From inter-tidal life such as green button polyp and barnacle to birds and insects and ‘near threatened’ species (by IUCN) such as rusty-spotted cat, watercolour paintings of urban wildlife of Visakhapatnam are on display at the three-day art exhibition at Hawa Mahal. The exhibition of art works by artist Nagarjuna Sridhara is being organised by Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society (EGWS) and was inaugurated on Friday by S. Srikanta Natha Reddy, Chief Conservator of Forests, Visakhapatnam circle. As many as 38 species seen in the urban spaces of Visakhapatnam are showcased in watercolour paintings at the exhibition. “The idea is to highlight the diverse fauna of Viskahapatnam. It’s a common misconception that wildlife exists only in forested areas away from cities and towns. Animal communities that live in and around human-dominated landscapes are referred to as urban wildlife,” says Sridhara. The works bring to light some rarely spotted species such as the painted grasshopper that was spotted by Sridhara at Sagar Nagar. “This insect is not seen commonly in Visakhapatnam now,” says the artist. Among the exhibits is one on the life cycle of a plain tiger from the egg and caterpillar stages till it blossoms into a butterfly. The art exhibition is part of a series of events being planned by Eastern Ghats Wildlife Society in collaboration with Nagarjuna Sridhara to showcase the diversity of urban wildlife within the city limits of Visakhapatnam and promote awareness among the public on the need to conserve the urban biodiversity. The exhibition also showcases the various projects of EGWS in conservation of king cobra, Indian pangolin, fishing cat and smooth coated otters in various parts of Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with Andhra Pradesh Forest Department. The exhibition is on till October 8 at Hawa Mahal.
