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More the merrier

What better time to know more about some lesser-known members of the Indian animal kingdom, than during Wildlife Week? Read on…

India is home to rare animal species that are cute, boisterous, colourful and sometimes, even dangerous. How many of them have you come across?

Move the slider from right to left to see the unique Indian animals mentioned.

Honey badgers are the world’s most ferocious creatures, and are synonymous with unhinged aggression. The Guinness World Records has named them “World’s Most Fearless Creatures”. They have been spotted in large numbers in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.

Binturong, also known as bear cat, is a species of civet. It uses its tail for climbing. While
sleeping it uses its tail to anchor itself securely to a branch. They are not uncommon in the forested plains and hills throughout Assam.

The takin, also called cattle chamois or gnu goat, is a large species of hoofed  mammal, found in the eastern Himalayas.

Found in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, the Malabar Pied Hornbill has a large beak but lacks the casque that is prominent in some other hornbill species. It has mainly black plumage, apart from its white belly, throat patch, tail sides and trailing edge to the wings.

Saara hardwickii or Indian spiny-tailed lizard found mostly in the Thar desert of Rajasthan and Kutch district of Gujarat is herbivorous. It excavates sloping, zig-zag burrows or spiraling tunnels to live in.

Commonly known as the two-headed snake, the Red Sand Boa (Eryx Johnii ) is non-venomous. It is mostly found in the semi-desert and dry foothills of Rajasthan.

Trinkets and trifles

The festive season is around the corner. Help your parents decorate the house by making this toran.

Nothing says “festive season” more than decorative torans that hang across the door frame, welcoming friends and family. With Dussehra and Deepavali around the corner, learn how to make one.


Be our Guest Editor!

This Children’s Day will be like no other. You get a chance to be a Guest Editor of The Hindu Young World magazine for a day!

Uncertain future

Wildlife Week is celebrated every year from October 2 to 8 to raise awareness about protection of wildlife.

October 2 to 8 is Wildlife Week in India. A time to take stock of our flora and fauna and see what we can do to protect them.
Scientists have estimated that there could be more than 30 million animal species on this planet. Sadly, around the world many of these species are on their way out. Click on the hotpsot and take a look at some animals that found themselves on the International Union for Conservation of Nature list of threatened species.

Paws right now!

World Animal Day is a time to celebrate and appreciate our relationship with the animals that share the planet with us.

Nine decades ago, the idea of World Animal Day was mooted by Heinrich Zimmermann, the German writer and publisher of the magazine Mensch und Hund/Man and Dog. He organised the first World Animal Day on March 24, 1925, in the Sport Palace in Berlin, Germany. Over 5,000 people attended. Initially, he found a following only in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia. But, Zimmermann worked on promoting World Animal Day. Finally, in May 1931 at a congress of the world’s animal protection organisations in Florence, Italy, his proposal to make October 4 World Animal Day universal, was accepted.

This is also an opportune time to talk about the humane treatment of farm animals and to advocate for protection of habitats of wild animals. This is now a social movement with the hope of raising the status of animals to improve their lives. To achieve this, animal welfare organisations, community groups, youth and children’s clubs, businesses and individuals organise events to draw attention to animal issues.

Ecosystems are extremely fragile and when any species becomes extinct, it has serious repercussions. So, it is important to conserve the balance in our ecosystems and protect them. It ensures that tens of thousands of people will maintain their farming and fishing livelihoods. Over the years, World Animal Day has seen great success in improving the lives of animals.

Here’s an activity for you. Look closely at the images below and see if you can spot the differences.

Important days

There are also other days linked to animals such as World Farmed Animals Day (October 2), World Day for Laboratory Animals (April 24), World Wildlife Day (March 3) and many more. However, World Animal Day is the one day of the year that embraces all animals and the unique concerns of each, in every country. It unites the animal welfare movement, mobilising it into a global force for change.

Act for a cause

– Pet adoption drives

– Fund-raising events such as concerts and sponsored walks

– Film screening

– Veterinary treatment camp

– Peaceful protest march

– Volunteer at a zoo or a park

– Make your own pledge board

The father of the Indian space programme

A look at the life and times of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, the father of India’s space programme

While the sun has set on Vikram lander as the 14-day window to establish connection with it ended on September 20, there is no denying that India’s moon mission Chandrayaan-2 was phenomenally exciting. India’s strides in space exploration are all thanks to the vision of one man, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. Known as the Father of the Indian Space Programme, Sarabhai believed in the use of science and technology for development and helped set up ISRO in 1969. On the occasion of his centenary year, find out how much you know about this stalwart.

PHOTOS: Reuters, The Hindu, V.V. Krishnan, AFP, Wikimedia Commons, and Vijay Soneji

Wild sounds

Can you identify a wild animal by the sound it makes? Here’s a different type of memory game where you have to match the sound to the animal.

Dogs bark, cats meow and ducks quack, these are some of the many sounds in nature. If you know the sounds they make, then get ready to play this memory game. Turn up the volume and listen to the sounds and match it with the animal

Malinga does it again!

Malinga became the only bowler in cricketing history to take four wickets in four successive balls twice in international cricket. Find out how this magician weaved his magic once again.


In early September, Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga picked up four wickets in four successive balls against New Zealand in their third T20 that was played at Pallekele, Sri Lanka, helping his side to victory by 37 runs.

In the history of international cricket, there have been only three occasions when a bowler has picked up four wickets in four balls. Considering that Malinga has managed to do it twice, it means that all the other bowlers in cricketing history together have done it just once.

Here’s a look at the three occasions when bowlers have claimed four in four… (click to expand)

Photos: AP

Chemistry everywhere

Chemistry is not limited to beakers and laboratories; it is all around us. So, the better we know chemistry, the better we know our world. Go on!

Everything you hear, see, smell, taste, and touch involve chemistry and chemicals. Hearing, seeing, tasting, and touching involve chemical reactions and interactions in your body.

Take this quiz to see how much you actually know.