What does a wild animal mean to us? At WeforWildlife, a new section on this website, I will explore what a wild animal means to us- the memories its brings, the annoyances, the poetry, and the pique!

One of my favourite wild animals is the Girgit (Hindi for garden lizard). Girgits have a beady, disapproving glare– almost like they are about to scold the unsuspecting human. With a mohawk on their heads, they also remind me of an aging rockstar, a Mick-Jaggerish figure. And with the way they perch– usually on the very top of a bush or rock, soaking up the sun, they seem like a top predator, small in size nevertheless.

I turned to twitter to gather what Girgits mean to us, and here are some contributions from friends and followers. Thanks to Shaunak Modi (@pugdandee), Sandeep Choudhary (@sandylogy) and Akshay Naidu (@aks_immortal).

“He is a rockstar.. he seemed to be standing” says Shaunak Modi for this Girgit he photographed:

And what was the Girgit doing? Well, it was putting up a show for this enchanting female:

Sandeep Choudhary managed to spot Calotes in a bunch of bananas.

Going Bananas, he says!

Akshay Naidu says: “Who’s the Boss?”

And here is my humble contribution: a girgit in my garden, holding on to the side of a wrought iron gate, and still managing to give me the eye:

What do lizards mean to you, especially the ones in your garden? Is there a wild animal you would like me to feature? Leave your comments below!