Nightlife is different things to different people. For 19-year-old Tejas Thackeray, it means heading out into the forests looking for things that crawl or slither. The younger son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has always been passionate about wildlife, and now has something to show for it. He recently discovered three new species of freshwater crab in the Western Ghats. Here, Thackeray tells us about his passion for the outdoors and how Mumbai affords some great sightings, if you’re brave and willing:

Tell us about this discovery.

I have been travelling for a few years tracking big cats and reptiles. Last July, my friends and I decided to go to Amboli in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra to photograph the endemic species. Near Amboli there’s the Chakul plateau. The locals told me of a very rare snake, called the Olive Forest Snake, which lives in those parts. So we set out at night. It was pouring in the forest, there were a lot of leeches and not much else. We finally decided to head back when we saw this bright pink crab, which we later named the Ghatiana splendida. There was also another one, which we named Ghatiana atropurpurea. These crabs had been spotted and photographed earlier, but no one had ‘described’ them yet.

All this without any training in zoology?

None at all. I am pursuing BA in psychology at Jai Hind College, Mumbai. My father (Uddhav Thackeray) is a keen photographer. As a kid, he took me out on his wildlife trips, spotting tigers. One of my earliest trips was to Pench to spot tigers. Then we started going to more popular places. Eventually, I felt the need to head out to explore other parts of the country. For the last couple of years, I have been travelling on my own. I started by tracking big cats then moved to smaller species.

So what’s a typical outing like?

I usually travel with friends, and take a few locals around with us—people who know the terrain. Typically, we rest through the day and head out once it gets dark, since most reptiles are nocturnal. Then move around till dawn. We walk around poking through leaf litter and the canopy for snakes. When we spot something, we try to bring it down, click it and release it back into the forest. Sometimes you get bit, and it hurts.

Obviously, there would be surprises…

Oh yes. Last year, we were in Cotiago, looking for snakes. We suddenly found ourselves barely a few feet from a herd of wild gaur. We had to step back very, very quietly. The other time, we were trekking through Annamalai looking for the Cochin Cane Turtle. We came across a tiny stream where we stopped for a drink. On the other side was a tigress with her cubs. She heard us, and ran back into the bushes. But the scariest time was in Tadoba, when Maya the tigress, started chasing our vehicle. It was a proper charge, not a mock attack. That was scary. There have been other encounters—wild elephants, leopards… And then you have scorpions and tarantulas popping into our rooms, but we are pretty used to that now.

The city cuts you off so much, doesn’t it?

Well, not really. Last September, I was out herping with a friend at the Aarey Milk Colony [Mumbai] outside the national park. It was probably around 9pm. That’s when we saw a female leopard in the bushes. Then, we saw another cross the road right in front of us. We followed her into the forest, and suddenly found a cub staring at us. Three leopards in one evening, right in the city! Aarey also has several massive pythons—they’re breeding very well.

How does the family react to this?

My father understands my passion—initially, he tried to talk me out of photographing snakes. But now he’s confident that I know what to do, and that I won’t mess up. My mother still hands me a long list of instructions though.

Your recent trips?

Last monsoon I was in Amboli [Maharashtra], Cotigao [Goa], Annamalai [Kerala/Tamil Nadu and Valparai [Tamil Nadu]. Last year was also my first time in Africa. I was at Masai Mara for the wildebeest migration, the Lewa Conservancy and the Ngorongoro crater.

What’s on the bucket list?

The Virunga Mountains of Rwanda for the gorillas and chimpanzees. Hemis in Jammu & Kashmir for the snow leopard, Kerala for the frogs, the hills of Meghalaya, for everything really: primates, snakes, clouded leopard, red panda and the orchids. Specifically, for the orchids. Machhepuchhre mountain in Nepal and China for the pandas. Maybe in a couple of years, Papua New Guinea for the bird-of-paradise. And diving.