Author –  Puviarasan | 

Explore your own backyard!

We often tend to underestimate the place we live in. When it comes to travelling it is all about going far, going outside, going to a foreign land. This form of representation of tourism undermines the uniqueness of the local places we live in. Let’s take an example. What comes to your mind when you think of Pondicherry? Of course, the Auroville, the rock beach and the other usual spots mentioned by tourists online. But there is more to this place. Our backyard, Pondicherry. Backyard exploration is exploring the place you live in and aiming to understand its history, bio-diversity, wildlife and anything else that interests you. 

During one such Backyard exploration journey we came across few locals who reported that they had seen some cat like animal swimming and fishing in the backwaters near their village. We were quite doubtful if they could be Otters. In fact, that excited us for many reasons because according to the IUCN red list of threatened species, Otters have been marked as vulnerable animals which is being hunted & illegally traded for its thick skin. The other reason for the excitement was because it is one of the most curious and beautiful animals to watch. With the help of local fisherfolk we soon confirmed it should be Otters. 

I along with a group of likeminded people who share great interest for exploration and understanding nature, went on a mission to identify and map potential hotspots to spot the River Otters in the backwaters of Pondicherry. We surveyed three different backwaters namely Nalavadu, Pudukuppam and Panithitu in the East Coast near Cuddalore road, for nearly four months. We finally narrowed down its habitat by observing clues left behind such as looking for its scat, food remains & pugmarks.  

Otter Spotting 

Imagine camping at the backwaters overnight and waking up for a morning walk to carefully spot this amazing species swimming & fishing near you. Otter spotting could be considered as a new potential tourism activity in Pondicherry. This is also an opportunity to sensitize citizens on importance of backwaters and the rich bio-diversity heritage it holds for us. Such explorations & walks greatly aid us in better understanding of the ecosystem of backwaters and the species that depend on them. Such tourism activity can also support the fishermen community who also depends on the same backwaters for their living. Hence exploring our own backyards can open more potentials for tourism and more importantly brings great respect and amazement for the place we live in.