We are the Miyawaki Nature Lab-a small space trying to make a quiet difference in a noisy world. Among the many lives that forests once held close is the Malabar civet, a shy, nocturnal animal that once moved freely through the lush greenery of the Western Ghats. Today, it stands on the edge of extinction, seen so rarely that some even believe it may be gone forever.
We chose a character inspired by the Malabar civet as our symbol-not because it is well-known, but because it is nearly forgotten. It reminds us of what we are losing, and what we must try to hold on to. This creature does not roar or demand attention. It lives in the shadows, playing its quiet part in nature’s balance—controlling pests, helping forests regenerate, and asking for nothing in return.
But now, it needs us.
Through the forests we grow, and the children we teach, we try to rebuild small patches of hope. Yet we know that real change needs more than saplings. It needs care, thought, and a willingness to pause before we act. So we ask, gently-before cutting down a tree, before paving over a patch of green, before throwing away that plastic bottle-think of the Malabar civet.
Think of a life that might still be waiting for a safe place to return to.
A life that cannot speak for itself.
A life that once belonged here, just as much as we do.
Let this little creature remind us all that everything we do to the environment, we do to the many lives that depend on it—often silently, invisibly, but deeply.
We are only one part of a larger whole. Let’s try not to forget the rest.
