BBC Knowledge Magazine - April 2017

In this issue

I’ve never seen a tiger in the wild.

No, really. I’ve seen sloth bears dancing with butterflies in Bandipur, one-horned rhinos too close in Chitwan, elephants even closer in Mudumalai. I’ve had the wealth of the Great Barrier Reef float past me as I snorkelled the deep. But I’ve never seen a tiger in the wild. I've heard the warning call of the monkeys and the deer, seen the pug marks on the forest floor made just minutes earlier. I’ve sat waiting for hours in a safari jeep behind a screen of scrub while the tiger feasted, grunting, on the other side.
And I’ve never seen a tiger in the wild. And, you know what? That’s fine with me. The greatest thing about wildlife is that it’s wild, free, unobliged to show itself. And that unpredictability of sightings is something to celebrate. It takes the pressure off the big animals, and calls on you to appreciate the smaller ones, the little creatures who are also so much a part of the wild wonderland. This special wildlife issue has so many wonderful windows into the wild packed into it. We have the best Indian sanctuaries (and spoiler: they may not be the ones you’re expecting), snow leopards, urban animals, and the colourful creatures of the deep...

As always, there’s lots for you even if the wild doesn't rev your engines — personalities like feminist writer Ismat Chughtai, Birdman of India Dr Salim Ali, and historians’ takes on how the world might remember Fidel Castro. There’s a wonderful story on why we dance, which might explain India’s obsession with Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. We have travel and food that will make you want to explore our world, and, well, eat. And our innovations section this issue brings you all the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show this year — incredible inventions, dramatic new ideas, wild advancements…

Because it is a wild, exciting world out there — and it’s time to go out and discover it.