Kusundo - The Stinging Caterpillar

 

(This video was released on World Environment Day, 2022. Hence, the text is written around that day.)

Today is World Environment Day, and you will come across messages that read save soil, save water, save the forest, save trees, save wildlife, save birds, save the ocean, save fish, save this, save that. Phew! The list is endless. Adding to this is another save video about a creature one can find in abundance during monsoon in the western ghats region.

 

It is called the Kusundo, a Konkani word for the Stinging Caterpillar, that grows up to become a moth. They come in various colours, shapes and sizes. But one thing they share in common is their defence mechanism. They have quill-like hair that can pierce human skin and causes serious issues like severe pain, blistering, swelling and more. This very act has made them infamous, and that’s why people can go to any extent to finish them at once. 

 

The video that I'm sharing today is an attempt to create awareness about this creature whose life might not be essential to us, but it is one of the crucial creatures that complete the food chain cycle.

Note: The information shared here is completely based on my research, observations and experience that I and people around me had with this creature.