Archive for the ‘Borneo’ Category

Nov
29

Update from Borneo Carnivore Project

Posted by in Borneo,Carnivores,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research

Houston Zoo Carnivore Supervisor Kevin Hodge is checking in from Borneo:

We just got back from another camping trip in the Crocker Mountain Range here in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia and Houston Zoo summer intern Lyndsey went with us this time. It was just a two day and one night trip. We collected photos from 4 different sites and each site has at least two cameras with a few having four. When we go to the camera site we change batteries, clean the cameras, put new silica gel to absorb the moisture and download the pictures. The last camera site we were going to heck took 6 hours for us to get to in some very steep and slippery terrain only to find that someone had stolen the cameras. All of the data was lost along with $1000 worth of Reconyx cameras.

On the second day the entire day was uphill including a few nearly vertical climb on very wet soil. We climbed from 600 meters above sea level to 1400 at our highest point. The gps is acting up a bit so sometimes we are not getting accurate readings where we are. When we got home today we looked at the photos and there was a clouded leopard on one of them! This makes 4 sites and a total of 5 clouded leopard photos which is pretty impressive considering there has not been much luck with getting photos in this region for these species.

After looking closely at the pictures we have determined it is the same male clouded leopard we have seen at all sites so there is at least 1 in the area. The carnivores seem to prefer traveling the ridge lines of the mountains which is a lot easier to travel than up and down the sides of the mountains but the hunters also like to use these same ridge lines.

So far we have photos of hose’s civet, clouded leopard, marbled cat, Malay civet, pangolin, common palm civet, banded palm civet, masked palm civet, linsang, binturong, Malay weasel, yellow throated Martin, short tailed mongoose, Malay badger,sun bear, leopard cat, bearded pig, red and yellow muntjac, sambar deer, mouse deer, great argus pheasant, pitta, tree shrew, moon rat, squirrels, and hornbill. We have also heard orangutans and Bornean gibbons, grey leafed monkey and a possible sun bear. It has been a great trip but exhausting.

Leopard Cat

We are going to Sepilok tomorrow to visit the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre and then I will be home in about a week!

In case you were curious about what a Borneo Sun Bear looked like. Photo from Danau Girang Field Centre 2010

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Nov
23

Borneo’s Sumatran Rhinoceros. One step away from extinction

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Borneo,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,Rhino

Borneo’s Sumatran Rhinoceros is literally one step away from extinction. There are an estimated 200 Sumatran rhinos surviving.  Between 12 and 25 animals remain on the island of Borneo, Sabah, Malaysia. The remainder of the population lives in three Indonesian National Parks in Sumatra: Gunung Leuser, Way Kambas, and Bukit Barisan Selatan.

Sumatran Rhinoceros "Tam". Borneo Rhino Sanctuary, Tabin Wildlife Reserve. Photo by Paul Swen.

So, at best guess, no more than 25 animals are living on Borneo in a completely fragmented habitat and it is believed that none of these have reproduced for nearly four years. A recent editorial in Malaysia’s New Strait Times paper by John Payne, a world renowned conservationist who has lived in Sabah, Borneo since the 1970′s notes that open discussions need to take place with both government and non-government organizations or we will be witness to the disappearance of yet another iconic mammal.

Too many species disappear not only from habitat loss and poaching but from the failure of organizations, with apparently the best interest of the animal in mind, to not be able to cooperate with each other. Hopefully, the Sabah Wildlife Department and partners will be able to make a difference for this species.

Sumatran Rhino, Borneo 2008

A last-ditch effort to save the species, the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary programme, is under way in Sabah, a government programme implemented by the Sabah Wildlife Department with support from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Borneo Rhino Alliance and Yayasan Sime Darby and World Wildlife Fund.

Read more: Last ditch bid to save the rhinos – Columnist – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnist/last-ditch-bid-to-save-the-rhinos-1.8370#ixzz1eLlVMScQ

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Nov
22

Well, I am still alive, and in Borneo

Posted by in Borneo,Carnivores,Conservation,Featured,Field Research,orangutan

Forest Leech

Houston Zoo Carnivore Supervisor, Kevin Hodge is part of an effort to assist the Borneo Clouded Leopard Project (BCLP) in Sabah, Malaysia. This is his second update from the field which has limited internet access but seems to have plenty of forest leeches.

Let me interject here for Kevin that he ends his email with “All and all things are going great!”

I went out on what was supposed to be a 3 night camping trip that turned in to 5 days and 4 nights.  My legs are covered with leech sores and my feet are swollen.  I had hundreds of leeches on me one day but if you took time to pull them off more would just climb on you so I would wait until they filled with blood and squeeze them until the ruptured. I also have had a few ticks on me which are worse than the leeches.

Banded Palm Civet

We went high in to the mountains and saw a lot of hunter’s camps and notified the Sabah Wildlife department which is starting to go out with us to destroy the camps.  We have 1 male clouded leopard on the camera traps so far, a marbled cat, hoses’s civet, malay civet, grey leafed monkey, linsang, banded palm civet, bearded pig, pitta, pig tailed macaque, mongoose, moon rats, tree shrews and the malayan giant squirrel.  So we are pretty pumped up that there are clouded leopards here.  We also caught a few hunters and their dogs on camera. 

Our camping diet consists of rice, sardines, ramen noodles and corned beef every day with coffee in the morning.  It was very cold at night and after falling and floating down stream in the river my sleeping bag and tent were wet so I froze a few nights and almost fell off a cliff on another occasion. (Remember – “All and all things are going great!”)

My legs are getting stronger but the altitude still presents a problem for me on the uphill ascents.  The adidas kampung shoes they recommended for me (these are like soccer shoes with rounded cleats) to wear has good traction on the slippery soil but not on rocks and with out any type of support my feet are in terrible shape. I noticed that the local people that we work with have feet that are the same length as mine but twice as thick and twice as wide with no arch which works better on this terrain apparently. We have off today and tomorrow to rest up in Kota Kinabalu then I go out for another camping trip. All and all things are going great!

 

Bornean Bearded Pig

 

Some background on the Crocker Range in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo. Sabah by the way is one of the 13 Malaysian states. 11 are on Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak are on Borneo.

The Crocker Range separates the east coast and west coast of Sabah. At an average height of 1800m, it is the highest mountain range in Sabah. Mount Kinabalu (at 13,000 feet), which is one of the highest mountains in Southeast Asia, is part of this range. Part of the range, has been gazetted for protection as Crocker Range National Park since 1984. The area surrounding Mount Kinabalu has been a national park since 1964 and was the country’s first World Heritage Site.

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Nov
21

Houston Zoo’s Carnivore Supervisor, Kevin Hodge in Borneo

Posted by in Borneo,Carnivores,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research,orangutan,Uncategorized

Houston Zoo Carnivore Supervisor, Kevin Hodge is part of an effort to assist the Borneo Clouded Leopard Project (BCLP) in Sabah, Malaysia. Very limited data exists regarding Bornean felids in higher altitude areas, they will be deploying camera traps in the hills and lower Montane forests of Sabah’s Crocker Range National Park. BCLP has developed a research approach primarily focused around multiple 6-month camera trap surveys designed to estimate clouded leopard densities and felid community structure in areas of forest exposed to different management strategies.  

Camera trap photo of Clouded Leopard in Kinabatangan floodplain. This is what the project is hoping to find in the Crocker Mountain Range

Kevin is in Borneo now, enjoy his description of his first few days with the project.

So, I discovered today I am clearly out of shape.  Just for reference, Crocker is nearly 6,000 feet above sea level – Houston is 50 feet above sea level. Therefore my body has not figured out the 5,950 foot difference just yet.

Our group split in to two groups; one went on a three day hike and ours did just one long day. We set up two camera traps and cleared some forest trails to funnel animals towards it. We only went a total of about 5k if you were to measure in a straight line but with going up and down mountains repeatedly my legs and lungs will argue that it was much more.  I pulled 36 leeches off of me this evening and my pant legs were pink from the blood.  Hopefully I will acclimate to this altitude soon so I don’t slow the group down too much.  We saw a rhinoceros hornbill and we heard orangutans, argus pheasant, and sambar deer.  They have only seen 4 mammals total up in this region on this project so far so things are much more difficult to find than in the Kinabatagan River floodplain where animals are drawn to the open spaces near the river. Does not mean they are not here, just much harder to see and the wildlife are not as accustomed to seeing people wandering around their forests.  We also came across a hunters poaching camp and we went to talk with them but they we’re not there.  We are having trouble with the hunters stealing some of the camera traps which is unfortunately common on some projects, even a past effort I was part of in Texas in the Big Thicket. Otherwise all is great, just waiting on my body to catch up. More to come from Crocker National Park in Sabah, Malaysia…

To learn more about the Houston Zoo’s efforts in Borneo – link here

For more on the Bornean Clouded Leopard Programme – link here

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Oct
28

A message from a Houston Zoo intern in Borneo

Posted by in Borneo,Carnivores,Conservation,Field Research

Lyndsey Stanton is an intern in the carnivore section at the Houston Zoo.  She was searching for an opportunity to see conservation in action and gain some field experience.  She approached us in July and inquired about our conservation partners.  After some discussion she felt the Borneo project was ideal.  We connected her with the Borneo folks, and the next thing we knew she was booking her flights. 

Enjoy Lyndsey’s message below. 

Orangutan using rope bridge

Hello from Borneo! I have been in Borneo for a little over two weeks and have already learned and seen so much! I’ve spent a great amount of time in the jungle helping with research. I’ve helped with small mammal trapping, used for measurements and blood samples in order to attempt to learn how many small mammals are in the area, camera trapping animals in the jungle, and tracking a radio-collared slow loris. I’ve also participated in a few other activities including learning to climb very tall trees up to the canopy, and helping to build a rope bridge for orangutans needing to cross nearby tributaries. I’ve seen many animals including, elephants, crocodiles, proboscis monkeys, orangutans, macaques, hornbills, monitor lizards, a slow loris, civets, and more.

 

This has been the most amazing experience of my life! I’ve become friends with the other students (all from different countries) and even learned a little Malay. Danau Girang Field Center is simply wonderful and I just don’t want to leave. Thankfully I have another two weeks here! I’ll update more soon.

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Jul
29

Special Shelled Ones in the Orangutan Moat at the Houston Zoo- Come See!

Posted by in Borneo,Conservation,Endangered Species,orangutan,What You Can Do

Orangutans are big, orange, hairy, very endangered and unbelievably adorable. I know it’s really hard to look at anything else when you are looking at their big and fantastic ape faces. However, the next time you visit the Houston Zoo, I suggest that you take a second or two to peer down into the orangutan moat…look past the puckering Koi, and keep your eye out for little (and not so little) reptilian heads popping out of the water now and again.

If you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of one of these little heads…you may have just seen some of the most endangered turtles in the world. One of which is on the TOP 25 most endangered turtles in the world! This turtles name is the Painted Terrapin, he is one of the most colorful turtles in South East Asia and in some areas is actually referred to as the Watermelon terrapin because in the breeding season they actually look like the colors of a watermelon! Males in breeding color also get pale white faces with a red stripe on the top of their head. This beautiful species is close to extinct in the wild because the eggs are relished as a delicacy and their meat is in demand as well.

Here is a picture of our Painted Terrapin accepting a monkey biscuit (their favorite treat) from Primate Keeper Tammy! She loves these turtles!

Painted Terrapin eating biscuit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Painter Terrapin Swimming

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another rare and beautiful turtle that is currently residing in the Orangutan moat is the Giant Malaysian River Turtle, Orlitia borneensis. This is personally one of my favorites. This gigantic and shy turtle is also becoming increasingly exploited for their meat in Southeast Asia and was recently up listed to critically endangered by the IUCN.

Giant River Turtle With Mouth Covered in Biscuits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peeking out of the Water, So Shy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many turtle species in Asia are suffering shocking declines due to decades of illegal and unsustainable harvest. In addition to habitat loss, these animals are relentlessly collected and trafficked for the pet trade, consumption and medicinal purposes. The Houston Zoo is currently assessing how we may work with our partners in Malaysian Borneo to incorporate turtle research and conservation in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. Our partners are already supporting research and conservation efforts for charismatic animals like the Asian elephant and the Orangutan, and now they would like to set their sights on endangered reptiles and amphibians as well. More to come on these efforts so stay tuned!

You can help Southeast Asian turtles by NEVER eating or buying turtle meat, eggs or products when you are traveling overseas.

Jun
14

Borneo’s Banteng: Photo evidence

Posted by in Borneo,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research

We headed back up the trail but we were suddenly alarmed to hear an elephant making a loud trumpeting warning call from close by. Cue us running as fast as possible!! This is not something easily done when wearing rubber boots two sizes too big and running through thick mud uphill! Back at the car we surmised that it was a mother and calf as we had seen the tracks the previous day and they probably moved much slower, hence were still in the area. It wasn’t long before we were all laughing about our frantic exit and how ‘ladies first’ does not apply in this situation! (Tip: if face to face with an elephant do not run – they have poor eye sight and will not detect you easily!)

April 24: Banteng and juveniles

We had one remaining station left to check, at a distance of about 1km from the White House near an open expanse of grassland known to be a banteng hotspot. Using the bike we drove up to the top of the open grassland where Sarianus had previously seen a small herd of banteng around 5pm but sadly none were out today, and no dung or tracks were found in the immediate area. The camera traps were positioned a little further up from this area and had not incurred any disturbance but had captured a reasonable amount of event data.

April 22: Banteng bulls

We returned the White House and concluded that the remaining three camera trap stations near the artificial salt which were obstructed by elephants would have to be checked another time, the stations in the north of Malua would have to be left until the water had receded and access was possible, and the two damaged camera traps will have to be sent back to the USA for repair. We started to make the long drive out of Malua but were told a bridge had collapsed and so were forced to make another long detour out through the north of Malua.

April 26: Banteng in Malau Forest Reserve

I am presently waiting to see all the images, as first preview goes to the Sabah Wildlife Department, however I have seen one and it contains two beautiful and healthy large bulls. Results!

We will check back in with Penny throughout the summer. This project is being underwritten by the Houston Zoo, Malaysian Palm Oil Council, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund and Woodland Park Zoo. Have questions? contact conservation@houstonzoo.org

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Jun
13

Borneo’s Banteng: Elephants are in the way…

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Borneo,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research

Walking further along the trail we were dismayed to see very fresh elephant tracks heading in the same direction. Our worst fears were confirmed when we heard elephants nearby. Thus we made a hasty retreat back to the car and decided to leave these for the next day. Heavy rains that afternoon caused us to retreat back to the White House and accept enough for one day.

The next morning we prepared for a full day in the field; as the roads had subsided and bridges collapsed we took both the car and two off road motorbikes for ease of access. We switched to motorbikes when we could drive no further, and headed for a ridge near the natural salt lick. Along the road we spotted banteng dung (approximately 2-3 days old) so a sample was collected. A good start to the day!

When dung is the sign of a good day, you realize how difficult tropical field work really is...

An open grassy area at the trail junction contained signs of substantial banteng activity; large tracks and lots of dung ranging in age, from approximately 3-5 days to 3-4 weeks, suggesting this area is visited regularly by banteng. A sample was collected, after which we continued on to check another two very muddy stations however my jungle shoes decided otherwise and I ended up with my toes exposed to the ground and forced to walk nimbly along the trails.

These are not Penny's feet but our partner in Orangutan research's disintegrating footwear, and a good example of what Borneo fieldwork does to your shoes. Luckily, we had a few extra camera straps with us to keep them together as we hiked back to the field station.

After checking the camera traps along this trail we stopped for lunch (rice and various tinned delights) back at the car, and the guys had a good laugh at me when the ants dined out on my backside! With full stomachs we headed over to the site that contained the elephants the previous day. Ideally we would have left this site undisturbed for another day but as the checking of camera traps was almost complete and we were leaving the following day we tried our luck again.

Only three of us went in because Sarianus lent me his (rather large) rubber boots, so stayed by the car. We walked the short distance to the artificial salt lick and continued on to the nearest station that contained a single camera trap. We were relieved not to find any fresh elephant tracks along the trail and to find the camera trap still intact and containing images. However it had been twisted around the tree, by elephants, so it was decided to move it to a neighbouring tree. The new tree was not an obvious choice for scratching elephants due to its low branching structure and trunk angle, and we had to work hard to prepare it so that the camera trap sat flush. After a quick walk test the camera trap was set up.

April 23: Banteng pair in forest

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Jun
10

Borneo’s Banteng: Cameras and Collapsing Bridges

Posted by in Borneo,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Featured

Clearly if this was easier, we would know the status of every cryptic species in the world…

Malua Forest Reserve is a smaller forest patch (approx. 33,000ha) adjacent to Danum Valley Forest Reserve and has been heavily logged but still contains valuable secondary forest and grassland patches essential for grazers like banteng. Whilst the large trees have all but been removed from Malua in the past decade, endangered wildlife can still be found here. The area is managed by the Sabah Forestry Department and New Forest (also my collaborators) and local research assistants are responsible for monitoring wildlife and conducting patrols to prevent illegal hunting and logging activity. During March the research assistants had sighted Sumatran rhino tracks and so I joined a team and visited Malua to implement remote camera traps for monitoring the presence of rhino and banteng.

The drive into Malua is a good three hours along dirt tracks and collapsing bridges. After arriving at the White House (the base camp: a quiet secluded spot without electricity or mobile phone signal – heaven!) we met the local research assistants and spent the evening discussing tactics and the best locations to implement our 40 camera traps. The following morning we drove out to the artificial salt lick to see the rhino tracks and to implement six camera trap stations along animal trails. A camera trap station consists of a pair of camera traps positioned perpendicular to the trail, so both sides of the animal are photographed. After implementing the six camera trap stations half the team departed Malua, whilst I and the local assistants returned to base camp to prepare for the following day’s drive up to the north of Malua. The next day was spent buying supplies and driving through deep mud to get to the northern base camp, a simpler but cosy wooden house, also without electricity.

The following day the team implemented camera traps at four mud wallows however there was a notable absence of fresh banteng and elephant tracks, and no evidence of rhino signs but internal grass openings indicated suitable banteng habitat. Upon returning to the White House that afternoon the team discussed random locations for the remainder camera traps to be implemented the following day. The areas selected included a large natural salt lick, ridges, skid trails (old trails that were used to drag out logs) and mud wallows. Camera traps were positioned at these spots and left in situ for two weeks, after which we would return to replace batteries and memory cards. Before departing the next morning the team established the last camera trap station along a trail leading to a large grassy opening, where the rangers had previously observed small herds of banteng during the day. Heavy rains during the night had caused a main bridge to collapse and meant we were forced to backtrack and then make a long detour up through the north of Malua to a main road.

Two weeks later I found myself back in Malua preparing to check the cameras and change batteries and SD cards. Thankfully the broken bridge that prevented us exiting via the main road the last trip had been repaired however some of the others were in a sorry state.

We arrived at the White House only to be informed that the north of Malua was flooded by high water from the Kinabatangan River and unfortunately we would not be able to check the cameras in this area. We had 30 cameras in the surrounding area so decided to start checking these cameras that afternoon and replace SD cards and batteries. Unfortunately elephant activity (rubbing against trees and pulling up our stakes) at the first station had knocked our camera out of alignment and the second was completely destroyed, with both cameras broken and irreparable. Not a good start…

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Jun
09

Borneo’s Wild Cattle: The Banteng

Posted by in Borneo,community-based conservation,Conservation,Endangered Species,Field Research

People in North America are not very familiar with the cattle outside of our general livestock but there are a number of species of Wild Cattle in Southeast Asia which are all in decline. Many of you have probably heard of the Yak, but who knows what a Gaur, Kouprey or Banteng are? How about Anoa, Saola, or Tamaraw? So when working with our partners in Borneo on Orangutan and Elephant conservation efforts, an opportunity to support a project focused on the population dynamics of a little known species of Wild Cattle – the Banteng – was quickly seized upon.

Researcher (2nd from left), mud, humidity, leeches, and research assistants. Not necessarily in that order

This week, our reports come from lead field researcher Penny Gardner who is working on her PhD through Danau Girang Field Centre with an affiliation to Cardiff University on determining the population status and habitat needs of this species.

In February, after months of planning, I was finally ready to leave for Sabah and get stuck into some field work. The heat and humidity of Sabah was a welcome relief after months of snow in the U.K. The following two weeks were spent in the capital city, Kota Kinabalu, settling into the office and meeting my supervisor, Dr Benoit Goossens, and staff at the Sabah Wildlife Department after which I went to Tabin Wildlife Reserve for to visit the field site. Tabin’s manager Rashid kindly showed me the accessible parts of Tabin, which is the largest (approximately 120,000ha) of my two study sites and contains a wealth of different habitat types and biodiversity, including all the endangered large charismatic mammals Borneo is famous for. The reserve is quite remote; 1.5hrs off road driving to get to the western border, thus a 4×4 is essential for getting around.

April 2011: First images on camera traps from this project

The next few weeks I spent getting organised and making daily trips out along the forest border to establish where the banteng were emerging. Another researcher had conducted camera trapping of Clouded Leopard in Tabin the previous year and had managed to photograph banteng so I tried to revisit these locations, however the dense jungle made access a slow and difficult process and myself and a ranger managed to cut a trail 500m long however it took us 2 hours! I also spent many days looking for banteng dung along the roads and collecting samples for DNA analysis; banteng generally emerge from the forest at night and during the early hours to feed on nutritional grasses not prevalent inside the forest, and they appear to defecate whilst grazing. DNA from dung samples is generally of low quality and deteriorates quickly in UV exposure and rain thus it’s best to collect samples from fresh dung, however finding dung isn’t an easy task especially inside the forest where the undergrowth is thick, the atmosphere is wet and there are numerous animal trails to follow.

Penny sampling Banteng dung in Tabin Wildlife reserve for DNA analysis

On each occasion when I find dung or fresh tracks I take a GPS point so I build up an overview of where the banteng are active. This is an ongoing process and I eventually hope to map the occupancy and habitat use of banteng in Tabin, and also do the same in my second study site Malua Forest Reserve.

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