Dr. Gertrud Neumann-Denzau and Dr. Helmut Denzau
Dr. Gertrud Neumann-Denzau and Dr. Helmut Denzau, German natural scientists, are the authors of three books on Indian wildlife. Their photographs, popular and scientific articles have been published in various books, magazines and journals. Since 1970, they have traveled extensively through Indian jungles, starting with an overland journey from Berlin to Delhi. In the late 1980s, they wanted to explore the Sundarbans but encountered repeated difficulties in doing so. Hasan Mansur, a pioneer for guided tours to the Sundarbans, encouraged Gertrud and Helmut to come to Bangladesh and offered his help in organizing a visit to the mysterious mangrove forest. His son Rubaiyat turned out to be the perfect companion, not only as guide, but also as multi-talented disciple and wonderful friend. That first trip in 1989, so adventurous, visually fascinating and photographically rewarding, was the beginning of a continuing involvement with the forest on both sides of the border.
Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli and Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur
Rubaiyat Mansur Mowgli, researcher, traveled to the Sundarbans first in 1986. As a ten-year-old boy he enjoyed the thrill of tigers on land and crocodiles in the water, along with the freedom of sleeping under the star-studded sky. In 1989 he met Gertrud Neumann-Denzau and spent one month in the Sundarbans as her guide. All daylight hours were spent rowing silently through narrow creeks, observing and photographing wildlife. The seed of the love for nature and photography planted by her grew. In 1994 Rubaiyat left school to become a full-time nature guide and wildlife photographer in the Sundarbans. He shares his strong commitment to the conservation of the Sundarbans with his wife, Elisabeth Fahrni Mansur, who moved to Bangladesh in 2002. Together they have published a field guide, booklets and brochures on the Sundarbans, co-authored several research and educational publications and assisted numerous international film crews, photographers and scientists in the forest. Rubaiyat is currently the Principal Researcher of the Bangladesh Cetacean Diversity Project (BCDP), for which he spends the winter months out in the Bay of Bengal, studying dolphins and whales. Elisabeth
