Posts Tagged ‘Sabah’

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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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
09

Adventures in Borneo with the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Borneo,community-based conservation,Field Research,orangutan,Travel

Proboscis Monkey photos courtesy of Paul Swen

The Houston Zoo’s VP of Animal Care, Sharon Joseph, and two excited travelers, Linda and Gail, embarked on an adventure to Borneo for the opportunity to view the regions wildlife along the banks of the Kinabatangan River a few weeks ago.  This unique opportunity was provided by the Houston zoo’s travel program.  In the inner east coast of Sabah, they saw some of the world’s rarest mammals, insects, reptiles, and birds while visiting with Houston zoo’s conservation partner, the Hutan which oversees the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project.  They trekked through swampy forest and paddled down winding rivers, getting rare glimpses of unique species such as proboscis monkeys and smooth otters.

They were guided by a community operated tour company called Red Ape Encounters whose guide Mincho had been trained as a research assistant and nature guide by Hutan.  Local people are always the best guides as they are so at home in the forest.  Their eyes are trained for their environment so they have the ability to notice what would be considered “unnoticeable” to us.  One night cruse, as Mincho scanned the shore with a spotlight, all it took was the sight of the tiny tip of a tail to point out a species of small cat called a leopard cat for the group to see.  Mincho did everything he could think of to make sure they saw all of the wildlife that the island had to offer from Bornean elephants to orangutans.

Bornean orangutan photos courtesy of Paul Swen

The group had a great viewing of wild Orangutans when they ventured out to experience the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project (KOCP).  The project was founded in the village of Sukau, in Malaysian Borneo by Hutan in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. The project’s objective is to restore harmonious relationships between local people and the orangutan. 

A great time was had by all and they ended up seeing 27 species of bird, 11 species of mammal and 6 species of reptile.  They also ended up making a life long friend of Mincho who took pride in introducing them to his village and family. 

Comments from the trip:
“Linda and I had an idea of the work going on, based on the information you sent to us.  Then we met and talked with Dr. Marc , Dr. Benoit and Dr. Isabelle , saw the programs detailed charts, sketches and newspaper articles, and it became perfectly clear what Hutan is accomplishing with support from the Houston Zoo.  They did not look at Linda and me as tourists – how much more special could one feel, since having inside information on their studies allowed us into areas that many other travelers could not access?  Along with their one-on-one dinners whereby we could ask any questions about the program and Mincho making sure we ‘did’ see the elephants – in a very Harrison Ford way, it was a trip most travelers only dream of.  You can read and read, but still not be truly ready for an experience like this.  From the very moment we arrived in Koto Kinabalu, we knew this trip would be like no other.  Linda has been to Africa several times and is still raving about this trip.

Mincho is certainly a treasure, the kindest person on this planet – he took us to meet his teacher, his wife and children.  He did everything within his power to make every little wish come true – the smallest details were taken care of.  He is truly a great representative for Red Ape and Zoo.”

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