A Bhutanese Herpetographer

NB I wrote this note for the staff of Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary when I moved to Trashigang in February 2012 on transfer but never reached them. I know I wrote it but never really gave to them.  Dear friends of BWS, Much against my will, I am leaving Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary and all of you know the reason. I am keeping this note for all of you so that you cherish the sanctuary as much as I do. I like this sanctuary for several reasons and the most heart touching ones I note here to keep you in touch with it. Plain, baffled, anxious and enterprising, I joined BWS in May 1999 and a decade long service to this sanctuary has given me enough experience about itself. Therefore, within the four walls of Bumdeling Wildlife Sanctuary, I have something interesting to share, something that you will not disagree and something that you won’t forget. Photo 1: View of Thangchenpo area (Photo courtesy of Late Dr. Pralad Yonzon, 2003). A rough and a know-nothing guy, I first st...

Noto Bene This piece was written in 2011 and posted in my earlier blog which has since been removed from the internet. It is reproduced here without any changes. The insect later became the National butterfly of Bhutan.  I am not an avid blogger and I blog only whenever I get time. I also do not intend to be involved in the so called discovery games and really hate to be a part of a popular team in anything I do. So, even in this story that I am blogging I have no intentions whatsoever to support anyone or attack and harm anyone. It is just my side of the story and I have a strong belief that not many people will read this particular story. I am just penning it down only for my sake and my memory because the famous so-called the rediscovery of Bhutan Swallowtail, Bhutanitis ludlowi (Gabriel, 1942) (Figure I) is so close to me and my service life. But before going for the story straight I would like the readers (if any) to know who I am and why I am so much intereste...

T he sun has long set and the stars are aplenty but my eyes are still not closed. It is 0125 hrs at the BAIRD HOUSE - one of the so many homes in Pollock Halls (Photo I) at Edinburgh but I am sure it is 0625 hrs in my country. Travelling up to here have been not so easy because I had to change three air buses. A small one from Paro to Delhi, a bigger one from Delhi to Amsterdam and finally another smaller one from Amsterdam to Edinburgh. The journey that started from Haa, Bhutan on 30th June, 2017 ended on the morning of 2nd July, 2017 at Edinburgh with halt at Paro and Delhi. Paro treated me good and I know I will never be treated bad there because my host is my host but Delhi was bit tough but why would it be so good. It has every reason to treat me the way it treated. Why choose air buses that make you wait a long time in Delhi? It is your choice. You must toil for you have chosen so. A long wait! Reached Delhi by 1110 hrs as planned and waited up to 0340 hrs there until the morni...