Borneo: My First Time to the Jungle

August 15, 2013 by pumapix

Rainforest in mist at sunrise, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

It’s hard to describe the feeling you get in the tropical rainforest. It is an extremely dense forest where animals abound, and when you walk through it, you can feel the biodiversity surrounding you. I fell in love with it instantly.

I spent six weeks in the Sabah region of Malaysian Borneo for a ‘top secret’ project to be released soon. As always, the trip would not have been possible without the help of a lot of people, who will also be named soon. Am I getting you excited yet? Let’s just say we were able to photograph an animal never before photographed with high resolution cameras (though several pictures taken with point and shoot trail cameras do exist)!

Exploring in the rainforest is a totally different experience from anything else I have done. Between the large trees covered with epiphytes and undergrowth plants competing for light you are totally surrounded by vegetation. When it gets dark, a person with claustrophobia may get rather (understandably) uncomfortable. The sounds are truly spectacular, with katydids and all kinds of other insects making incredible noises. You can even set your watch by the six o’clock cicada that starts its distinct, patterned, and somewhat shrill sound at 6am and 6pm (it was never early or late by more than 10 minutes).

Here is a small sampling of images from this magical place:

Rainforest in mist, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Fern with water droplet, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Can you find the leaf-mimicking katydid?

Saturniid Moth (Antheraea larissa), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Common Water Monitor (Varanus salvator), Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) roosting, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) female, Tawau Hills Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) female in tree, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Don’t worry the birds will come in the next post!

I would highly recommend going to the rainforest if you can, it will alter your life view and you will want to protect it as badly as I do. There is no doubt about it!

Now, I know some of you are thinking: what about all those parasites? I do have to say those worries are mostly unwarranted and overblown, but they do exist. I got a nice hookworm that was tunneling under my skin for a good month before I took some pills that killed it. It was my own fault, I stepped into dog poop while wearing flip flops and wasn’t careful enough to not get any on my foot. I know, it’s gross, but I am just wanting to make sure you learn the lesson!

Warning: The following image will be disturbing to some viewers ! 🙂

This is what happens when you step into dog poop in the tropics….a nice hookworm tunnel.

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*

Recent Trip to Oman

March 7, 2013 by pumapix

Some of you knew that I recently (well, already a couple months ago) went to Oman, for those of you that did not, it was for the first stage of shooting for a film about Arabian Leopards, their plight, and the Omani researchers that are studying them. Terra Mater, an Austrian production company is funding the film, as well as ARTE, and the crew is made up of of people from all over the world. It was a great experience and I return with many more friends than I when I left.

Ironically, though most definitely not a coincidence, we were filming only a few miles from the Hawf Protected Area in Yemen, where I spent three months looking for Arabian Leopards. This time, we were in Oman, just across the border. The political situation is of course much safer, though as I have stated before, I was never in any danger in Yemen, mainly because I was so far east from all the trouble zones. Arabian Leopards have also been studied for a longer period of time here. In fact, this is the birthplace of research on these majestic creatures. Hadi Al Hakmani is the principal researcher for leopards in Oman having studied them for over twelve years; it was a true honor meeting him. His love for the animals and his work was inspiring and truly genuine. The same goes for Khalid, who has also been dedicating his life towards ensuring and bettering the conservation efforts for these critically endangered animals. Having gotten to spend time with both of them, and counting them as friends, made the trip worthwhile by itself.

Since this was the first trip, I’ll fill you in on more of the details after completion of the project, but for now a couple of pictures.

The Habitat:

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86069-Oman Wadi

Wadi landscape, Oman — told you it looked like Yemen

The crew:

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86703-Ben Young

Ben Young – Sound/Camera

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86214-David Den

David Eden – Sound

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86610-Mike Birkhead

Mike Birkhead – Director

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86179-Caroline-Mike

Caroline Bridges and Mike Cuthbert – Both Camera

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86064-Zara McDonald

Zara McDonald (from Felidae Conservation Fund) – Presenter

What am I doing here again? (taken by Khalid who is quite the photographer)

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86774-Sebastian Gruebl

Sebastian (Basti) Gruebl – Terra Mater

Khalid – Arabian Leopard Researcher

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86856-Hadi Al Hikmani

Hadi Al Hakmani – Arabian Leopard Researcher

Food:

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86363-Goat Barbeque

We always ate really well, thanks to our cook, this was a feast of goat barbeque.

Wildlife:

Sebastian Kennerknecht-IMG_86626-Arabian Wolf

Arabian Wolf – I kid you not, Khalid said he had a feeling we would see a wolf that day!

Camera Trapping In Yemen

July 2, 2012 by pumapix

Waleed Al’Rail with Leopard Foundation’s camera trap, Hawf, Yemen

As I wrote in a previous post, using camera traps in wildlife photography provides its own unique set of challenges and possibilities for unique photographs. Using camera traps in a different country is a totally different story.

Before this assignment I was only operating one camera trap, but by the time I was getting on a plane to try and get some pictures of the mysterious wildlife Yemen has to offer they totaled five. There was surprisingly little resistance by the immigration people of Yemen to my equipment and me coming into the country. This was mainly due to the fact that I am not a journalist and even more importantly all the work David Stanton and Yousuf Mohageb had put into making this step of the project go smoothly (David is from the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard in Yemen and Yousuf Mohageb runs Arabian Eco-tours).

David Stanton (right) and Yousuf Mohageb (center) eating dinner, Yemen

Bureaucratic problems avoided, it was time to focus on placing the cameras in spots where there were good chances of animals coming by. While Waleed Al’Rail and Murad Mohamed (both are Yemeni Arabian Leopard researchers) were checking their cameras and showing me the area, I was imagining all the good locations for the camera traps along the game trails we were using. When I expressed my ideas, Waleed and Murad made me aware of a problem I had not even considered. Yemen is a Muslim country, and in Islamic law it is not accepted to take pictures of woman. Sure that’s easy to control when you are behind the camera but when you put the camera out in nature, especially in an area like ours where people use the land and a daily basis, it is incredibly challenging. There was a fine balance between a good location for the cameras and one that women may use while they were deployed. If women saw the cameras, I was told, they would get destroyed.

Keeping this in mind, we deployed three of the five cameras into the cloud forest habitat of the Hawf Protected Area. Three days later a cyclone arrives (the worst in forty years) and destroys, or better yet, completely obliterates one of the cameras. One camera down, it was beyond repair.

Cloud forest, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Flooding in the Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Broken camera from camera trap, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Nonetheless the camera captured one image before being flooded.

Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) pair, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

The other two cameras also snapped a few images.

Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica), Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Arabian Caracal (Caracal caracal schmitzi), Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

White-tailed Mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda), Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Small-spotted Gennet (Genetta genetta), Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Honey Badger (Mellivora capensis) juvenile, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

After a couple of weeks we placed the two remaining cameras into the far desert inlands. Animal densities are definitely lower in this area but a few different animal species are present there as well.

Desert, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Arabian Wolf (Canis lupus arabs), Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Rock Hyrax (Procavia capensis), Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Spiny Mouse (Acomys cahirinus), Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Throughout camera trapping in Yemen I was surprised by the lack of camera trapping results. It was quite interesting how much more wary the animals are of foreign objects here, I think caused by the constant human pressure on them. As you can see from the pictures as well, most wear taken at night. Animals in Yemen are more nocturnal than in areas where hunting pressures are not as strong. While I was there I heard three live rounds go off, no doubt each time the rifle was aimed at an animal.

Now if only this was an Arabian Leopard

*If you are interested in purchasing any of the pictures displayed in this post, please check out my fine prints page for pricing.*

Arabian Eco-Tours

June 21, 2012 by pumapix

Yousuf Mohageb on the right, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

This is just a quick post but a very important one. If you are a life birder or simply want to enjoy the natural areas Yemen has to offer there is one choice that I would highly recommend to you in terms of guides. Even though I only got to know Yousuf Mohageb over about a weeks period, I will consider him a lifelong friend and a person who’s knowledge of Yemen, its natural areas, and its wildlife is unrivaled when it comes to guides. He also made it possible for me to return home a week early from Yemen due to a family emergency though that looked impossible at the time, but by his sheer persistence did I make it on that plane. He does not have a website at the time but is very responsive to email. Here is his contact information.

Yousuf Mohageb

Director of Arabian Eco-tours
P. O. Box 5420, Sana’a, Yemen
E-mail: aet@y.net.ye
Tel: + 967 1 22 33 18
Dir.# + 967 1 22 33 19
Fax + 967 1 22 66 74
Mobile:+967 777 77 00 24

Again, please contact Yousuf for all your Yemeni travel needs, he will keep your mind at ease!

Conservation Struggles in Yemen

May 10, 2012 by pumapix

The country of Yemen has amazing natural areas, many of them undiscovered and most definitely under appreciated by the local as well as the international audience. Due to its geographical location, Yemen has many endemic plants while also supporting animals found in Africa as well as Asia. The survival of these species is a fragile one; if the country and its people continue to disregard the potential of these areas they may forever be lost.

A case study for this is the Hawf Protected Area at the border of Yemen and Oman. Due to an escarpment right next to the coast and the seasonal monsoons, a cloud forest persists at this location. Beyond the initial mountain range, the normal desert ecosystem of the area exists.

Cloud forest and escarpment, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Cloud forest, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Desert wadi (valley) system at sunset, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

In these habitats you can find endemic plant and animal species like Golden-winged Grosbeaks, South Arabian Wheatears, Tristam’s Starling, and Desert Rose Plants.

Golden-winged Grosbeak (Rhynchostruthus socotranus) male, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Tristram’s Starling (Onychognathus tristramii) male, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

South Arabian Wheatear (Oenanthe lugentoides) male, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) plant at sunset, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Not to mention, the ocean is simply beautiful, warm, clear, and provides its own unique wildlife.

These ecosystems are under much pressure though, it seems like all the environmental issues one can throw at an environment are impacting these ones.

There is hunting pressure of predators, large ungulates, and small game. Increased roads provide better access to formerly inaccessible nature areas. Overgrazing by camels, cows, sheep, and goats leave less for native herbivores. Logging of trees destroys the dense cover needed by many species. Finally, pollution, specifically trash that is thrown anywhere and everywhere, can cause direct effects on animals as well as simply making an area less attractive to tourists.

Hunter with Kaloshnikov, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Road dissecting forest, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

Road and livestock paths on mountain side, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Livestock paths on mountain side, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Camel feeding on acacia, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Camel browsing on acacia, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Cows grazing, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Sheep grazing, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Clear cut area, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen Trash in Hawf city, Hawf Protected Area, Yemen

And the ecotourism potential in this area is huge. The people are willing to host foreigners and openly welcome them. The environment is gorgeous and provides a home for many endemic species as well as charismatic megafauna like Arabian Leopards, Striped Hyenas, Arabian Wolves, Honey Badgers!!!, Sea Turtles, and Dolphins.

This is why the work that David Stanton of the Foundation for the Protection of the Arabian Leopard in Yemen is doing is so important. By focusing on a large predator as the Arabian Leopard he ensures that if he is successful, the large scale habitat it needs to survive protects not only the cat, but all the species that call that environment their home as well. Coupling that with convincing the local people that tourist money is a whole lot more than they can get for selling a goat has the real potential of benefiting both the people and the wildlife there. Though it is an uphill battle, David is fighting it well and I personally think he is undertaking the correct steps to lead to a better Yemen for humans and animals alike. You can personally help out by donating to David’s foundation by contacting him at his email address contact@yemenileopard.org