World Wildlife Day: All the creatures, tender and powerful

Wildlife photographer and conservationist Dhruv Patil's journey began at eight when his mother handed him a simple point-and-shoot camera. He embarked on daily excursions with like-minded friends to Sankey Tank in Bengaluru, capturing the exotic beauty of egrets and cormorants in the heart of the city. This early exposure would ignite a lifelong commitment to wildlife and his role as a catalyst for change—founding the Society for Protection of Plants and Animals (SPPA). What began as a school club has evolved into a powerhouse NGO with a 4000+ volunteer base, actively rescuing and protecting wildlife. As these photographs attest, this twenty-year-old's journey and his photographs of the wild are not just a narrative. It is a call to action to conserve and protect these iconic and vulnerable species, in his own words

Kabini Forest Reserve (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), India. Image: Dhruv Patil
Watch deep inside the greens and find emeralds staring into your soul, for the forest is always watching.

Vijayapur, India. Image: Dhruv Patil
The divine aura of avian beauty is embodied by the Paradise Flycatcher. A unique capture of a migratory male with a dragonfly hunt amidst the winter greens.

Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya. Image: Dhruv Patil
A story of a queen mightier than the king. The golden sun shining upon her majesty in the silhouettes of the Masai Savannah.

On the right - Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya. On the left - Kabini Forest Reserve (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), India. Images: Dhruv Patil
The fraternal throne bearers, endowed with compassion from the eternal king. They shall fight and conquer but must bond and love, for they shall rule the monarch when the birds of paradise sing.

The first light falls on the newborn as it forges a path into the sacred forest. A new journey begins to learn the way of the woods and the way of the waters.

Kabini Forest Reserve (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), India. Image: Dhruv Patil
On a full moon night, there's a gentle breeze
Obscured behind leaves, an eerie shadow breathes
Through the canopy, a dark knight sees.

On the left - Northern California, US. On the right - Delaware, US. Images: Dhruv Patil
The grasslands behold the most elusive. From the Wild West, bobcats—the most elusive hunter yet the most playful kitten—thrive in the shrubs within California's vast and verdant grasslands.

In the fleeting gaze of an elusive red fox, his playfulness echoes the ephemeral dance of moments, a reminder that joy, too, is a transient art on the canvas of existence.

Kabini Forest Reserve (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), India. Image: Dhruv Patil
Step into the light, and allow the forest to guide your soul on paved paths.
Silently, he prowls the enchanted forest; every foot forward, a rosette sparks.
As we journey these roads in the jungle's embrace,
We witness life's magic, its wild, untamed grace.
 
On the left - Kabini Forest Reserve (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), India. On the right - Sedona, Arizona, US
Get hypnotised by the colours of the wild world, the peacock's enchanting dance transporting you into a trance.

Anna's hummingbird pirouettes in the garden's ballet are a kaleidoscope of radiant hues on delicate wings, painting the air with nature's vibrant masterpiece.

Kabini Forest Reserve (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), India. Image: Dhruv Patil
The golden sun and his golden son—the colours of a withered summer and the first sombre clouds mark the dawn of the leopard era. Once the panther's nemesis who paved his path from the core, now the new king to the Kabini throne.
 
Kabini Forest Reserve (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), India. Image: Dhruv Patil
There's alchemy in the trees; trust in thee. You seek a pot of gold, but there lie three. The sighting I cherish the most is three cubs, out of which one now rules Kabini with cubs of her own; life truly comes full circle.

Delaware, US. Image: Dhruv Patil
The darkness brings the night flowers to bloom. Under the flowers, a great blue heron worships the moon.