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:

Back to Borneo, Part II

Greetings Everyone,

We’re in Sabah, Malaysia on the island of Borneo in the midst of our “Back to Borneo” tour. We’ve just arrived in Lahad Datu where we’ve met Adi, our new guide who will accompany us on the remainder of the trip. The next stop on our wildlife extravaganza was Tabin Wildlife Reserve. A one and a half-hour drive through oil palm plantations brought us to the resort where we checked in for a 4-night stay. Almost immediately we heard Northern Gray Gibbons outside our cabin and when we went to investigate we also got a great look at a Pale Giant Squirrel. This species is listed as near threatened by the IUCN due to logging and hunting.

Pale Giant Squirrel

Later that afternoon we joined Adi and Ley, our local guide for a visit to the Lipad Mud Volcano. We climbed an observation platform overlooking the mud volcano which still spews out mud laced with minerals that attract animals to this natural salt lick.

Lipad Mud Volcano

During our stay, 13 Bornean Bearded Pigs including a pair with 9 piglets came to the edge of the clearing.

Bornean Bearded Pig & Piglets

Colorful birds such as Temminck’s Sunbird and Rhinoceros Hornbills also visited the Lipad Mud Volcano and Marc was able to get some great shots.

Temminck’s Sunbird

Rhinoceros Hornbill

After dinner, we prepared to go on our first night drive to look for nocturnal animals. We hadn’t even left the resort when Ley spotted a Sunda Stink-badger peering from under a bush. Despite their common name, they are not closely related to true badgers and are instead relatives of Old World skunks.

Sunda Stink-badger

During the course of our night safari, we were fortunate to see two species of civet. The first was the more common Island Palm Civet (Paradoxurus philippensis) recently split from the Asian or Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Civets are native to tropical Africa and Asia and are sometimes referred to as civet cats. They are not felines but belong to their own family called Viverridae. 

Island Palm Civet

The second civet species encountered was the rare Banded Civet (Hemigalus derbyanus). In fact, we were extremely lucky to see three of these beautiful creatures. It is the only species in the Genus Hemigalus. 

Banded Civet

We also had a great showing of a pair of Lesser Oriental Chevrotains or Mouse-deer on the road. Normally, these secretive ungulates are found deep in the forest. It is the smallest known hoofed mammal, weighing only 4.4 lb and measuring only 18 inches tall. 

Lesser Oriental Chevrotain

We were hoping to see more cats including the Sunda Clouded Leopard but they remained elusive. We did see two Bornean Leopard Cats but not well enough for a photo. We had three more nights to track down these secretive felines.

The next day we did a bit of birding before resting up for our second night drive. Tonight we saw an impressive 14 Island Palm Civets including a mother with 4 pups!

Island Palm Civets

We also saw a new species of Civet, the Malay Civet.

Malay Civet

We had more luck with the Bornean Leopard Cats tonight. One posed nicely for us in the open and Marc was able to get a good photo. Bornean Leopard Cats (Prionailurus javanensis ssp. sumatranus) have recently been split from their mainland cousins so this was a new species of cat for us!

Bornean Leopard Cat

The next day we rested up from our night forays before going on an afternoon walk. Not far from the resort we encountered a very large troop of Southern Pig-tailed Macaques including some impressive males, females nursing infants and juveniles playing, one with a soda can. 

Southern Pig-tailed Macaque

We opted to forego our 3rd night safari and decided to do a dawn safari instead. This meant a 3 AM start but we thought it may give us a better chance at finding a Clouded Leopard. It was our 33rd Wedding Anniversary and I joked with Marc that I wanted a Clouded Leopard for my anniversary. We were successful at finding a very obliging Bornean Leopard Cat posing nicely in a tree.

Bornean Leopard Cat

Sadly, no Clouded Leopard but we still had one more night drive. That afternoon we went birding and found a pair of beautiful White-crowned Hornbills. 

White-crowned Hornbill

After dinner, we went on our fourth and final night drive. We found our fourth species of civet, the Bornean Striped Palm Civet (Arctogalidia stigmatica).  In most references, it is still listed as the Small-tooth Palm Civet (Arctogalidia triviirgata) so more taxon changes are on the way. 

Bornean Striped Palm Civet

We stopped for a break and Adi, Ley and Garth had a surprise for us, a Happy Anniversary cake with candles. What a sweet gesture!

Happy Anniversary!

Our nocturnal team found Bornean Slow Loris, Sunda Colugo, Sunda Leopard Cat, Island Palm Civet but sadly no Clouded Leopard. I couldn’t complain though, it had been an awesome way to spend our 33rd Wedding Anniversary.

The next morning we said goodbye to Ley and left Tabin Wildlife Reserve. The next stop on our wildlife extravaganza was the Kinabatangan River. We had visited here back in 1992 but I was eager to see Proboscis Monkeys again and hopefully wild orangutans. We were not disappointed. That evening we found a troop of Proboscis Monkeys feeding in trees along the river. These endangered primates are among the largest monkeys in Asia and are the only species in the genus Nasalis. The large males are most comical with their long Jimmy Durante noses!  So, why such a big nose? Some theorize that females prefer males with bigger noses because they can make louder vocalizations. 

Proboscis Monkey

As we were cruising down the Kinabatangan River the next morning, Adi suddenly shouted “orangutans!”. A family of three Northeast Bornean Orangutans was feeding on figs in the trees quite close to the river. Incuk, our boat driver said these orangutans had not been seen in a week so we were lucky to find them. These critically endangered primates share 97% of our DNA. Sadly they face extinction due to habitat loss, palm oil plantations, and hunting. We watched the female with her youngster and a nearby male for 30 minutes.

Northeast Bornean Orangutans

During our viewing, a full boat of 12 pulled up and someone inside exclaimed “Peggy!”. It was our friend Lorene from South Burlington! We knew that she would be on the Kinabatangan at the same time but how fun to watch the orangutans with her!

Lorene

We returned to the lodge for breakfast before going out again to visit the nearby Gomantong Caves. As we neared the entrance we could smell the bat guano. Gomantong isn’t a cave in the classic sense but more of a limestone chamber that houses many swiftlets and bats. The swiftlet nests are still harvested, supposedly sustainably, for bird's nest soup. Why anyone would want to eat a nest made out of bird saliva is beyond me.

Gomantong Cave

From what I’ve read there are three species of bats in the cave: Wrinkle-lipped free-tailed bat (Chaerephon plicatus), Large-eared horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus philippinensis) and Fawn leaf-nosed bat. They were high on the ceiling making photography and identification difficult. A wooden boardwalk had now been built in the cave so you didn't have to walk on the piles of guano crawling with cockroaches. On the walls were a few spiders and other creepy crawlers. If you don’t like bats, cockroaches, and spiders, it’s best not to enter the cave!

Cockroaches in the Cave

We had just exited and we on our way back when another guide motioned us to come quickly. A courting pair of wild orangutans were low in the trees next to the boardwalk! We got great views as they moved through the branches to a nearby fruiting tree where the male picked a fruit to eat and share with his mate.

Orangutan Couple

We decided to go out at 10:00 PM to look for the Flat-headed Cat. We had failed to find one the previous night and even though it was a long shot, we had to give it another try. We headed upriver with Adie and Incuk spotlighting the banks. Forty minutes into the boat safari Incuk spotted a cat on the bank of the river. It was a Flat-headed Cat! It disappeared into the grass quickly and Marc was only able to get a butt shot. Bummer! We cut the boat engine and shut off our lights for a short time and amazingly the cat came back out. We got prolonged views of this amazing feline completely in the open! The cat would appear for a bit, then disappear into the grass only to reappear. It didn’t appear to be fazed by our lights. We watched it for 30 minutes before leaving it to hunt in peace. Flat-headed Cats are rarely seen let alone photographed!

Flat-headed Cat

The following morning we said goodbye to Incuk and thanked him profusely for finding the Flat-headed Cat. Our second visit to the Kinabatangan was even better than the first. Our return trip to Borneo continued to amaze us with incredible wildlife (and human) encounters. Stay tuned to see what surprises are in store for us as we continue our “Back to Borneo” tour.

We hope all is well with everyone.

Peggy and Marc

Our route map: