AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 6 – eConnect Reviews CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 209 of 237 There was also this picture of a tiger and a spotted deer standing in close proximity, without the remotest suggestion in their body language of the hunter and the hunted! It is as though they are posing for a photo op! Even a casual look at the photograph may excite a wildlife enthusiast. As the Speaker was recounting, the jungle ecosystem has many built-in alarms to announce the move of a tiger – agitated movement of monkeys, panicky chirping of the birds, running for cover by the animals of prey etc. But the picture has nothing of the associated happenings. The calm and serene look on the deer’s face has no fear in it. Only shows that there is much more in the animal behaviour pattern that humans do not understand yet. Why are pieces of charcoal being used as part of their nests by birds known for their nesting tendencies? Charcoal, as it turns out, is an effective dehumidifier. Which School ever taught these birds (Red Munia, in this instance) structural engineering, unless it is their own native intelligence? A picture speaks a thousand words. Some of the snaps presented by the Speaker beautifully portrayed how difficult is motherhood, and the attendant commitment of tending to the young. More so in the wild. Yet other pictures showcased the drama that is staged by the male of the species during mating season in the avian world! Even a super computer can not mix and match nature’s colourful creativity at its best. At the same time, the author can not help thanking the Almighty for the small mercies of not subjecting the men of the species for having to display such crafty, intricate and ungainly exercises for wooing their beloved!