Pallas’s cat, one of the smallest wild cats in the world. Photo: Special arrangement
In the harsh winter of March 2017, out of a passion for wildlife photography, Shefiq Basheer Ahammed went on a 15-day trip to Mongolia, now in the Malappuram region Little did Shefiq Basheer Ahammed, a traffic official, imagine it would become part of a plan.
Even more surprising is that Mr Ahmed had no idea that his journey to photograph the elusive Pallas’s cat, one of the world’s smallest wild cats, was included in a chapter of the book. Gul Mohar Language For Life English CBSE Class 7 Course Textbook adopted by many CBSE schools. Mr. Ahmed found out about it after a friend overheard his daughter reading the chapter aloud.
“A friend heard his daughter read my name out in the chapter and he immediately called me. I was surprised to find that my passion for wildlife photography was worthy of being included in a textbook,” Mr Ahmed said.
Incidentally, a report on the Mongolia trip written by senior journalist G. Shaheed, along with Mr Ahmed’s photo, was published by the Daily Mail. front Magazine released on June 4, 2021.Mountain devil. The Pallas gets its name because it is a nocturnal cat whose white complexion blends perfectly with its snowy habitat.
Shefiq Bashir Ahmed. Photo: Special Events
“Forget taking pictures, spotting it is an achievement in itself as it requires an in-depth knowledge of its behavior and the weather. In fact, Pallas’s cats were the main focus of this trip to Mongolia, along with the Bactrian camels and Przewalski horse (named after Russian geographer Nikolai Przevalsky),” Mr Ahmed said.
bad weather
He first spent four days hiking and camping in the Hustai National Park, and then spent the next 11 days hiking and camping in the Altai Mountains with the help of a guide, braving inclement weather with temperatures as low as -20 degrees to catch a glimpse of the Pallas. Cat style.
Mr Ahmed’s passion for wildlife photography dates back more than thirty years and he has traveled to 26 countries to date. After joining the Department of Motor Vehicles in 1999, he took a five-year sabbatical from 2008 just to pursue this passion. The camera was his constant companion, even during his nearly eight years working on an oil rig in Dubai, where the 28-day on- and 28-day off cycle proved a blessing.
Published – January 2, 2025 at 8:20 pm (Indian Standard Time)