The October wildlife issue has been an annual fixture for as long as the magazine has been in existence okay, we’ve occasionally done a wildlife issue in September or November as well, but let’s not get pedantic. The flurry of letters that usually follows such an issue, assures us that its appeal remains undimmed. It’s always been a bit tricky though, pulling it off, as the national parks don’t always oblige us by reopening in time for the issue after the monsoon. This time we worked around this by simply travelling before the parks shut for the season. Call it the call of the wild. You’d think that after 13 years of wildlife issues, we’d run out of things to say. I’m happy to report that this is very far from the truth. And I don’t think there is any previous issue that reflects it quite like this one. We have a veritable menagerie on offer: luxury camping in a quiet nook of Pench; a look into the revival of Panna’s fortunes; a trip into a part of Corbett few tourists see; a walking safari in the Satpuras; some superb birding in a tiger reserve in Assam; a round-up of the best experiences Kerala and Karnataka have to offer; chasing or rather, running away from komodo dragons in Indonesia; a full-blooded African safari in non-touristy Zambia; turtle viewing in Oman; and surprise, surprise a few encounters with Singapore’s wild side. Nature’s wonders are inexhaustible, so I don’t think we’ll be running out of ideas anytime soon. Our cover this month might have made you think wildlife is a monochromatic category, but once you’ve read through to the end, I’m sure you’ll be as entranced as I am.