With its inhospitable mountains, arid deserts and lush, green forests, India is home to some of the most breathtaking creatures on Earth; creatures that could be lost forever as the 21st century rolls relentlessly on.

Climate change, urban sprawl, greed, poverty and corruption are among the reasons for the danger to the region’s creatures, yet all hope is not lost in the battle to preserve these endangered species.

Indeed, many new species have come to light in recent years, with a high concentration of discoveries emerging in India’s Western Ghats – or Sahyadris – which line the western coast of India, running through the states of Maharastra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Famed wildlife photographer and conservationist Sandesh Kadur has been at the forefront of conservation efforts in the Sahyadris, home to some of India’s most exotic rainforests.  Many of the plants and animals living there are found nowhere else on Earth, with new species being documented all the time.

Among the delights Sandesh has captured on film are a spell-bindingly surreal purple frog with a face like a shrew, a magical monkey with a lion’s mane and tail, and a big, grey mountain cat, none of which would look out of place in a Harry Potter film.

Though not quite as astounding as, say, a bion (half-bear, half-lion) or a liger (half-lion, half-tiger), these chimera-esque creatures of which Darwin can only have dreamt, offer a glimpse into the wonders of what the future may hold.

But it is the present which poses the greatest threat to the beloved animals of India and her neighbours. The government, big businesses, communities, and, most importantly of all, individuals in all corners of the globe must pull together to ensure no more species become extinct.

The sub-continent has already lost creatures as diverse as the pink-headed duck, giant squirrel and Asiatic lion, and if the Bengal tiger, Indian elephant and golden-leaf monkey aren’t to join them, action needs to be taken fast.

Climate change isn’t just theoretical, it’s real, and it’s effects are being felt right across the world; if we don’t act fast, there may not be much of a world to hold on to.

Sandesh’s film can be seen this Friday (16th January) on BBC Two in Natural World at 8:00pm, and for one week after on BBC iPlayer.

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