Discovering Indian wildlife | Paws for thought

While volunteering on a conservation project in Arunachal Pradesh, I chanced upon a curious bushy-tailed creature that resembled a squirrel but for its pointy snout. An inquiring text to a wildlife expert produced the necessary identification: Tupaia belangeri, the northern tree shrew, an insectivorous mammal more closely related to primates than rodents. That expert was Vivek Menon, executive director of Wildlife Trust of India and an award-winning conservationist, environmental commentator, author and photographer.