17 May, 2021
A WILD SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE FOREST!
POST-RELEASE MONITORING
In February, our Post-Release Monitoring (PRM) team from the Kehje Sewen Forest in East Kalimantan, welcomed three new members: Hilal, Ayu, and Rahmi. Hilal and Ayu are now stationed at Camp Lesik, in the northern side of the Kehje Sewen Forest; while Rahmi is at Camp Nles Mamse, in the southern side.
Since arriving at Camp Lesik, Hilal and Ayu have had a number of interesting experiences, including taking part in their first orangutan release! As staff members who are new to the job, their main role is to offer support in both the main camps and the temporary camp used immediately following the orangutan release.
Their first Saturday night on the job was uneventful as they spent it focusing on some of the more mundane, but important upkeep tasks at the temporary camp. However, on their second Saturday night, Hilal and Ayu took the opportunity to explore the forest with the PRM team and take pictures of nocturnal animals.
The team was about to set off from the camp, when a curious figure suddenly appeared before them. It was a tiny mouse deer, who was peeking from behind a mound of earth in front of the camp. Patrick, the camp veterinarian, immediately pointed his camera toward the mouse deer, but unluckily stepped on a branch in the process. The cracking sound was enough to startle the mouse deer and it darted away, leaving us with only a photo of its shadow in the dark. However, the discovery of this mouse deer instantly fuelled the team’s enthusiasm!
Accompanied by the sound of forest crickets, the PRM team crossed the Lembu River and made the steep climb uphill, focused on the mission to find and photograph nocturnal animals. When a puddle full of frogs was located, Vet Patrick stepped forward to take some shots, this time more cautiously. His camera flashed for a split second, successfully capturing an image!
Our team members continued through the forest, but were unable to find any more animals to photograph. On the journey back to the camp, a team member spotted a small, beautiful bird, a pygmy flycatcher (Muscicapella hodgsonii), perched on a length of bamboo. This time it was Hilal's turn to take a photo, as Patrick was having difficulty getting his camera to focus. Hilal succeeded in capturing the small bird on his camera.
Not yet satisfied with the pictures they had already taken, our team members crossed the Lembu River once more to try their luck at finding nocturnal animals in the Peapung area, by boat.
In the Peapung area, the team came across a deer, known as a payau to the local community. Unfortunately, it was virtually impossible to take a picture of, as it immediately rushed away upon hearing the team approach. Not long after encountering the deer, our team decided to finally call it a night and return to camp.
What an exciting way to spend a Saturday night – locating and documenting the nocturnal biodiversity of the Kehje Sewen Forest!
Text by: PRM Team in Lesik Camp, Kehje Sewen Forest, East Kalimantan