Walking in the Wild
by Sejal Mehta and illustrated by Barkha Lohia
“Walking in the Wild” by Sejal Mehta and illustrated by Barkha Lohia. Published by Pratham. A book that takes us through the lush Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram.
Zakhuma Don is a guard who works for the Mizoram Forest Department. He takes us through the forest introducing us to the wildlife that abound there. He talks about the work he does everyday. Camera traps have been set up in the forest to help in guarding. Checking out the footage gives a glimpse of some of the creatures who came close by. It can also help in detecting if there are poachers or if any animal is in trouble.
Zakhuma loves the forest and is passionate about his work. He does wildlife photography to understand the animal behaviour better and to document the creatures that live in the reserve. The photos and videos can be shared later with the locals as well as people who live in faraway places. Very thoughtful given that we don’t know much about this far flung forest in the north east of India. Zakhuma has managed to get some rare shots of very elusive creatures such as the grey peacock pheasant and the clouded leopard.
One of the video clippings from a camera trap show the presence of three men slinking away in the darkness. Can Zakhuma stop them before they harm any animal? What will he do? Read the book to find out and take a journey through this beautiful forest. The illustrations are beautiful and portray the forest so well.
I enjoyed reading this book with my 7.5 year old recently. This was our first book set in Mizoram. We read up online about Zakhuma Don and saw a couple of the photos that he has clicked. We also figured out that he managed to get evidence last year about the presence of a tiger in the reserve for the first time after 2014. The video taken by one of the camera traps that he set up showed a tiger. It was heartening to read about his work and the challenges that the forest department face in patrolling the jungle in such harsh conditions. Thank you Vidya Mani of Funky Rainbow for recommending this lovely book!
Recommended Age
The book is level 4 and apt for children aged 7/8+.
Reasons to Read
The book gives a peek into a lesser known region of India and some rare as well as elusive creatures which are not found elsewhere.
The book talks about the work of forest guards and what challenges they face.
Where to buy from?
The publishers Pratham Books here.
An independent indie bookstore, Funky Rainbow, from where I buy many of my books.