KOCHI: A green little one with white underparts, distinctive yellow patches around its eyes and a pointed snout. Meet the Jayaram bush frog, an amphibian endemic to the Western Ghats, which was spotted by Kochi native Sainul Abid during a herping tour in Munnar. And he can’t stop gushing about it.Herping, or the “act of watching amphibians and reptiles”, is a recent green trend that has caught the imagination of nature lovers in Kerala.
“I went for the herping about five months ago. It was just amazing,” says Sainul, a Kochi Metro station master. “Though I had visited Munnar numerous times for birdwatching and spotting wild animals, this was the first time I embarked on a herping tour with a field guide. It was an overwhelming experience.”
The tour was organised by Hadlee Renjith, a naturalist and a Kerala Tourism guide in Munnar, recalls Sainul. “It started at 7 pm and went on till 2am. More amphibians can be spotted at night,” he notes. “Though I didn’t know much about frogs, Hadlee explained to me everything about the species in detail. It was a real learning experience.”
Now a herping enthusiast, Sainul says the most memorable moment from the tour was clicking a rare photograph of a Jayaram bush frog in mating mode. “It is a unique sight, where the male frogs use their vocal sacs to attract the females,” he adds. Other ‘famous’ amphibians spotted during the tour were the critically endangered green-eyed bush frog and a juvenile false Malabar gliding frog, which is endemic to the Anaimalai hills. Reptiles such as pit vipers, too, were spotted, he says.
“These creatures are very sensitive. It is always better to go in small groups to spot them, adds Sainul, who is planning his next herping tour as the monsoon has set in. Hadlee, who organises such trips, runs a travel company, Resplendent Experiences, which is named after Raorchestes resplendens, a critically endangered frog in Anaimudi, the highest peak in the Western Ghats. The tour is for four to five hours a night and costs Rs 500 per person.
“Initially, when we started herping tours, it was not that popular. However, now, I get bookings every day. Most people -- youngsters and families -- who come with macro lenses are sure to get memorable shots of these frogs,” says Hadlee. Thomas Vacha, founder of Kochi-based travel startup Weekend Planner, says there are at least 36 species of frogs in Munnar, a herping hub. “At least 50 per cent are endangered,” he adds. “Besides frogs, one also gets to spot interesting kinds of lizards, snakes, plants, too. Pothamedu is a hot spot.”
Herping’s popularity is growing in the city, says Thomas, who organises nature trails and herping tours across the Western Ghats. “June to August is the peak season,” he adds. St Albert’s College student Jishnu Narayanan, of Thripunithura, is one such enthusiast who has taken up herping seriously. “Since Kochi is situated in the plains, wetland-based variants -- such as urban golden-backed frogs -- can be spotted. In forest patches, wood frogs can be seen. Other varieties spotted in Kochi include the Wayanad bushfrog, Indian painted frog, Indian cricket frog, and Indian skittering frog.”
Sandeep Das is another naturalist who has dedicated his life to understanding amphibians. The Kerala Forest Research Institute research scholar and Zoological Society of London research fellow has been visiting the Western Ghats since 2011 to study rare frogs and reptiles. “People pay less attention to amphibians and insects,” he says. “There is a slow change these days. Though we [KFRI] don’t do trails, we are often accompanied by students, volunteers. We try to create awareness programmes about these species in institutions and encourage people to look for these species around their homes.”