Archive for the ‘Borneo’ Category

May
14

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Orangutans

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

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

Dr. Marc Ancrenaz, Borneo’s Orangutans and the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project

You have seen a number of posts the past few years on Dr. Ancrenaz and the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project. The Houston Zoo has been a partner of this program going back to 2004. Orangutan conservation is an important piece of our programming and Dr. Ancrenaz and his team have made it part of their lives since 1998.

Borneo is the world’s third largest island and a region of high biological diversity that has lost upwards of 75% of its original tropical forest cover. The two most prominent species on the Borneo are the orangutan and the Asian elephant, both of which are classified as Endangered and have lost significant habitat to logging and the subsequent conversion of natural forest to oil palm plantations.

Bornean Orangutan photo courtesy Paul Swen

The Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Program includes significant priorities and goals for this region:

  • Enhanced knowledge of orangutan ecology and conservation status including the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Ulu Segama/Malua Forest Reserve, Timimbang Forest Reserve and Eastern Sabah landscapes
  • Assessment and monitoring of orangutan population health and genetic status
  • Orangutan ecological adaptation to degraded and fragmented habitat
  • Development of policies for population management within and outside protected areas
  • Reduced level of conflicts between human activity and orangutans including improved land use and reforestation
  • Community engagement and education in the conservation of orangutans and habitat
  • Environmental education programs for Malaysian school children

To learn more and watch a short vidoe of the region – link here

Join us for our Wildlife Heroes weekend on May 19th and 20th and learn how local communities monitor Orangutan populations.  At the orangutan exhibit you can be a researcher and participate in an activity to document what you see our Orangutans doing.  See you at the Zoo!

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May
09

Wildlife Heroes is an awesome book, and we have the author coming to the Zoo!

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Bats,Birds,Borneo,Bumblebees,Carnivores,Central America,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Elephant,Endangered Species,Field Research,Going Green,Gorilla,Okapi,orangutan,Painted Dog,Panama,Rhino,Sea Turtles,South America,What You Can Do

Join us on May 19th and 20th for Wildlife Heroes weekend at the Houston Zoo.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

My first heroes were animal people.  When I went to zoos my heroes were the zoo keepers and when I watched animal documentaries the researchers were my heroes.  We all need amazing people to inspire us and that is why the new book Wildlife Heroes is so wonderful. 

The book includes 40 people overcoming impossible odds to save endangered species all over the world.  If you are looking for real heroes for your children to look up to look now further! 

The unique stories in this book of local communities becoming involved in anti-poaching, education and research efforts for wildlife in their own back yard are immeasurably inspiring!  In one story a young boy, Thia grew up in Northern Vietnam watching his village hunt the very species he fights to save today.  His passion to help a unique species called the pangolin will warm your heart!
 
I have had the honor of meeting many of the heroes in this book (including the authors) over the years and they inspire me to move forward in my own wildlife conservation work.  These are real people making a real difference! 

This book introduces readers to pollinator and amphibian decline and other environment issues that continue to threaten our world.  But it also offers great messages of hope.  In the last chapter Jack Hannah suggests ways the reader can help, and the good news is that by purchasing the Wildlife Heroes book you are already helping- 100 % of the proceeds go to the projects featured in the book.  A win for everyone!

Hope to see you at the Houston Zoo for our Wildlife Heroes weekend May 19th and 20th!

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Mar
02

The Origin of the Orangutan

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

A timely note as we prepare for our next Pongos Helping Pongs: Art by Orangutans for Orangutan Conservation Event

As told to me by a colleague in Malaysia:

The origins of the orang-utan

Long ago, human beings (or orangs) lived in the virgin jungles of Borneo. They stayed in groups, sharing their long houses, subsisting on plants and animals provided by Mother Nature. Within the different groups, this peaceful way of life was however troubled by all sorts of troubles and conflicts involving treacheries, malices, gossips and other problems that are specific to our species.

A peace-loving minority of orangs decided to split from the major group in order to escape the clamors of the village life and went deep into the jungle. They established a new home and lived happily for years. More and more orangs from their former community decided to join this idyllic existence, up to a point that the newly created village became overcrowded and full with problems that follow humans at all times and places (pollution, noise, habitat destruction, cruelty and meanness).

The original group decided to break up from their conspecifics one more time and wandered far away from this place. They established themselves on the mountains where life was paradise. Of course they didn’t stay on their own for long: more and more people joined them and troubled this peaceful existence. Fed up beyond belief, the original oranges decided that enough was enough: because they wouldn’t be able to find peace below the trees, they decided to climb up to the treetop and to settle down in the forest canopy. They also decided to not have any kind of relations with ground-dwelling orangs any more.

From this day on, this group became the orang-utans, or “people of the forest”.

Join us March 10th at The G Gallery in The Heights in support of orangutan conservation. http://www.houstonzoo.org/php/

Learn more about the effects of Palm Oil on Orangutan habitat: http://www.houstonzoo.org/palm-oil/

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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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