Archive for the ‘Other wildlife’ Category
July has been a busy month, hence my lack of posts (apologies) and it looks set to continue into August. This has definitely been Pondok Ambung’s month. Pondok Ambung is the Tropical Forest Research Station we operate inside Tanjung Puting National Park.
Pondok Ambung is set in a beautiful location on the Sekonyer River, TPNP. I have already told you of Rene’s study on crocodiles but I think it completely slipped by to tell you that the University of Reading’s ‘Summer School’ were here earlier this month. This is the second year, Reading University have run a ten-day field course at Pondok Ambung. It is always great to see students getting out of the classroom and into the forest. I hope it inspires them. They were certainly captivated by the orangutans and gibbons.
Pondok Ambung visitors; orangutans, gibbons, and humans -whose watching who? And just to prove there are always new experiences to be had, the day Brigitta (who contacted us through Wildlife Direct) was with us at Pondok Ambung, we found a tree that had been absolutely torn apart. You will have seen photos of the damage sun bears can do to trees in one of my earlier posts. Orangutans will also tear off bark to either get at sap or insects. But, on this tree, half the bark had been shorn off and huge chunks of heartwood pulled out. If it was an orangutan or a bear, I would not want to meet them! It was Rene who gave us the answer: the tree had been struck by lightening (he said there had been an almighty thunder clap and lightening flash the day before). That was why the wood appeared to have exploded outwards. Still it was incredible there was no sign of burning. Despite the downpour, I would have thought a million plus volts would have at least singed the leaves…
Hello again, sorry for the silence but I have just had another fantastic week in Tanjung Puting National Park. Actually, on Monday I was in Lamandau, on a peat-lands survey, but I was still out of the office and in the forest, which made for a good day!
In case you’re wondering where these places I keep mentioning are, here’s a map (Pangkalanbun is where our office is). At Pondok Ambung I caught up with René, the German crocodile researcher, and then spent a wonderful couple of days at Camp Leakey. There were orangutans everywhere! What was great was seeing some unusual things. Foremost on that list was food sharing between two adult females.
Above and below, Rani and Riga - sharing food
Young orangutans will often sample what their mothers are eating. This is part of the learning process; finding out what is good to eat. However, on Wednesday, I watched two adult orangutans Rani and her daughter Riga sharing food. What made this doubly interesting is that it was Riga who was giving food to her mother. There may be some biological reason for this – Rani’s three year old son is obviously Riga’s half-brother but that seems a stretch. Normally, the genetic drivers of caring-behaviour are down the generations, not up them. This could have been a case of dominance; the older female forcing the younger one to submit. However, it is also quite likely that it was a simple act of altruism: Riga had enough to eat so was happy to share with her mother. The final excitement of the week was finding a dead and half-eaten crocodile. We reported this to René who examined the carcass. He estimated it to have been around three metres in length and was killed in a fight with another crocodile. Almost certainly the other crocodile was bigger.
Sekonyer River, TPNP Having just bathed in that river it was kind of sobering to know there was a bigger crocodile out there….. As always thanks for your comments, questions and support of our work. Maciej G, thank you very much for your $50 donation at the end of June. Will try and post again soon - the daily powercuts aren’t making it easy!
Compared with the week before, when I spent four days out of six in the field, this week seems to have been very office bound with only one visit to the Orangutan Care Centre. I guess that is what happens as audit-time approaches. One exciting thing did happened. Rene Bonke, a German PhD student arrived to begin research into the ecology of the Malaysian False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii), one of the world’s rarest crocodiles.
Malaysian False Gharial (Tomistoma schlegelii) Rene will be spending the next three months at Pondok Ambung Research Station in Tanjung Puting National Park (TPNP). Earlier studies, on which we also collaborated, found “the highest ever recorded density of wild Tomistoma” on the river system leading to Pondok Ambung and Camp Leakey. Tomistoma are easily distinguished from the other species of crocodile found locally, the saltwater or estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus).
Releasing caged wildlife is rarely anyone’s idea of fun. Panic-stricken animals tend to lash out and they don’t have claws, teeth and talons for nothing. Which is why, yesterday, finding an eagle, a snake and two macaques caught in fish traps provided a challenging finish to the day. As always, I must apologise for the photos; but this time we did have a good excuse; we were all a bit too busy to take photos. So, thank you Rene (a peat forest researcher) for taking the ones below. The fish traps were made of a wooden frame wrapped in netting with an inverted slit through which fish can enter but can not escape. Because the water level in the Mangkung River, the Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, has dropped so much the traps were exposed and the fish inside had obviously tempted the monkeys and the crested-serpent eagle in for an easy meal. Certainly, I have never seen animals caught in them before. Jak, the Lamandau Patrol Manager and I tackled the eagle first, only to find there was a small python in the trap as well. I was certain that as we cut away the netting the eagle would either peck or slash with its talons, which were wrapped in the netting. Amazingly, once the roof was cut away the bird freed its feet and flew out right in front of our faces, without scratching either of us.
Crested serpent-eagle caught in a fish trap (photo by Rene Dommain). The python was half way through the netting but having gorged on the trapped fish had a bulge three quarters of the way down its body, which would not fit through the mesh. Jak was all for leaving it and I have to say as its head twisted around I thought he had a point. However, as it was, the snake would be a sitting target for the next eagle to come along. So trying to keep the sharp edge away from its skin, I slid my knife in between the snake and the netting and cut it free. Great, we were now in the water with a python and neither of us wanted to think about crocodiles!
Juvenile macaque caught in a fish trap - once freed he swam away (photo by Rene Dommain). The macaques were about 100m downstream. In one trap there was a juvenile and on the opposite riverbank, an adult female, thrashing around madly. We were able to free the youngster and I swam over to cut out the female. Again, having some experience of macaques, I thought as soon as the top was open she would come flying out and bite. My dulcet tones did nothing to calm her and, as I cut away each side, she would retreat into the opposite corner ensuring she was always under netting until the whole top was cut off. Only then did she come out. It was obviously our lucky day for instead of flying out as predicted she actually dove down and swam away under the water. We saw her pop up and climb out, maybe, 15m away. Four animals released without injury to either them or us. Not bad. Then I scrapped all the skin off my shin climbing back into the boat! Nancy M., thank you very much for your donation of $50, that you made at the end of April, your support is much appreciated. “We are participating in WildlifeDirect’s business strategy. Please help us by taking this user survey, thank you”
I felt really good about what we achieved today. Early, last week, an agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis) was delivered to the Orangutan Care Centre & Quarantine (OCCQ).
The gibbon The story went he did not “belong” to the man who brought him to the Centre. Rather the man had caught the gibbon after it had escaped from a neighbour’s house. Maybe, maybe not. However, at least the man was giving the gibbon up so we could not be too angry. But, with over three hundred orangutans in captivity, plus a sun bear, we really don’t need another mouth to feed.
As gibbons should be! Especially not a gibbon. They are fascinating creatures but require specialist management. Gibbons mate for life and fiercely defend their territories. They swing through trees with amazing ease but that does mean their enclosures should ideally be very high and long so they have room to move. None of this suits the set up at the OCCQ. So we called up Kalaweit, a gibbon rehabilitation project near the provincial capital, Palangka Raya (www.kalaweitfm.com/kalaweituk.htm) . They would happily take our new arrival. The Head of the local Forestry Department’s Agency for the Conservation of Natural Resources, under whose jurisdiction we operate, offered the loan of his vehicle and prepared the necessary paper work. This morning, the gibbon set off to begin what will hopefully be the final stage in his journey from captivity to the forest.
Hopefully the final stage in this gibbon’s journey back to wild. It will cost us $150 in fuel, a night’s hotel accommodation for the drivers, and a donation towards the gibbon’s necessary medical checks. In return we have supported the Forestry Department in achieving their mission, maintained positive cooperation with another wildlife NGO and, most importantly, done the right thing. Gibbons don’t belong in cages. We can not set him free but Kalaweit can. “We are participating in WildlifeDirect’s business strategy. Please help us by taking this user survey, thank you”
Dear All A few quick replies before the weekend to comments received during the week. Firstly, the thorny issue of “sustainable palm oil”. Cathy, at the Foundation office in London writes: “So far there is no sustainable palm oil from Indonesia or Malaysia. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) has said they hope to have some sustainable palm oil on the market at the end of this year. As far as we are aware most products that are “palm oil safe” or “Orangutan Friendly” are products that actively avoid palm oil. For example, the companies Paterson Arran and Little Satsuma, both supporters of the Foundation, avoid or have stopped using palm oil because of its associated problems. They are not products that “contain sustainable palm oil’, rather they are palm-oil free. However, there is palm oil that has been certified organic and is apparently grown in a sustainable way from Columbia. It is probably worth asking companies, that declare their palm oil is sustainable or “Orangutan Safe”, where it is sourced.” Chris asked about the attitudes of local people. It is a huge question that most conservation organisations must deal with. What is clear, in order to be successful, you have to have the local people on your side. The reality is people will generally be motivated by self-interest. Employment is one way of marrying our and local people’s interests and has the added benefit of, over time, generating a heartfelt commitment to conservation. Many, if not all, of our staff have internalised respect for the forest and being “Orangutan Foundation” is part of their identity.
Mutual attachment! It also has a trickle-down effect that spreads to their families and outwards to the communities in which they live. It is much harder for someone to take up illegal logging when they know their next-door neighbour will be out patrolling against them. In my blog I have also mentioned our programmes in Lamandau and Belantikan. Here we are actively working alongside local village communities to create and generate alternative and sustainable ways of earning an income from the forests. You were all way too kind about my sun bear photos. Have you seen on Wildlife Direct there is actually a new blog about sun bears http://sunbears.wildlifedirect.org/ This group is based in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Also in the week there were a few comments about Banteng. One of the little known facts about Banteng is that the largest population anywhere in the world is in Northern Australia, where they were introduced over a hundred and fifty years ago. Lastly, thank you very much to the person who made an anonymous donation last week – your support of our work is much appreciated. Have a good weekend.
As promised, I went to the Care Centre this morning to check on progress with the cage repairs. As requested, I also gave Montana “a nod”, as well as a bunch of flowers which he devoured. To be honest, I think he was more interested in watching the workman than in eating. His neighbours, however, were watching the flowers greedily.
Montana
Montana’s neighbours Thank you so much for everyone who donated to the repairs. The welding has been completed. The metal work is now being painted with rust proof paint which will then be covered with the standard green paint used at the Care Centre.
Sleeping shelves and tyres will then be fitted. After which, all that remains to happen is to fill it with orangutans. And that should not be difficult. The escapees are crowded into one cage just down the line from Montana. We are hoping that once their enclosure is fixed, we’ll be able to repair the one they are now in.
The Escapees It was good being at the Care Centre in the morning, as I could see the orangutans being taken out for their day’s exercise in the forest. As always, it was amazing to watch Mr. Laju, one of our blind assistants, leading the orangutans out. Mr Laju went blind later in life but he can still follow the forest paths and board walks into the surrounding forest, and when I say board walk I mean a single plank pathway!
Mr Laju The other incredible thing is the orangutans never mess him around. If you and I tried to take them out, I guarantee they would be scrambling up the surrounding bushes, dashing off here and there. Mr Laju does ties a piece of string around their arms but that can’t be the secret. Any self respecting orangutan could pull away from that, if they wanted to. Clearly, they don’t. Also at the Care Centre at the moment is a female sun bear. I did take a couple of photos but, even by my low standards, they were only fit for the recycle bin! Of course, I have excuses: the bear’s enclosure is very dark; it would not stop moving around; there are too many branches in the enclosure - that’s my excuse.
Sunbear There is also a gibbon newly arrived at the Centre which we’ll arrange to have sent to Kalaweit, a specialist gibbon rehabilitation centre, in the next few days. We have our hands full with orangutans, without adding gibbons into the mix. Again, many thanks.
Very exciting news just in from our partner organistation, Yayorin about banteng (wild cattle) being found in Belantikan. Please see the press release below. How the banteng were found also highlights the work needed to be done to save this species. This news comes just after my last few posts about orangutans and is another example of why protecting orangutan habitat is important to all biodiversity, especially those that are threatened. PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Endangered Animals found in Central Kalimantan Biodiversity research in the Belantikan Hulu ecosystem of Central Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) was started in 2003 by Yayorin (Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia). Other than a large population of orangutan, the research also gathered some information on the existence of the endangered banteng or wild cattle (Bos javanicus) from the local people who live in the research area. This information was valuable because it is believed that banteng distribution in Kalimantan is becoming more and more limited and largely unknown.
Banteng confirmed in Belantikan In 2005, Yayorin conducted further research and was able to gather more information and data. According to the local people, banteng were often seen in sopanan or saltlick areas, saltwater sources where animals go to drink and to get the mineral they need. Although the team found their tracks and faeces many times in these saltlick areas, they were not completely convinced of these findings because it was possible that they belonged to cows that were common in Belantikan. On November 20th, 2007, Yayorin team conducted yet another survey on Bukit Durian area of Kahingai Village. There they encountered a surprising find: two well-preserved banteng tracks; one was about 12 cm x 11,5 cm and another one was about 14 cm x 13 cm. According to their sizes, it was believed that those tracks belonged to one male and one female banteng. In addition, the tracks were also found in a habitat dominated by bamboo trees. On April 11th, 2008, two local people went hunting using dogs and spears. On their way, their dogs found two banteng (mother and child). They then killed the mother using spears, while captured the baby and took it to the village. The location where these banteng were captured was around Tungkapan River, Belantikan Raya District, Lamandau Regency. Moreover, according to some local people who go into the forest to hunt pigs, they also encountered more than ten bantengs between January and February 2008. All stakeholders need give their serious attention to this matter and do concrete actions to preserve the existence of these endangered banteng in Belantikan area. The last thing we all want to happen is to see these wonderful and beautiful animals extinct in the wild. FACTS ABOUT BANTENG (bos javanicus) Status: Endangered Population: 3,000 – 5,000 Distribution: India, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam,Kamboja, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia (Java, Bali, Kalimantan) Threats: Hunting and habitat loss and/or degradation (agriculture, plantation, forestry, housing) For more information: Togu Simorangkir – Chairman of Yayorin Yayorin (Yayasan Orangutan Indonesia)
In my last few posts I have been explaining about orangutans and why they are dependent on the forests for their survival. However, the forests also need orangutans. I have mentioned that orangutans are primarily frugivorous and that they are experts at moving through the forest canopy. The combination of these factors makes the orangutan an excellent seed disperser. Also, because of their large size, orangutans are able to eat bigger-seeded fruit which other species in their ecosystem aren’t able to. Orangutans thus play a crucial role in propagating fruit trees. As orangutans move through the canopy they will inevitably bend or break branches, opening up the forest canopy. This allows light to reach the forest floor thus helping seedlings to grow and the forest regenerate. Truly, orangutans are a vital cog in the working of the rainforest ecosystem.
The rainforest floor - seedlings compete for light and space The interdependence between orangutans and the forest has huge implications for conservation. I think I have written before that Indonesia has the world’s highest deforestation rate; it also has the world’s highest number of threatened mammal species (146 species); is number two in the world for threatened bird species and remains high up there for the remaining taxonomic groups. To save the orangutan, you have to save the forest and when you save the forest you save everything else. (For better or worse, that includes spiders!) An example closer to my heart is the proboscis monkey, which is only found on Borneo. Tanjung Puting National Park has one of the largest remaining populations. Why? Because of our orangutan conservation work. As an aside, proboscis monkeys are fascinating in their own right. The males have a spectacular nose! (see photo)
Photo by Dr Mark Fellows - Male proboscis monkey (sorry the photo is so small) Another special thing about the proboscis monkey is that they swim, a rare behaviour amongst primates. Proboscis monkeys actually have slightly webbed hands and feet and are able to swim underwater for about 20 metres.
Proboscis monkey swimming Similarly, a study of the critically endangered Malaysian False Gharial, a type of crocodile, concluded “High observational records of Tomistoma at the main study site may represent the most viable and stable Tomistoma population of the entire National Park due to the conservation efforts of the Orangutan Foundation”.
False Gharial There is a lot I haven’t mentioned and I could go on but I don’t want this to turn into a textbook. I find the science of conservation fascinating; indeed the Foundation always argues conservation has to be based on sound science. But, as the saying goes, science only informs. It is passion that persuades. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.
Stephen is currently at meetings in Jakarta so, as a fill in, please see the two pieces below, written for this blog by the Belantikan Conservation Programme (BCP) Team. The Orangutan Foundation believe that scientific research is a fundamental tool in ensuring the continued survival of the orangutan and the long-term protection of its habitat. Research reveals the interdependence of all forms of fauna and flora (including toads, fruit, orangutans and humans!) and provides us with the facts required to make informed decisions about how we manage an individual species or an ecosystem. - Iman Safari, Program Manager of BCP ‘I have worked with community in four villages at Belantikan Hulu, Kalimantan Tengah for two years. However I have never been there while the fruit season arrives. Finally, I got to taste several exotic fruits that I have often been told about by the Belantikan Village community. Please you take a look at these exotic fruit’s pictures. Not everybody has an opportunity to see these exotic fruits such Mentawa (Artocarpus sp), Durian Pampaan (Durio kutejensis), Kusi (Durio dulcis), Lempahung (Baccaurea lanceolata) and Asam Mehawang (Manggifera foetida) since these fruits could be found only in Kalimantan’s countryside.
Mentawa (Artocarpus sp)
Durian Pampaan (Durio kutejensis)
Kusi (Durio dulcis)
Lempahung (Baccaurea lanceolata)
Asam Mehawang (Manggifera foetida) In my own opinion, those fruits have extraordinary flavor. As a part of Indonesian plasma nutfah (germplasm), they should be grown properly in order to cultivate their superior variety. As matter of fact, those fruit will be extinct if there is not any pre-plan farming to be taken. The government should have started to develop an initiative to keep their exotic fruits existing. At the present time, the forest in Belantikan Hulu has been changed to be wood repository area and iron mining area. If there is no pre-emptive scheme to grow those exotic fruit, surely they will be become extinct someday. The next generation, most probably, would never taste or witness them. I felt so fortunate about experiencing the natural-wealth of Belatikan Hulu forest.’ - Sasi Kirono, Resercher of BCP ‘The Belantikan region has very high ecological assets. The variety of ecosystems and the location altitude (76-1099 mdpl) might also be the factor of ecological wealth. This area was surveyed in 2005 and 32 amphibian species and 38 reptile species were found. The survey also found an endemic and very rare jungle toad, Barbourula kalimantanesis.Another rare amphibian species, Genus ichtyophis, was also discovered but this extremely rare species has not been classified, even though the image has been taken by camera.
Barbourula kalimantanensis In my most recent survey I discovered 38 amphibians and 18 reptilians. During engagement of the survey, we have a hard time to categorize discovered species due to limitation of herpetofauna identification.
Discovering Belantikan’s treasures - BCP researcher Herpetofauna are important as their presence is a bio-indicator for healthy environments. My simple research should have continuation. I wish there will be other researchers to have the same interest like me.’ |
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