Wild Tobago

With their biggest market right on the doorstep, Tobago properties are encouraged to re-open to Trinidad as if we are the world. Tobago might yet teach Trinidad some things about business that brings communities together and works to keep traditional values intact. All photos courtesy Anjani Ganase To revitalise the tourism sector for Tobago, in the post-Covid 19 world is not rocket science. The people of our two islands already possess the intelligence, skill and adaptability to develop and maintain such a service industry. Awareness of country assets is something that can be learned; as well as an understanding of what draws visitors to our country. In Trinidad, we know about Carnival and Pan. In Tobago, we have beaches and pristine landscapes. Certainly one of the most compelling attractions in both islands, is the ease and grace with which our multi-culturalism presents itself. It’s in the festivals – not only Carnival and Divali and Baptist Liberation, in the celebrat...

Adaptations of creatures into monsters of dreams and mythology (and inspiration for films) can     teach us lessons, and provide new gifts or treasures. Dr Anjani Ganase asks us to look at some strange ocean creatures. Living in the ocean requires a different set of skills from living on the land. On land most of us, with the exception of those with wings, are limited to moving around the earth’s surface. Most terrestrial animals spend their lifetimes crossing the terrain for food, water, shelter and mates. The ocean, however, has other properties: water allows organisms to move in all planes and connects animal and plant life at much greater and more intimate scales where water is also a medium of transport. While the ocean is a 3D realm, it doesn’t make the ocean homogenous as there are natural physical barriers that limit movement and transport of marine life and material.   For example, the pressure exerted on our bodies increases with depth, owin...

With beaks and talons specifically developed to swiftly dispatch their prey, raptors can be found fishing and hunting all around Tobago, as Faraaz Abdool reports . All photos by Faraaz Abdool Powerful, fierce and noble, birds of prey have held us in awe for millennia. Eagles, hawks, kites and falcons – or raptors as they’re collectively known – are ruthless and calculating monarchs of the avian universe. Some of the largest and most powerful specialize in making prey of primates while the smallest raptors terrorize crickets, locusts and other insects. A healthy natural ecosystem ensures the survival of species at the top of the food chain. Thus, the presence of these majestic bird hunters indicates that the food web in the forest and on the coasts is healthy. Images of these regal birds often highlight their sharply hooked and deadly beaks, but raptors’ weapons of choice are razor sharp talons. Whether they feed on rodents, fish or snails, each species is ...

With restrictions imposed by Covid-19 around the world, Dr Stanton Belford recounts his best past observances of World Environment Day. Nature is here for us, he says, but we need to understand and appreciate our wild spaces every day. Dr Belford is a Trinidadian marine scientist who is a professor of Biology at Martin Methodist College in Tennessee USA. One of his significant research studies is on the reefs of Toco, Trinidad. This year 2020, World Environment Day will be celebrated on Friday June 5. I am saddened that I cannot visit Trinidad and Tobago, as I do annually during World Environment Day, as COVID-19 has placed a halt on this visit, which in the past was so easy to accomplish. Check to make sure my passport isn’t expired, review low tide schedules, book my airfare ticket, and then I’m off! My activities during these past visits included the Asa Wright Nature Center, the annual Island Hikers Hikeathon from Matelot to Blanchisseuse, and off course s...