Tag: camera-trap

Photo update 9: Just how important is the Kenyir Wildlife Corridor?

Between 1999 and 2001, Dr Kae Kawanishi recorded 40  mammal species (including humans) on camera traps during her surveys  in Peninsular Malaysia’s largest protected area in Taman Negara.

It’s now 2012. So far, researchers in Rimba have recorded at least 38 mammal species on camera traps in the Kenyir Wildlife Corridor (~170 sq km), which is around 4% of Taman Negara’s size!  Of the total species count (from camera traps, sightings and tracks), 6 are ‘endangered’ and 9 are ‘vulnerable’ according to the IUCN Red List.

The selectively logged forests within this corridor are vital habitats for Malaysia’s threatened mammals. However, many of them, such as Rimba’s mascot below, face an uncertain future in Kenyir.

Habitat loss (for dam construction and eco-tourism infrastructure) and poaching currently threaten the Kenyir Wildlife Corridor.  This is the only area in Terengganu  where mammals and other wildlife can still cross from Taman Negara towards the forests in Hulu Terengganu. We hope the Terengganu State Government will spare important areas of the Kenyir Wildlife Corridor from further development, and gazette it as Malaysia’s first official Wildlife Corridor!

We now have the latest list of mammal species in Kenyir, as well as recent camera trap photos that depict the five endangered species, their threats, and the signs of hope for Kenyir. Continue reading →

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Video update 2: Empty nest syndrome

It’s happened!

The baby hornbills have finally grown up enough to leave home. That didn’t take long!

Anuar wrote to us yesterday with the following exciting update:

“The last few days of activity began with the opening of the front nest sealing, sometime between 4 and 5:30pm, May 24. The female exited the nest at 5:40pm and left the area. The two young birds remained inside. Food was still brought by the male, but less of it and less frequently. The male often presented food, but would not pass it to the birds inside. The male brought clumps of dirt that were passed to the nest, the birds inside breaking up the dirt and letting it drop at the front of the nest.

The first young bird to leave the nest did so around 6pm, May 24. This was not captured, but video prior to this time shows two active young, and all video after this time shows only 1 young inside. The second young bird left at 9:01am May 27, and remained near the nesting jar for 6 minutes before wandering off to the left.

The male visited the nest 3 hours after that with food, only to find an empty nest.”

Awww! We feel very fortunate indeed to have caught this occurrence on video. It’s an unbelievably wondrous spectacle – great job Anuar! Check out the video he sent us: Continue reading →

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Video update 1: A jar of hornbills

Welcome to the first video footage posted by Rimba, which is just the first of many!

We won’t be uploading singular videos from the Kenyir Wildlife Corridor, as we’re in the midst of compiling them into a video montage highlighting the importance of the corridor and what needs to be done to save it (more on that in the near future).

Instead, we’re bringing you our latest video hot off the video-trap. This clip features an Oriental Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros albirostris) family consisting of Dad, Mom and kid (the loud chirping in the background is the kid). The dad goes out to fetch food for the mom and kid every day, both of whom are sealed within an earthen jar (locally known as ‘tempayan’ in Malay). Hornbills usually nest in tree hollows, but occasionally find ready-made homes such as clay jars to make their nests.

Our friend Anuar McAfee, who is a keen birder and the only person we know who has spotted 9 hornbill species in one day in Kenyir, introduced this location to us and we discussed the possibility of setting up a video-trap to document their behaviour. So we lent him a couple of Bushnell cameras (Thanks Ahimsa!) that were lying around the field house, and this is the report from Anuar so far: Continue reading →

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