Back to Borneo, Part III

Greetings Everyone,

We’re now more than halfway through our “Back to Borneo” tour and headed for Deramakot Forest Reserve. The reserve had recently gained fame as an exceptional place to find animals. Sunda Clouded Leopards and Marbled Cats are seen here fairly regularly and I was hoping our 7-night stay would give us the opportunity to find one of these elusive felines. The reserve spans an area of 55,507 hectares, with 4,056 hectares set aside for conservation. Trees are harvested sustainably and hence Deramakot has been awarded by the Forest Stewardship Council certification for good forestry practices. In fact, it’s the longest certified tropical rainforest in the world!

Welcome to Deramakot!

We settled into our comfortable guesthouse for the week and prepared to go on our first nocturnal safari. Our first night out yielded many of the same mammals we had seen in Tabin: Island Palm Civet, Bornean Striped Palm Civet, Malay Civet, Bornean Slow Loris, and Bornean Leopard Cat. The best finds were a very large Reticulated Python who had just eaten a meal and a Large Frogmouth, a bird that is usually difficult to find.

Reticulated Python

Large Frogmouth

The next morning we did a bit of birding before resting up for our second night out. The civets and leopard cats made good showings including an inquisitive mother Bornean Striped Palm Civet with a nearly grown offspring.

Bornean Striped Palm Civets

We also encountered a family of Island Palm Civets next to the road. After a gestation period of 2 months, the female gives birth to 2-5 babies so this was average-sized litter.

Island Palm Civets

A Moonrat scurried across the road - a new mammal for us but sadly it was too fast for a photo. We got our best view yet of a Bornean Slow Loris, a seriously cute animal but the only venomous primate! Its bite can cause anaphylactic shock in humans, a reminder that these animals should never be kept as pets.

Slow Loris

The next day we went off in search of Maroon Langurs, the last monkey found in Sabah that we had failed to see. Adi found us a troop but they were wary and moved off at our approach.

Maroon Langur

During our third night drive, the same cast of characters showed up including one new species of mammal, a Long-tailed Porcupine! Sadly it dashed for cover before Marc could get a photo.

The next morning we dragged ourselves out of bed to do a bit of birding and were glad we did. Adi heard a trogon and a beautiful male Red-naped Trogon landed in a tree not far from the road.

Red-naped Trogon

We continued on hearing Helmeted Hornbills calling in the distance. Their call is unmistakable, starting with slow notes and building to a madcap laughing climax. They seemed to be getting closer and finally, a pair flew over the road! Marc was able to get a photo of this critically endangered bird. They are heavily hunted for their solid horn or casque on the upper side of its beak, which is highly prized by the Chinese. The casques are often carved for decorations or used in traditional medicine. Composed of keratin, the same substance as our hair and fingernails, they have no medical properties. The fact that these birds live in a forest reserve where sustainable logging is practiced demonstrates that logging and wildlife conservation is possible if properly managed. This model if more widely adopted elsewhere and curbing the demand for casques gives hope for the future of this amazing bird.

Helmeted Hornbill

Our 4th night drive was our best one yet. We managed to find 14 species of mammals including 3 new species. We could now add Malayan Porcupine, Black Flying Squirrel, and Binturong to our list.

Malayan Porcupine

The Binturong was a good find as they are not common throughout their range. Like the civets, they are in the Viverridae family. They are mainly arboreal using their prehensile tail to move through the trees.

Binturong

On our 5th night drive, we drove all the way to the end of the road to Balat, a remote outpost on the shore of the Kinabatangan River. Mammal activity was light and we didn’t find any new species for the trip but we did encounter a herd of 7 Bornean Pygmy Elephants along the road.

Bornean Pygmy Elephant

Our 6th night drive started off with a bang finding 3 new mammals along Picot Road! A rat or mouse ran across the road and into the grass. Boy, our driver scared it out and Marc was able to get a photo. It’s most likely a Rajah Spiny Rat (Rajah maxomys). Adi spotted a second new mammal for us, a Western Tarsier! How she spotted it, I’ll never know as it was deep in the vegetation and even though they have very large eyes, they don’t reflect light. 

Western Tarsier

Our final night in Deramakot and our last chance to find a Clouded Leopard or a Marbled Cat had finally arrived. We spotted a Bornean Leopard Cat carrying a rather large rat but came up empty-handed with the bigger cats. I didn’t walk away totally disappointed. We had spotted nearly 30 species of mammals and some very rare birds. We’ll just have to come back and try again for the more elusive felines.

Bornean Leopard Cat and Prey

Now it was time to move on to the final destination of our “Back to Borneo” Tour. We visited Sepilok back in 1992 and a lot has changed in the intervening 27 years! First was the completion of the Rainforest Discovery Centre. At night you could go on the canopy walkway to watch the Red Giant Squirrels glide from one tree to another. Night walks to look for nocturnal creatures were also offered. We saw a variety of frogs, spiders, insects, turtles, and a Sunda Colugo or Flying Lemur. The Lantern Bugs were particularly colorful.

Lantern Bugs

The next day we visited the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, also new since our last visit. It was founded in 2008 and opened to the public in 2014. Raised walkways led to two viewing platforms where you could watch the bears foraging in the forest below. Since 2008, 61 Sun Bears have been rescued but only 7 have returned to the wild. Currently, there are 43 bears at the center. Malayan Sun Bears are the smallest bears in the world and are only found in Southeast Asia. The Bornean subspecies which we were seeing look significantly different than the mainland nominate species. These bears continue to be threatened by forest degradation, illegal hunting for bear parts and poaching to obtain young cubs for the pet trade. 

Bornean Sun Bear

Later in the day, we visited the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center. A lot of changes have taken place since our first visit in 1992! The center opened in 1964 as the first official orangutan rehabilitation project for rescued orphaned baby orangutans from logging sites, plantations, illegal hunting or the pet trade. The orphaned orangutans are trained to survive in the wild and are released as soon as they are ready. The sanctuary is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve which covers an area of 4,294 ha (10,610 acres) of virgin rainforest. Today around 60 to 80 orangutans are living free in the reserve. 

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre

In October 2014 the center opened a new section where visitors can view the nursery area where the younger orangutans first learn to be outside and play on a large climbing frame. This consists of 2 large indoor seating areas (one with air conditioning and one with fans only) with a large window that overlooks the play area. It seemed crazy to view orangutans on padded benches in air-conditioned comfort. 

Nursery Area Observation Area

Not only was it great for humans but better for the orangutans since they couldn’t see or hear us. We watched about a half dozen feeding and frolicking. 

Young Orangutans

We left and walked along another raised boardwalk to a feeding platform. As we approached, we were waved back by a ranger because a female orangutan with an infant was on the railing of the boardwalk. 

Female Orangutan with Infant

We had to wait for her to leave before proceeding to the platform. Now there was a viewing area with seats. I don’t remember this in 1992. A staff member showed up with a basket of food and the mother orangutan with the baby carefully picked through the basket passing up on lettuce to get at the bananas underneath. 

Female Orangutan and Baby

We returned to the nursery viewing area where a massive male had shown up. Marc took many photos showing his large flappy cheek-pads known as flanges. Not all male orangutans have flanges but females prefer the ones that do. 

Male Orangutan

Our 3-week “Back to Borneo” tour had come to an end. We had seen and photographed an impressive 50 species of mammals! A big thank you goes to our guide Adi who at such a young age has accomplished so much. Her ability to spot animals in the dense rainforest from a moving vehicle never ceased to amaze us. 

Marc, Adi, and Peggy

I know we waited 27 years to return to Borneo but there is still so much to see. We’ll be back!

We hope all is well with everyone.

Peggy and Marc

Borneo Mammal List: September 11 to October 1, 2019

No.	Species	Scientific Name	Notes
1	Borneo Black-banded Squirrel	Callosciurus orestes	Kinabalu Park
2	Bornean Mountain Ground Squirrel	Dremomys everetti	Kinabalu Park
3	Jentink’s Squirrel	Sundasciurus jentinki	Kinabalu Park
4	Plantain Squirrel	Callosciurus notatus	Kinabalu Park
5	Sambar	Rusa unicolor	Poring, Tabin, Deramakot
6	Tufted Pygmy Squirrel	Exilisciurus whiteheadi	Kinabalu Park
7	Prevost’s Squirrel	Callosciurus prevostii	Poring, Sepilok
8	Pale Giant Squirrel	Ratufa affinis	Poring, Tabin, Deramakot
9	Lesser Treeshrew?	Tupaia minor	Poring
10	Short-tailed Gymnure	Hylomys suillus	Kinabalu Park
11	Least Pygmy Squirrel	Exilisciurus exilis	Poring
12	Lesser False Vampire Bat	Megaderma spasma	Poring
13	Woolly Horseshoe Bat	Rhinolophus luctus	Poring
14	Slender Treeshrew	Tupaia gracilis	Poring
15	North Bornean Gray Gibbon	Hylobates funereus	Tawau, Tabin, Deramakot
16	Sunda Flying Lemur	Galeopterus variegatus	Tawau, Deramakot, Sepilok
17	Long-tailed Macaque	Macaca fascicularis	Tawau, Kinabatangan
18	Borneo Pygmy Elephant	Elephas maximus borneensis	Tawau, Deramakot
19	Bornean Bearded Pig	Sus barbatus	Tawau, Tabin, Deramakot
20	Thomas’s Flying Squirrel	Aeromys thomasi	Tawau, Tabin, Deramakot
21	Red Giant Flying Squirrel	Petaurista petaurista	Tabin, Deramakot
22	Southern Pig-tailed Macaque	Macaca nemestrina	Tabin, Sepilok
23	Sunda Stink Badger	Mydaus javanensis	Tabin
24	Island Palm Civet	Paradoxurus philippinesis	Tabin, Deramakot
25	Bornean Slow Loris	Nycticebus borneanus	Tabin, Deramakot
26	Greater Mouse-deer?	Tragulus napu	Tabin, Deramakot
27	Lesser Mouse-deer	Tragulus kanchil	Tabin, Deramakot
28	Bornean Leopard Cat	Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus	Tabin, Deramakot
29	Banded Civet	Hemigalus derbyanus	Tabin
30	Large Flying Fox	Pteropus vampyrus	Tabin, Deramakot
31	Malay Civet	Viverra tangalunga	Tabin, Deramakot
32	Hose’s Langur	Presbytis hosei	Tabin
33	Bornean Striped Palm Civet	Arctogalida stigmatica	Tabin, Deramakot
34	Silvery Lutung	Trachypithecus cristatus	Kinabatangan
35	Northeast Bornean Orangutan	Pongo pygmaeus ssp. morio	Kinabatangan, Sepilok
36	Wrinkle-lipped Free-tailed Bat	Chaerephon plicatus	Gomantong Caves
37	Large-eared Horseshoe Bat	Rhinolophus philippinensis	Gomantong Caves
38	Fawn Leaf-nosed Bat	Hipposideros cervinus	Gomantong Caves
39	Flat-headed Cat	Prionailurus planiceps	Kinabatangan
40	Moonrat	Echinosorex gymnura	Deramakot
41	Maroon Langur	Presbytis rubicunda	Deramakot
42	Proboscis Monkey	Nasalis larvatus	Kinabatangan
43	Long-tailed Porcupine	Trichys fasciculata	Deramakot
44	Black Flying Squirrel	Aeromys tephromelas	Deramakot
45	Binturong	Arctictis binturong	Deramakot
46	Malayan Porcupine	Hystrix brachyura	Deramakot
47	Western Tarsier	Cephalopachus bancanus	Deramakot
48	Hose’s Pygmy Flying Squirrel	Petaurillus hosei	Deramakot
49	Minute Fruit Bat ?	Cynopterus minutus	Deramakot
50	Rajah Spiny Rat	Maxomys rajah	Deramakot
51	Bornean Yellow Muntjac	Muntiacus atherodes	Deramakot
52	Ear-Spot Squirrel	Callosciurus adamsi	Sepilok
53	Bornean Sun Bear (captive)	Helarctos malayanus euryspilus	Sepilok

For the 128 bird species seen and photographed by Marc go to his list on iNaturalist:

Borneo Bird List w/Photos

Our route map:

On Patrol in Pakke

Greetings Everyone,

From the snowy mountains of Ladakh our travels have brought us to the lush forests of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India.  Most tourists don't venture here.  In fact our trip leader, Avijit Sarkhel, had to get special permission to bring foreigners into Pakke National Park.  We weren't sure what to expect as there is little to no tourist infrastructure in this park.  Avi had to arrange for a driver, Konwar to bring his open jeep from Kaziranga National Park, about a 3-hour drive away.  We stopped at the park headquarters in the village of Seijosa where the Nykhum Festival had just taken place.  An old man was wearing a traditional Hornbill headdress and we stopped to take his photo.

Nyishi Man with Traditional Hornbill Headdress

At the entrance to the park we picked up Ohey, our local guide and two forest guards, Laguna and Rasambarah who would accompany us during our stay in the park.  We all piled into the Gypsy along with our bags for the drive into the core of the park.

Piled into the Gypsy (photo taken by Avijit Sarkhel)

We passed a very comfortable rest house at Upper Dekorai, about 20 km in, but were told that we wouldn't be staying here.  "Oh well, too bad" I thought as we continued our drive into the park.  We drove through forests and crossed dry river beds before reaching Tarzan Anti-poaching Camp.  To our surprise a small herd of wild Asian Elephants were hanging out there.  They were underneath the camp which is built on concrete stilts and were in the process of doing some damage.

Naughty Elephants at Tarzan Camp

Fortunately they moved off at our approach.

Off You Go!

By the time we arrived at our destination, Nameri East Anti-poaching Camp, it was dark.  Yes, we were going to stay with the forest guards at an anti-poaching camp, possibly the first foreign tourists to do so.  There were two buildings built on concrete pillars to keep us safe from the elephants.  We were to stay in the smaller building in a room where all our food supplies had been stored.  The guys had to move the supplies out and a second wooden bed platform in.  We had sleeping bags but no mattresses or pillows.  We would have to manage with a thin foam pad as a mattress and spare clothes as a pillow.

Marc in our Cozy Room

There was no electricity and dinner was being prepared by the forest guards over a wood fire.  We were served a simple but delicious fare of rice, dahl and curried vegetables.

Typical Meal

 

The next morning we headed out on foot to explore the area beyond camp.  Not far along the road we encountered a herd of wild elephants on the road. We backtracked and Laguna and Rasambarah readied their rifles as a precaution.  Nothing gets the heart pumping like encountering wild Asian Elephants while on foot!  We gave them a wide berth and they moved off into the forest.

Elephants on the Road!

We were on the road by 3:30 AM the next morning to look for nocturnal mammals.  We saw Barking and Hog Deer but no felines.  The road ended at the Nameri River.  On the other side was the town of Bhalukpong.  The guys took a dugout canoe across the river to get more petrol and fresh vegetables.  On our drive back to Nameri East we encountered a troop of Capped Langurs crossing the road.  They were not happy that we had split their group and screamed at us.  We moved on and the troop reunited.

Capped Langur

 

At night Pakke becomes a different world as a whole host of nocturnal creatures become active.  We were given permission to move around after dark, something which isn't usually allowed in Indian National Parks.  On our first night drive we encountered a Large Indian Civet and a Malayan Porcupine.

Large Indian Civet

Malayan Porcupine

 

We headed out at 4:15 the next morning to explore a new road.  It was pretty sketchy and led to a very steep pitch.  We had to turn around because "Gypsy" couldn't make it.  We drove back to the river crossing and started walking.  Just then, the forest guards pointed out a Northern Red Muntjac behind us.  

Northern Red Muntjac

 

We walked out to the main river channel where we spotted a lone elephant in the distance.  Marc, Avi, Laguna, Rasambarah and I decided to walk back to camp.  Our route took us along a side river channel into the forest.  The elephants had created some nice trails for us to explore. There were several mixed flocks of birds including minivets, broadbills and a Sultan Tit.

Sultan Tit

As we approached the road Laguna paused to listen.  He had detected an ominous sound in the forest.  About 50 feet away he saw a lone elephant feeding.  We backtracked and waited.  Had he detected us?  If he had he gave no alarm calls.  He moved off slightly and we quickly passed with hearts racing.  We reached a dry river bed where a second Northern Red Muntjac spotted us and moved nimbly off through the rocks.  We reached the road and breathed a sigh of relief.  At least here it was more open and you could see elephants.  We returned to camp around 8:00 where Ramu was preparing breakfast.

Ramu Preparing Breakfast

After resting during the day we headed out around 4:00 for our second night drive.  Just as soon as it got dark the action started.  We spotted a Common Palm Civet posing nicely in a tree above us.

Common Palm Civet

Laguna spotted what he thought was a Slow Loris.  When we stopped to take a closer look, Avi thought it was another Common Palm Civet but something didn't look quite right.  After careful inspection after the arboreal creature moved into a better position, Avi could make out it was a Binturong!   It is uncommon in much of its range, and is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN due to its declining population  (30% over the last three decades).  The Binturong is the only Old World mammal and one of only two carnivores with a prehensile tail (the other is the kinkajou).

Binturong!

On our epic night drive we also saw Sambar and Northern Red Muntjac, Wild Boar, Elephants, Gaur or Indian Bison and Avi spotted the eye shine of a tiger some distance away!

Gaur

We didn't return to camp until 11:15 and had a very late dinner of noodles.  It had been a very long but exhilarating day!

The next morning we headed out at 6:30 for Upper Dekorai Camp.  We saw some beautiful Scarlet Minivets along the way.



Scarlet Minivet

At Upper Dekorai, Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters were swooping along the cliffs high above the river.



Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters

We kept talking about moving to this more comfortable camp but Nameri East had become our home and the forest guards and mahouts our family.  Back at camp I sat on a bench overlooking the floodplain of the river.   I could see a herd of elephants approaching, first 6, then 2 more and finally 2 more for a total of 10!  



Herd of Wild Asian Elephants Approach

They were here for the salt.  At one time there was a natural salt lick here but now Dharmasour, the head mahout, threw supplemental salt down to them.  Everyone from camp was out to see the elephants.  It was thrilling to watch wild Asian elephants at such a close distance but we were 40 feet above them and perfectly safe.  After about 30 minutes they disappeared back into the forest.

Watching the Elephants!



Elephants at the Salt Lick

Our late afternoon game drive was cut short by thunderstorms.  We returned sullenly back to camp where Konwar made us French fries to cheer us up.    What a scene! The guys were huddled around the fire in our cozy camp protected from the storm.

Cozy Campfire

Fortunately, the storms cleared and we were able to do a night drive.  The recent rain turned out to be a gift as it brought out some new mammals.  As were we turning around in a dry river bed, I spotted a Chinese Pangolin scurrying across the rocks!  Sadly, pangolins are the most heavily poached mammal in this area, so seeing one in the wild was a rare privilege.  I hope that humans will smarten up and stop hunting these amazing creatures before it's too late.

Chinese Pangolin!

The night also yielded Slow Loris, Sambar and Hog Deer, Common Palm Civet, Large Indian Civet, Malayan Porcupine and Himalayan Yellow-throated Marten.  What a night!

The plan was to leave Nameri East the following morning but we couldn't bring ourselves to leave this magical place so opted to stay one more night.  Yippee!



Nameri East Anti-Poaching Camp

In addition to seeing Pakke's amazing wildlife, spending time with the forest guards and mahouts was a real treat.  We got a full appreciation of the hard work they do to protect the park while living in very basic conditions.  Most of the patrols are done on foot but some are done on elephant back.  I wanted to pet Vijoya one of the camp elephants but was told by Amir her assistant mahout that she was too unpredictable and had killed 3 of her previous mahouts.  Yikes!

Amir with Vijoya

I will also miss the 3 camp cats, Gundha, Meow and Meekour.  They scurried around underfoot never allowing us to pet them.  Living in the jungle had made them semi-wild.



Gundha, King of the "Camp Cats"

Our last night and early morning drives did not yield any new mammals but we got better views of some we had already seen.  After spending 6 nights here, it was time to leave Nameri East.  We said our final goodbyes and thanked the team for a once in a lifetime experience to spend nearly a week at an anti-poaching camp in Pakke National Park!



Our Team at Nameri East (photo taken by Avijit Sarkhel)

We hope all is well back home,

Peggy and Marc

Map of Pakke National Park and our location at Nameri East Camp: