The tranquil forests of Agumbe have come alive. A musical pitter-patter is at play. The nimbus clouds release a flurry of pearl droplets. They dance and swirl unfettered; in mid-air, before they embrace the landscape; imbuing it with a fresh lease of life.

The forests is decked in lush, bejewelled shades of green. The stream gurgles to the symphony of a multitude of mating frogs. An idyllic place to get lost in your solitude.

The crickets and katydids break into a clamorous chitter-chatter (read: love calls). The cicadas refuse to be left behind. Their high-pitched, cacophonous calls in pursuit of the perfect mate, echo across the valley. They do pause for a bit, but return to vocalising  with complete ardour.

Others need to be given a chance to brush their communication skills, as well. The Malabar Grey hornbills, perched atop the canopies, engage in a conspicuously animated conversations, peppered with intermittent cackles.

This is a quirky, symphonious band. One that you will rarely witness. Especially if you are a city dweller.

Meanwhile, a Giant Malabar squirrel slinks in to polish off the last jackfruit of the season. Somewhere, a Malabar pit viper slithers in stealthily, and waits in ambush of a hearty meal of frogs, if you will please. A vine snake casually drapes itself on a branch that sways to the gentle breeze and falls asleep; knowing it has perfected the art of camouflage.  

Welcome to Kalinga Mane, better known as KCRE – Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology. In Kannada, Kalinga translates to the King cobra and Mane stands for home ~ King cobra’s home.

Into the Heart of Agumbe, at the Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology (KCRE)

It’s an early June morning in Mangalore. After a sumptuous breakfast of Neer dosa, we drive down through the picturesque countryside of Karnataka, Southern India. The rain gently pelts down on our windscreen, as I exchange notes in part sign language, part “textures” with our gentle chauffeur who mostly speaks Kannada, the local language. He has come to pick us up from KCRE, Agumbe.

The three-hour ride is nothing short of awe-inspiring, with a quick break at a countryside eatery that includes delicious Buns and filter coffee. Buns is a sweet savoury local bread roll/puri with a banana filling. 

My newly minted 16-year-old (Aarshia) is interning at Kalinga foundation, as I mention in my earlier post. (I introduce her to you today by finally sharing her name. I’ve shared the photos taken by her regularly, and this introduction was due.)

As we drive into the winding hills of Agumbe, the landscape transforms into an even more captivating one. Driver Anna (brother in Kannada) deftly traverses through a narrow lane of a small village.

Hello Kalinga Mane

A short, bumpy ride eventually brings us to our much-awaited destination, Kalinga Mane.

Stepping out of the car, we inhale the rising petrichor and the crisp forest air. A pair of master mimics – Racket tailed Drongos greet us with their mellifluous calls, only to fly overhead. 

Soft, beaming smiles from the team of researchers at KCRE make us feel at home, all at once.

Kalinga Mane homes Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology – an enchanting haven, and research station all at the same time; in an Areca palm plantation, nestled in the lap of the dense rainforests of Agumbe. 

Our Home for the next one Week

Sunrise cottage, where we are put up opens out to unhindered views of the towering Areca palm plantation, and overlooks a lush hillock awash and gleaming in the rains. Accommodations in the form of tents and cottages are offered, depending on your budget. 

We are just in time for a piping hot, home style, local Malnad lunch that includes Sambhar, Rasam and farm fresh vegetables, cooked with a tempering of curry leaves and coconut. As we step out of the cottage to go eat in the community kitchenette, the leeches decide to greet me in their imitable style.

I have no idea whatsoever, of a whole set of rendezvous with the leeches, that shall unfold in the days to come!

All About Agumbe

Kalinga Centre for Rainforest Ecology (KCRE), the research station is nestled in the depths of the dense rainforests of Agumbe. A rich biodiversity of proliferating flora and fauna lend these forests their quintessential charm.

Agumbe is a tiny village in Thirthahalli Taluk, in the Shivamogga district of  Malnad region, in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. 

It records the second highest rainfall in India, after Maysynram in Meghalaya. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, Agumbe lies in proximity to the Arabian sea, one of the contributing factors for its heavy rainfall. The captivating novella, Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan was also filmed here – a much adored TV series when I was a kid. 

The staggeringly biodiverse Agumbe is a veritable paradise of herpetofauna (that stands for reptiles and amphibians), and a varied species of plant, fungi, avian, mammalian, insect and butterfly population.

Also abode to the King –  the King cobra, that just happens to be the undisputed ruler of this biodiverse haven. The longest known venomous snake, a King cobra’s bite can deliver large volumes of paralysing neurotoxin, that is fatal and can kill an elephant.

Yet, the locals of Agumbe never harm the King/Kalinga, and rescue calls to rehabilitate them is common place, when they enter human settlement.

The KCRE Backstory

KCRE was founded by Dr. P. Gowri Shankar, a wildlife biologist with a deep passion and understanding for King Cobras, and his wife Sharmila who quit a thriving corporate career, to follow her passion for wildlife and conservation.

The centre strives to educate people to take responsibility for the environment, while understanding it intimately. They also undertake numerous research and telemetry projects to track and understand herpetofauna better.

KCRE receives innumerable rescue calls, for not just the King cobra, but other snakes as well. There is a robust population of snake species like the Malabar Pit Viper, Spectacled Cobra, Cat snake, Wolf snake, Farnsworth vine snake; among many others. 

The team led by Gowri and Prashanth (who immaculately manages Kalinga Mane) are always ready, as a call can come anytime of the day. These heart-thumping rescue operation have helped rehabilitate over 300 King cobras and other snakes so far.

KCRE undertakes multiple workshops to educate people on herpetofauna, the ecology of the rainforests, snakes and snake rescue methodologies. The workshops are offered virtual and in person at the station in Agumbe, and other locations as well. The Kalinga foundation on the other hand offers internships and volunteering opportunities for students and adults alike.

Our Agumbe Adventure Begins

We are fortunate to catch the first flush of monsoons and the emerald green glow of the bountiful landscape that is infused back to life, in this placid, pristine paradise. 

After lunch, we are taken through an orientation with the team which includes Priyanka, the program manager at KCRE, Dr. Gowri Shankar and other researchers. 
The session outlines the scope of work for the interns and volunteers, the dos and don’ts in the habitat, and an overview of the morning-night herping trails. For the un-initiated, herping is the act of searching for amphibians and reptiles. We are also briefed about the locations we would be herping at, while carrying out a survey of the herpetofauna (reptile and amphibian) population. 

Our adventures in Agumbe are just flagging off!

In the evening we are indulged to a sumptuous pepper chicken and salad meal, rustled up by Priyanka. The cook is on leave. At KCRE everyone takes ownership for the tasks at hand, including making tea, meals when necessary, doing their dishes and guiding the guests. Especially, when you volunteer and intern here, or have come to spend a few months doing research work.

Priyanka meticulously chops the vegetables, and prepares the meal that is a complete gourmand’s delight. 

One could tell how much she enjoys the process. Possibly as much in line with the telemetry project she undertakes on Malabar Pit Vipers – another stunning and gorgeous snake from Agumbe, and a thriving resident of Kalinga Mane. 

In Stealth Mode by the Stream Trail 

Our first walk at the stream trail commences at 9 pm. Armed in our boots, leech socks, rain gear, head lamps and torches, we are ready to take on the battle ground of leeches, and witness the fascinating nocturnal residents of the trail.

We are to record only herpetofauna. The plethora of flora and fauna that reveals to us, leaves us spell bound. These include different species of colourful, fluorescent fungi, spiders, scorpions, moths, butterflies, mayflys etc., actively engaged in their nocturnal pursuits, in the pouring rain. 

Among the herpetofauna we sight the rarely seen Malabar tree toad (Pedostibes tuberculosus), a juvenile Bombay Caecilian (Ichthyophis bombayensis), Golden backed frogs (Indosylvirana sp.), Karnataka night frogs (Nyctibatrachus karnatakaensi), a lone Skittering frog (Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis) and a Roux’s lizard (Monilesaurus rouxii). 

Other Night Dwellers

No snakes in sight. That is indeed top of mind, and on our agenda.

As we trudge through the dense rain forest by the stream with our head lights and eyes peeled for any movement, the 16 year-old (Aarshia) and I sight a snake hurriedly slither into the crevices of a Warty Marble tree trunk. We, are therefore perplexed with its identity. Our survey is to end at 10:30 pm, and as we inch closer to the wrap up time, I pray that a snake gives us a royal appearance somehow, on our first herp in Agumbe.

Make it till you Snake it!

Akshay, an astute, learned researcher who is showing us around, points to a tree and asks us to spot a vine snake. We are flummoxed! {*Prayers answered*}

After a few hints from Akshay, we finally see our first Farnsworth vine snake, nonchalantly draped on the lower storey of a dense tree. It is fast asleep, and oblivious of the intruders who have just walked into its resting site; interrupting its slumber for the sake of photos and soft, yet excited squeals.

We keep the photos as minimal as possible, without disturbing it too much. I am floored and unable to take my eyes off this stunning being. 

It’s a great way to call it a night. Aarshia and I return to the cottage, and fall into deep slumber. But not without peeling off our muddy gumboots, wet leech socks, flashlights and rain gear; a silent witness to the adventures that are to follow in the upcoming week. 

The rain drums all night, as the frogs, cicadas and katydids try to outshine each other and the rains, in a bid to sound more melodious than the other. These are the most calming, natural and ambient binaural beats one can hear, that too in the lap of nature; only to be lulled into a relaxing sleep.

KCRE – Guardians of the Blue Planet

KCRE isn’t for the faint-hearted. Neither is it a holiday destination where you go and make merry. Notwithstanding, you do so with nature! But not to party music blaring at high volume, loud banter, or booze for company. Instead you relish the company of nature, the silence it brings to the soul.

You go to Kalinga Mane to slow down.  And become one with nature. Appreciate nature a lot more than you do otherwise. You also learn to look at it with a new, refreshing perspective. For people like me who grew up by the countryside, or close to nature; visiting Agumbe is going back to your roots. 

For city dwellers it’s a whole new world; of learning to appreciate the forests, up-close and personal. It’s a homecoming. You start cherishing the simple joys that nature lends you, and look at with a sense of awe.

Children who are introduced to nature early, learn to value different species, their importance and the role they play in our lives. Starting them off young is the best way to ensure they become the guardians of this planet, that is in desperate need to be cared for. People return to the city, not just armed with awareness, but also start taking onus for the planet’s well being.

Coming up

Part II of this piece, takes you further into the depths of the Agumbe rainforests. New vistas and adventures will be revealed here, and how interns, volunteers and visitors to KCRE experience the place firsts-hand.

Stay tuned!

Would you go volunteer at a rainforest?

Tell me what struck you most about this post. And anything particular you’d like to hear in the upcoming one.

Look forward to hearing from you.

So long!

Natasha

No post of mine is complete without a musical ending. Today’s are a bit different than what I usually post. These sounds are the closest to what we experienced. Hope they lend you some calm.