Nyheter fra India, en sommerfuglfotograf er blitt kidnappet. En lokal parktjenestemann som besøkte den nordøstlige provinsen Arunachal Pradesh ble tatt om natten av en gjeng væpnede ungdomsopprørere. Arbeidet med å finne ham har blitt hemmet av været og avsidesliggende terreng. India har nylig blitt et av de vanskeligste landene å forske i, og nå blir vi alle minnet om dens fortsatte historie med vold. Ofte er det i de avsidesliggende og ville delene av et utviklingsland som huser både fantastisk biologisk mangfold og militante dissidenter. Mens jeg var i Ecuador holdt gruppen min et øye med colombianske FARC-opprørere som kan ha forvillet seg over grensen; Heldigvis var det bare en liten mulighet for at de ville være der i utgangspunktet, og ingenting ble sett. Jeg tror noe av det mest opprivende feltarbeidet mitt har vært langs de amerikansk-meksikanske grensestatene og i selve Mexico. Narkotikaløpere vil heller skyte deg før de ber deg om å gå ut av veien, og roaming banditos var ansvarlige for et drap på en kollegas venn i Oaxaca for år siden. Ikke overraskende, lokket av uutnyttet biologisk mangfold fortsetter å trekke oss inn. Hold deg trygg i felten!
Jeg, også, have had my most frightening experiences in southern Mexico, where Chuck Bellamy and I have gone several times in the past few years. We are routinely questioned by military police, which I guess doesn’t bother me too much (as long as I am able to successfully convince them that all we are doing is collecting bugs and that we don’t have any guns). Men, one time I was confronted by a woman wearing a bandanna over her face – I was about a half mile from the car and Chuck, and she was clearly agitated about something, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying because she was talking too fast. I started getting that sinking feeling that I’d stumbled onto something I shouldn’t see, so I played the dumb American and acted like I didn’t know what was going on, then quickly hoofed it back to the car. I really don’t know what would’ve happened, but my gut still tells me I was on the edge of something bad. We want to go back this fall, but the drug violence really has us thinking twice about it.
US border also has been tough – my truck was broken into along the Rio Grande – twice (5 miles from and 10 years after the first time). Annet enn at, just a few instances where border agents thought I looked suspicious and questioned me pretty hard.
Ecuador, South Africa, Argentina? Ningunos problemas.
Mexico keeps calling. I recently was added onto a Mexican collecting permit and it’s such a double edged sword. Hopefully I’ll get down there soon…and make it back! I’ve had some great experiences down in Baja, but the mainland Sonora/Chihuahua/Sinaloa area is spectacularly diverse and spectacularly dangerous.