Saturday, September 29, 2012

Wildlife Tours and Tourism in India

Wildlife ToursIndia is a globally famous tourism destination in South Asia with many tourism options. Being one of the most popular tourism destinations in South Asia, India is a beautiful country to be relished. With the boom in tourism industry of entire world, India has emerged as a very ideal destination for vacation and tourism. The country offers various kinds of tourism options to suit every taste and pocket. And wildlife tourism here is a latest form of India tourism. A well-organized trip to Indian wildlife destinations will provide travellers a wonderful opportunity to explore the diverse & rich flora and fauna of this beautiful country. Wildlife enthusiasts, nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts from all over the world visit India to enjoy fabulous wildlife tourism.
Wildlife tourism in India is the latest addition to the list of various tourism options in India. It is designed basically to promote and display the rich flora and fauna of the country in front of global society. Gifted with vast expanse of geographical area India is home to many wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and dense forests. The lush green area of Indian wildlife sanctuaries & parks and forests has no shortage of diverse & rich flora and fauna. Many of them are confined to India only. According to an estimate, there are about 350 species of mammals, 2100 kinds of avifauna (both domestic & migratory), 350 species of reptiles and countless species of insects found in the land of India which is comprised of forests, desert, mountains and swamplands. That's why wildlife enthusiasts and adventure fans from all over the world embark on
The diverse country of India has many wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserve and parks. These wildlife parks provide shelter to several kinds of endangered wildlife species. There are about 441 wildlife sanctuaries, 80 national parks and 15 tiger reserves in India. For examples, some popular wildlife destinations are Corbett National Park (India's first national park), Ranthambhore Tiger Sanctuary, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Desert National Park, Kaziranga and Sunderbans National Park, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Kanha Tiger Reserve, Pench Wildlife Park, Gir Lion Sanctuary, Nanda Devi & Flowers Of Valley National Park, Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary, Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Dachigram National Park, etc. These wildlife parks attract wildlife, nature and adventure enthusiasts from all over the world for India wildlife tours and provide them cheerful and thrilling experience.
To attract wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world, India Tourism Ministry has planned many exciting wildlife travel packages to choose from. You can choose a wildlife travel package to enjoy the ultimate charm on wildlife tourism in India. A well-designed India wildlife tours package makes travellers to explore the famous wildlife parks of India in most organized and systematic way. So, whenever you are in India, don't forget to engage yourself in wildlife tourism.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

The Thrilling Wildlife of Orissa

WildlifeIndia is a haven for the lovers of wildlife and nature. Most of the Indian states have excellent wildlife. Jharkhand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu...there are many Indian states that entice the travellers to visit them and explore the many wonders of their deep jungles.
The coastal state of Orissa located in the eastern part of India especially is one such state which is rich in flora and fauna and which has an excellent wildlife. The state's wonderful wildlife is much on display in its many wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.
Besides having exceptional wildlife in its several wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, Orissa has a rich wildlife in its many tribal belts also. No wonder, the wildlife of Orissa much attracts the wildlife lovers.
Among the many national parks of the state, Bhitarkanika, Simlipal, Nandankanan, Balpakram and Bandhavgarh are much famous. And among the wildlife sanctuaries, Chilika, Sunabeda, Satkosia Gorge, Kotgarh, Debrigarh and Baisipalli are renowned and frequently visited by the many wildlife enthusiasts.
The pride of Orissa--the Chilka Lake-is, perhaps, the state's biggest wildlife attraction. Chilka Lake, the largest brackish water lake of Asia, is rich in wildlife and marine life. Every year more than thousands of migratory birds visit the lake from the distant parts of Asia, and add to the beauty of the region that's much renowned the world over for many other wildlife attractions as well.
Simlipal is another famous wildlife region of the state and is every wildlife enthusiast's delight. This main attractions of this national park situated in the Mayurbhanj district is its 150-odd tigers, more than 230 species of birds, and the mammoth mugger crocodiles.
The Badrama (Usakothi) wildlife sanctuary--another famous wildlife region of the state--has many varieties of wild animals including tiger, leopard, sambar, elephant, and bison. The presence of many watch towers at vantage points inside the sanctuary enables the visitors to enjoy good views, and they observe the many inhabitants of the wilds easily and clearly.
The Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary, yet another wildlife attraction of the state, is famous for huge crocodiles and the Olive Ridley Turtles, and is frequented by the wildlife lovers in great numbers.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Trading Your Day Job For a Wildlife Job

WildlifeMany people would like to chuck their day job and begin a career working with wildlife. Many people would like to, but few people ever get to. Why? Because many of the positions are filled before they are even posted by someone inside the organization. They may also be filled quickly because a tip was passed along to a friend about the upcoming opening.
So, you would think you are at a dead end, right? Not necessarily. Wildlife positions can still be found if you are clever enough to be persistent and patient.
But what if you want to work with wildlife and don't want to work for the government? Private industry has positions in the environmental disciplines. There are air monitoring technicians, waste water testing specialists and many other positions. But that still doesn't get you any closer to working with wildlife now does it?
Another position you should consider is that of a nuisance wildlife management professional. What's that? A nuisance wildlife management professional is actively involved daily working with wildlife! Yes...actually working hands on with wildlife!
Working with wildlife is an extremely thrilling career choice. The variety of wildlife and the unusual circumstances that a nuisance wildlife management professional finds it in creates a fun and varied work environment.
Wildlife managers are in high demand. As our countries population grows, wildlife managers will be in more demand. When humans and wildlife clash, the nuisance wildlife manager will be called upon to resolve this conflict. It's our job to return the wildlife back where it belongs...in the wild.
Do you need a degree to become a nuisance wildlife manager? No. A wildlife biology or wildlife management degree is helpful, but not necessary. Hunting and trapping experience is also very helpful but not absolutely necessary either. Training for this career is available and can transform you into a wildlife manager in a very short time!
With the proper training, equipment and knowledge, a successful career awaits you. A career that will be filled with challenges and one that you can't wait to get to on Monday morning! Imagine a job that you can't wait to get to!
What are you going to do with that spark of interest?
You can do one of two things:
You can throw a bucket of water on it or you can throw a can of gas on it! Get out the gas and start pouring!
Visit the links below to learn more about this incredible opportunity...an opportunity of a lifetime doing the work that you would love to do.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Explore Indian Wildlife With India Wildlife Tours

WildlifeIndia is known for its rich bio diversity and therefore, India wildlife offers plenty of exploration possibility for wildlife enthusiasts. If you are a true aficionado of India wildlife, the best way to come close and understand it thoroughly is by arranging wildlife tours to India. Indian wildlife tours are specially designed for wildlife sightseeing in India. The tours take wildlife enthusiasts through a completely birds eye view of wildlife of India.
Right from migratory birds to exotic mammals, reptiles and beyond, India wildlife tours set forth unique temperament amidst natural and verdant reclines. The special Tiger Safari India tours are offered as an integral part of India wildlife tours and you will be charmed to catch the real sightings of Asiatic Lion and Royal Bengal Tiger.
Some of the popular glimpse of animal speches that India wildlife tours provide includes the following:
Royal Bengal Tiger - Royal Bengal tigers are prominently seen in rainforests and grasslands spread in India, China, Burma, Bangladesh and many other places. Tiger is amongst largest living species of Felidae family.
Asiatic Lion - The Indian Lion which is quite commonly found in Gir Forest of Gujarat, India. It is amongst 5 major cats, the other ones being the Indian leopard, the snow leopard, clouded leopard and the Royal Bengal tiger.
Indian Cobra - It is native to Indian sub continent, primarily showing its presence in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Indian Cobra commonly feeds on rodents, toads, frogs, birds and other species of snakes. Cobra has most powerful known venoms.
Indian Elephant - Indian elephants primarily inhabit the moist deciduous, evergreen, semi-evergreen forests, grasslands and dry deciduous forests. Indian elephant is usually friendly in nature.
Indian Rhinoceros - These rhinos are quite popular in riverine grasslands in the foothills of the Himalayas as well as Terai regions of Nepal.
There are a lot of wildlife sanctuaries and parks in India. You'll simple fall in love will all such destinations if you are fond of wildlife exploration. Popular destinations cover Corbett National Park, Ranthambhore National Park, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, Bandhavgarh National Park and many more. Further, you may experience your India wildlife holidays by exciting jeep or elephant safari to the wildlife sanctuaries and parks.
Get ready to hire an affordable India wildlife tour and take the ride and explicit view of wildlife of the country. For quick reservation, prefer arranging India wildlife tour package online and get started for your dream trip right away.
Take ride to the explicit view of wildlife of the country by booking wildlife tour packages at IndiaWildlifeResorts.com. This is known to provide best India wildlife information to world-wide travelers. For more information or to book India wildlife tour please visit the site.

Human-Wildlife Conflicts On The Rise in The United States!

WildlifeHuman-Wildlife Conflicts -Economic Impacts/Statistical Number of NWCO's/Federal, State & Local Agencies - White Paper
September, 2007
o1. Overall Problem
¤ Implementation of protective game laws and science-based wildlife management had their intended result: wildlife populations soared to levels not seen since colonial times. These increasing wildlife populations, in turn, had unexpected consequences as a movement of wildlife into urban areas began and wildlife damage intensified. (Brandt 1997)
o2. Economic Impact to Households
¤ 61% of the 100 largest metropolitan centers in the U.S. reported that they or their household had a problem with one or more wildlife species during the prior year and suffered a mean loss of $73 in damage.
Almost half (42%) of all urban households reported that they tried to solve a wildlife damage problem in the prior year and spent an average of $38 in the attempt. Unfortunately, 52% reported that their efforts to solve the problem were unsuccessful.
When these results are extrapolated to the 60 million metropolitan households in the U.S. (160 million residents), metropolitan households suffered $4.4 billion a year in wildlife damage despite spending $2.3 billion and 268 million hours trying to prevent these problems (Conover 1997b).
If we conservatively value people's time at the minimum wage ($6.15 in 2000), the total labor cost would be $1.6 billion. Hence the total cost of wildlife damage (actual damage plus money and time spent to prevent the problem) to metropolitan residents equals approximately $8.3 billion.
An additional 34 million households (92 million residents) live in smaller cities, towns and rural areas. (U.S. Bureau of the Census 1992). Because wildlife populations should be higher in rural areas, I assume that these households suffer at least as much from wildlife problems as do people living in large metropolitan areas. This could mean that the total annual cost of wildlife damage to rural households (damage plus time spent to prevent the problem) would conservatively amount to $4.2 billion.
Total Economic Losses Due to Wildlife Damage in the U.S.
¤ Damage to automobile, aircraft, agriculture, timber and households costs $22 billion annually. These figures do not include economic losses from human illnesses or injuries caused by wildlife.
Estimated Number of Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators (NWCO's)
¤ It has been estimated that there are 10,000 NWCO's in the U.S. But you should note that this number includes those involved only part time and occasionally. Conservative estimates would suggest that there are 5,000 full time operators. This would equate to 1 NWCO for each 60,400 in population. (Based upon Census Bureau 2007 population)
State Government Agencies - Fish & Game Dept., Animal Control, State Police, Sherriff & Local Police
¤ Government agencies normally do not engage in Human-Wildlife conflict resolution. These agencies are understaffed, untrained and uninsured for wildlife control activities. Animal Control Agencies do not have legal authority to handle wildlife problems.
Federal Government Agencies - Animal Plant Health Inspection Service
¤ This agencies primary duty include education. Wildlife control activities are principally related to the agricultural industry.
Summary
¤ Wildlife conflicts continue to rise across the U.S. while Federal, State and Local agencies budgets continue to shrink. With the current number of NWCO's, there remains a shortage of operators to meet current wildlife control needs. Private sector assistance for rural residents is especially lacking. Private NWCO's will be more in demand as wildlife and human populations continue to rise. It is not uncommon for a client to experience a 2-3 week wait time for service during peak wildlife control times further indicating the lack of NWCO's.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Wildlife Art - Its History and Development

Wildlife Art
Summary
Some of the earliest of all known art (pre-historic cave and rock art) features wildlife. However, it might be more properly regarded as art about food, rather than art about wildlife as such.
Then for a lot of the rest of the history of art in the western world, art depicting wildlife was mostly absent, due to the fact that art during this period was mostly dominated by narrow perspectives on reality, such as religions. It is only more recently, as society, and the art it produces, frees itself from such narrow world-views, that wildlife art flourishes.
Wildlife is also a difficult subject for the artist, as it is difficult to find and even more difficult to find keeping still in a pose, long enough to even sketch, let alone paint. Recent advances such as photography have made this far easier, as well as being artforms in their own right. Wildlife art is thus now far easier to accomplish both accurately and aesthetically.
In art from outside the western world, wild animals and birds have been portrayed much more frequently throughout history.
Art about wild animals began as a depiction of vital food-sources, in pre-history. At the beginnings of history the western world seems to have shut itself off from the natural world for long periods, and this is reflected in the lack of wildlife art throughout most of art history. More recently, societies, and the art it produces, have become much more broad-minded. Wildlife has become something to marvel at as new areas of the world were explored for the first time, something to hunt for pleasure, to admire aesthetically, and to conserve. These interests are reflected in the wildlife art produced.
The History and development of Wildlife Art...
Wildlife art in Pre-history.
Animal and bird art appears in some of the earliest known examples of artistic creation, such as cave paintings and rock art
The earliest known cave paintings were made around 40,000 years ago, the Upper Paleolithic period. These art works might be more than decoration of living areas as they are often in caves which are difficult to access and don't show any signs of human habitation. Wildlife was a significant part of the daily life of humans at this time, particularly in terms of hunting for food, and this is reflected in their art. Religious interpretation of the natural world is also assumed to be a significant factor in the depiction of animals and birds at this time.
Probably the most famous of all cave painting, in Lascaux (France), includes the image of a wild horse, which is one of the earliest known examples of wildlife art. Another example of wildlife cave painting is that of reindeer in the Spanish cave of Cueva de las Monedas, probably painted at around the time of the last ice-age. The oldest known cave paintings (maybe around 32,000 years old) are also found in France, at the Grotte Chauvet, and depict horses, rhinoceros, lions, buffalo, mammoth and humans, often hunting.
Wildlife painting is one of the commonest forms of cave art. Subjects are often of large wild animals, including bison, horses, aurochs, lions, bears and deer. The people of this time were probably relating to the natural world mostly in terms of their own survival, rather than separating themselves from it.
Cave paintings found in Africa often include animals. Cave paintings from America include animal species such as rabbit, puma, lynx, deer, wild goat and sheep, whale, turtle, tuna, sardine, octopus, eagle, and pelican, and is noted for its high quality and remarkable color. Rock paintings made by Australian Aborigines include so-called "X-ray" paintings which show the bones and organs of the animals they depict. Paintings on caves/rocks in Australia include local species of animals, fish and turtles.
Animal carvings were also made during the Upper Paleolithic period... which constitute the earliest examples of wildlife sculpture.
In Africa, bushman rock paintings, at around 8000 BC, clearly depict antelope and other animals.
The advent of the Bronze age in Europe, from the 3rd Millennium BC, led to a dedicated artisan class, due to the beginnings of specialization resulting from the surpluses available in these advancing societies. During the Iron age, mythical and natural animals were a common subject of artworks, often involving decoration of objects such as plates, knives and cups. Celtic influences affected the art and architecture of local Roman colonies, and outlasted them, surviving into the historic period.
Wildlife Art in the Ancient world (Classical art).
History is considered to begin at the time writing is invented. The earliest examples of ancient art originate from Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The great art traditions have their origins in the art of one of the six great ancient "classical" civilizations: Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, India, or China. Each of these great civilizations developed their own unique style of art.
Animals were commonly depicted in Chinese art, including some examples from the 4th Century which depict stylized mythological creatures and thus are rather a departure from pure wildlife art. Ming dynasty Chinese art features pure wildlife art, including ducks, swans, sparrows, tigers, and other animals and birds, with increasing realism and detail.
In the 7th Century, Elephants, monkeys and other animals were depicted in stone carvings in Ellora, India. These carvings were religious in nature, yet depicted real animals rather than more mythological creatures.
Ancient Egyptian art includes many animals, used within the symbolic and highly religious nature of Egyptian art at the time, yet showing considerable anatomical knowledge and attention to detail. Animal symbols are used within the famous Egyptian hieroglyphic symbolic language.
Early South American art often depicts representations of a divine jaguar.
The Minoans, the greatest civilization of the Bronze Age, created naturalistic designs including fish, squid and birds in their middle period. By the late Minoan period, wildlife was still the most characteristic subject of their art, with increasing variety of species.
The art of the nomadic people of the Mongolian steppes is primarily animal art, such as gold stags, and is typically small in size as befits their traveling lifestyle.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) suggested the concept of photography, but this wasn't put into practice until 1826.
The Medieval period, AD 200 to 1430
This period includes early Christian and Byzantine art, as well as Romanesque and Gothic art (1200 to 1430). Most of the art which survives from this period is religious, rather than realistic, in nature. Animals in art at this time were used as symbols rather than representations of anything in the real world. So very little wildlife art as such could be said to exist at all during this period.
Renaissance wildlife art, 1300 to 1602.
This arts movement began from ideas which initially emerged in Florence. After centuries of religious domination of the arts, Renaissance artists began to move more towards ancient mystical themes and depicting the world around them, away from purely Christian subject matter. New techniques, such as oil painting and portable paintings, as well as new ways of looking such as use of perspective and realistic depiction of textures and lighting, led to great changes in artistic expression.
The two major schools of Renaissance art were the Italian school who were heavily influenced by the art of ancient Greece and Rome, and the northern Europeans... Flemish, Dutch and Germans, who were generally more realistic and less idealized in their work. The art of the Renaissance reflects the revolutions in ideas and science which occurred in this Reformation period.
The early Renaissance features artists such as Botticelli, and Donatello. Animals are still being used symbolically and in mythological context at this time, for example "Pegasus" by Jacopo de'Barbari.
The best-known artist of the high Renaissance is Leonardo-Da-Vinci. Although most of his artworks depict people and technology, he occasionally incorporates wildlife into his images, such as the swan in "Leda and the swan", and the animals portrayed in his "lady with an ermine", and "studies of cat movements and positions".
Durer is regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern European Renaissance. Albrecht Durer was particularly well-known for his wildlife art, including pictures of hare, rhinoceros, bullfinch, little owl, squirrels, the wing of a blue roller, monkey, and blue crow.
Baroque wildlife art, 1600 to 1730.
This important artistic age, encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church and the aristocracy of the time, features such well-known great artists as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Velazquez, Poussin, and Vermeer. Paintings of this period often use lighting effects to increase the dramatic effect.
Wildlife art of this period includes a lion, and "goldfinch" by Carel Fabrituis.
Melchior de Hondecoeter was a specialist animal and bird artist in the baroque period with paintings including "revolt in the poultry coup", "cocks fighting" and "palace of Amsterdam with exotic birds".
The Rococo art period was a later (1720 to 1780) decadent sub-genre of the Baroque period, and includes such famous painters as Canaletto, Gainsborough and Goya. Wildlife art of the time includes "Dromedary study" by Jean Antoine Watteau, and "folly of beasts" by Goya.
Jean-Baptiste Oudry was a Rococo wildlife specialist, who often painted commissions for royalty.
Some of the earliest scientific wildlife illustration was also created at around this time, for example from artist William Lewin who published a book illustrating British birds, painted entirely by hand.
Wildlife art in the 18th to 19th C.
In 1743, Mark Catesby published his documentation of the flora and fauna of the explored areas of the New World, which helped encourage both business investment and interest in the natural history of the continent.
In response to the decadence of the Rococo period, neo-classicism arose in the late 18th Century (1750-1830 ). This genre is more ascetic, and contains much sensuality, but none of the spontaneity which characterizes the later Romantic period. This movement focused on the supremacy of natural order over man's will, a concept which culminated in the romantic art depiction of disasters and madness.
Francois Le Vaillant (1769-1832) was a bird illustrator (and ornithologist) around this time.
Georges Cuvier, (1769-1832), painted accurate images of more than 5000 fish, relating to his studies of comparative organismal biology.
Edward Hicks is an example of an American wildlife painter of this period, who's art was dominated by his religious context.
Sir Edwin Henry Landseer was also painting wildlife at this time, in a style strongly influenced by dramatic emotional judgments of the animals involved.
This focus towards nature led the painters of the Romantic era (1790 - 1880) to transform landscape painting, which had previously been a minor art form, into an art-form of major importance. The romantics rejected the ascetic ideals of Neo-Classicalism.
The practical use of photography began in around 1826, although it was a while before wildlife became a common subject for its use. The first color photograph was taken in 1861, but easy-to-use color plates only became available in 1907.
In 1853 Bisson and Mante created some of the first known wildlife photography.
In France, Gaspar-Felix Tournacho, "Nadar" (1820-1910) applied the same aesthetic principles used in painting, to photography, thus beginning the artistic discipline of fine art photography. Fine Art photography Prints were also reproduced in Limited Editions, making them more valuable.
Jaques-Laurent Agasse was one of the foremost painters of animals in Europe around the end of the 18th C and the beginning of the 19th. His animal art was unusually realistic for the time, and he painted some wild animals including giraffe and leopards.
Romantic wildlife art includes "zebra", "cheetah, stag and two Indians", at least two monkey paintings, a leopard and "portrait of a royal tiger" by George Stubbs who also did many paintings of horses.
One of the great wildlife sculptors of the Romantic period was Antoine-Louis Barye. Barye was also a wildlife painter, who demonstrated the typical dramatic concepts and lighting of the romantic movement.
Delacroix painted a tiger attacking a horse, which as is common with Romantic paintings, paints subject matter on the border between human (a domesticated horse) and the natural world (a wild tiger).
In America, the landscape painting movement of the Romantic era was known as the Hudson River School (1850s - c. 1880). These landscapes occasionally include wildlife, such as the deer in "Dogwood" and "valley of the Yosemite" by Albert Bierstadt, and more obviously in his "buffalo trail", but the focus is on the landscape rather than the wildlife in it.
Wildlife artist Ivan Ivanovitch Shishkin demonstrates beautiful use of light in his landscape-oriented wildlife art.
Although Romantic painting focused on nature, it rarely portrayed wild animals, tending much more towards the borders between man and nature, such as domesticated animals and people in landscapes rather than the landscapes themselves. Romantic art seems in a way to be about nature, but usually only shows nature from a human perspective.
Audubon was perhaps the most famous painter of wild birds at around this time, with a distinctive American style, yet painting the birds realistically and in context, although in somewhat over-dramatic poses. As well as birds, he also painted the mammals of America, although these works of his are somewhat less well known. At around the same time In Europe, Rosa Bonheur was finding fame as a wildlife artist.
Amongst Realist art, "the raven" by Manet and "stags at rest" by Rosa Bonheur are genuine wildlife art. However in this artistic movement animals are much more usually depicted obviously as part of a human context.
The wildlife art of the impressionist movement includes "angler's prize" by Theodore Clement Steele, and the artist Joseph Crawhall was a specialist wildlife artist strongly influenced by impressionism.
At this time, accurate scientific wildlife illustration was also being created. One name known for this kind of work in Europe is John Gould although his wife Elizabeth was the one who actually did most of the illustrations for his books on birds.
Post-impressionism (1886 - 1905, France) includes a water-bird in Rousseau's "snake charmer", and Rousseau's paintings, which include wildlife, are sometimes considered Post-impressionist (as well as Fauvist, see below).
Fauvism (1904 - 1909, France) often considered the first "modern" art movement, re-thought use of color in art. The most famous fauvist is Matisse, who depicts birds and fish in is "polynesie la Mer" and birds in his "Renaissance". Other wildlife art in this movement includes a tiger in "Surprised! Storm in the Forest" by Rousseau, a lion in his "sleeping Gypsy" and a jungle animal in his "exotic landscape". Georges Braque depicts a bird in many of his artworks, including "L'Oiseaux Bleu et Gris", and his "Astre et l'Oiseau".
Ukiyo-e-printmaking (Japanese wood-block prints, originating from 17th C) was becoming known in the West, during the 19th C, and had a great influence on Western painters, particularly in France.
Wildlife art in this genre includes several untitled prints (owl, bird, eagle) by Ando Hiroshige, and "crane", "cat and butterfly", "wagtail and wisteria" by Hokusai Katsushika.
Wildlife art in the 20th Century, Contemporary art, postmodern art, etc.
Changing from the relatively stable views of a mechanical universe held in the 19th-century, the 20th-century shatters these views with such advances as Einstein's Relativity and Freuds sub-conscious psychological influence.
The greater degree of contact with the rest of the world had a significant influence on Western arts, such as the influence of African and Japanese art on Pablo Picasso, for example.
American Wildlife artist Carl Runguis spans the end of the 19th and the beginnings of the 20th Century. His style evolved from tightly rendered scientific-influenced style, through impressionist influence, to a more painterly approach.
The golden age of illustration includes mythical wildlife "The firebird" by Edmund Dulac, and "tile design of Heron and Fish" by Walter Crane.
George Braque's birds can be defined as Analytical Cubist (this genre was jointly developed by Braque and Picasso from 1908 to 1912), (as well as Fauvist). Fernand Leger also depicts birds in his "Les Oiseaux".
There was also accurate scientific wildlife illustration being done at around this time, such as those done by America illustrator Louis Agassiz Fuertes who painted birds in America as well as other countries.
Expressionism (1905 - 1930, Germany). "Fox", "monkey Frieze, "red deer", and "tiger", etc by Franz Marc qualify as wildlife art, although to contemporary viewers seem more about the style than the wildlife.
Postmodernism as an art genre, which has developed since the 1960's, looks to the whole range of art history for its inspiration, as contrasted with Modernism which focuses on its own limited context. A different yet related view of these genres is that Modernism attempts to search for an idealized truth, where as post-modernism accepts the impossibility of such an ideal. This is reflected, for example, in the rise of abstract art, which is an art of the indefinable, after about a thousand years of art mostly depicting definable objects.
Magic realism (1960's Germany) often included animals and birds, but usually as a minor feature among human elements, for example, swans and occasionally other animals in many paintings by Michael Parkes.
In 1963, Ray Harm is a significant bird artist.
Robert Rauschenberg's "American eagle", a Pop Art (mid 1950's onwards) piece, uses the image of an eagle as a symbol rather than as something in its own right, and thus is not really wildlife art. The same applies to Any Warhol's "Butterflys".
Salvador Dali, the best known of Surrealist (1920's France, onwards) artists, uses wild animals in some of his paintings, for example "Landscape with Butterflys", but within the context of surrealism, depictions of wildlife become conceptually something other than what they might appear to be visually, so they might not really be wildlife at all. Other examples of wildlife in Surrealist art are Rene Magritte's "La Promesse" and "L'entre ed Scene".
Op art (1964 onwards) such as M. C. Escher's "Sky and Water" shows ducks and fish, and "mosaic II" shows many animals and birds, but they are used as image design elements rather than the art being about the animals.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Wildlife and Sport Hunting

WildlifeAlmost everyone in America seems to profess a love of wildlife in one form or another. However, it is very important to understand that just saying that you love wildlife is not enough to ensure the continuation of the various species.
Instead, an understanding of wildlife management and just what it is, is necessary to creating a healthy wildlife population.
Wildlife management is the science of managing the environment for the benefit of all of the kinds of wildlife in a given area. This management includes the management of human activities because everything that people do will affect the environment in one way or another.
Creation of proper habitat is critical to a healthy wildlife population because, without habitat, wildlife cannot survive and it is just as simple as that. Consequently, the wildlife manager of today is concerned constantly with the state of the habitat in a given area for the benefit of the wild population that the manager is trying to sustain or expand.
Like a carpenter building a house with his tools, so also does a wildlife manager have specific tools to build his wildlife population. Regulated sport hunting is one of the managers most important tools. To many people, this sounds like a contradiction, however, in our capitalist society, everything revolves around the dollar. So too, does wildlife management. It takes a lot of money to develop wildlife habitat.
In every state, a hunter is required to purchase hunting permits and wildlife stamps. It is this money that is used to develop critical habitat for wildlife. Almost always, state taxes are not used for direct wildlife management programs. Rather it is the licensed hunter that is the critical tool for habitat and consequently wildlife development.
Additionally, the licensed sport hunter pays a federal excise tax on the hunting equipment that he/she purchases. This money is then funneled back to the various state game departments for additional habitat development.
It is only because of the monies supplied by licensed hunters that America has any wildlife of note. Today, every state has thousands of acres of wildlife management areas that provide home for hundreds of species of wild birds and mammals. These species consist of both game and nongame wildlife. None of these areas would have been possible without the funding supplied by the hunters dollars.
When people profess a love of wildlife, that is a good thing, however, if one really does have a sincere interest in the wild creatures that share our planet with us, one of the best things that one could do to ensure the survival of wildlife is to simply purchase a hunting permit and wildlife stamp in the state where one lives. If people fail to do this over time, wildlife as we know it today will disappear.
Rick Seward is a veteran game warden for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. He has an intense love for the wild creatures that he protects. Rick maintains a website that will showcase many types of engravings that he creates in his of duty time and invites everyone to look at [http://www.woodartist.info] His passion for being a game warden his love of wildlife comes out in every piece that he creates. People may email Rick at the address listed on the website.