep, pointing out that the Indian Grey Wolf, which they saw and filmed in the grasslands in Vikarabad, Nalgonda and Khammam districts, were only about 3,000 in number in the world

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“They are as endangered as tigers, which are also about the same in population. But when tigers have tiger reserves and the Project Tiger, the Indian Grey Wolf has no protection of that sort,” the team says.

They also saw the endangered black bucks, already facing a poaching threat, being chased by feral dogs in Vikarabad.

“People tend to think forests when we say green cover. Grasslands are equally important. These open natural ecosystems urgently need government initiatives for protection and conservation,” they say.

In Telangana, grasslands are located in Vikarabad, Nizamabad, Khammam, Siddipet and Nalgonda, says Harikrishna, who adds that the threats to wildlife thriving in the grasslands, apart from hunting for bush meat, including spreading canine distemper virus, rabies from feral dogs and most crucially, habitat loss.

“We at ‘Wild Telangana’ hope to create awareness about the importance of grasslands and the wildlife in Telangana, apart from making conservation efforts,” the team says.