A young naturalist

When deciding what to do in the forest, Zozo says “I look at the tree and what it needs. I see if they are happy or not, and how they want to grow. Also, according to local culture we should not cut certain trees on specific days.” About the relation with the village, he explains: “there is a sacred pooja place in Evergreen on the border between Edayanchavadi and Kuilapalayam village. Before the annual fire-walking ceremony large groups came here to worship.” Talking about pooja places, there is another one which marks the birthday of a part of Evergreen they call the New Land. I ask Zozo to show me this auspicious site and on the way we encounter a resident feral water buffalo. “She just decided to come and live here. We don’t know who she belongs to. It’s quite strange! We made a drinking spot for her, but had to lift it off the ground because otherwise the wild boar come and make a big mess.” 

Besides the stray buffalo and two families of boar, he often sees porcupines, jackals, civet cats (“one used to live inside my neighbour’s house”) and very large owls that look like flying foxes, but are white. And, of course, plenty of snakes. Zozo has had a thing for animals since he was very young. “Before, I used to look after rescued birds. I had a cage full of them. One owlet had lost an eye, perhaps due to poisoning. One kingfisher had a broken neck, probably after flying into a glass window. There were pond herons, babblers and many more. One time someone called from Pondy where a kite (bird) was caught in a kite (toy). I cut it loose and it was fine. Sometimes the people from BARK India who are rescuing dogs call me when they find a bird that needs help.” 

He also worked with farm animals, first in the dairy next to Sun Farm, and later grazing the owner’s goats. “I was walking full days with the goats along the side of the road, making sure they wouldn’t break any fences or get mixed up with other people’s goats. But I hardly got to see my family anymore, so I quit.” 

Next Zozo plans to establish a patch of grassland inside the forest, because many animals (such as deer, but also reptiles who need sun) like to have a diverse landscape. And humans too. “The forest has become so dense that there’s hardly any place where we can see the moon.” So has Zozo found his own niche here in the forest? He says, “There is so much to learn. I don’t think we can ever really know it all. After the cyclone I saw so many indigenous trees bouncing back. They are very happy here. And so am I. It feels good to be looking after this piece of Auroville land.”