MetroBatavia

Rediscovered species in Kalimantan.

photo: Eric Fell

Actually, the researchers set up photo traps to capture leopards and orang-utans in the region Whae in the east of Kalimantan. But then they discovered on their images a group of monkeys that they never been seen before. So far, only drawings existed of the langurs. Therefore, in the beginning it was difficult to scientifically classifiy the monkeys. But the rediscovered monkeys are a supspecies of the surilis.

Endangered birds at Pramuka bird market.

Today we've been to Jakarta's most popular bird market at Jl. Pramuka. It's an interesting location to visit. However, it makes us upset to find even endangered species to be traded. One species is the critically endangered Bali starling - Bali's regional mascot.

The Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi) is one of the rarest birds in the world and relatively new to science being first described in 1912 by Walter Rothschild, from whom the bird gains its specific name. This medium-large starling is almost entirely white apart from black wing- and tail-tips and the striking, bare blue skin around the eye. 

The 1st price without bargaining was IDR 18 Mio. / USD 2,000 for both birds... Sounds alot - but birds like the Bali starling should be kept in cages waiting for a buyer.

Komodo - 1 of the New 7 Wonders!

In a provisional announcement Komodo National Park is one of the new 7 wonders! Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin.

The other six new wonders are in alphabetical order the Amazon rainforest (South American region), the Ha Long Bay (Vietnam), Iguazu Falls (Argentina, Brazil), Jeju Island (South Korea), Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (Philippines), and Table Mountain (South Africa).

Searching for the Mola Mola.

Some people search for the right waves. Some people search for inner harmony. Only insider search for the impressive Mola Mola on Bali. Russel Hunt and his team made their way to the rocky island of Nusa Pendida which is located between Bali and Lombok. Their aim was to sight the ocean sunfish – the Mola Mola. It is the heaviest known bony fish in the world! It has an average adult weight of 1,000 kg and an average length of 1.8m. Although individuals up to 3.3m in length 4.2m across the fins and weighing up to 2,300 kg have been observed. The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the globe. Watch Russels video and you will see great underwater shots with the highlight of a huge Mola Mola. Enjoy!

 

Komodo 1 of the New 7 Wonders.

The Komodo National Park, home of the endangered Komodo dragon, is one of the finalists of the New 7 Wonders of Nature after beating 440 nomination from 220 countries. “The New 7 Wonders Foundation reported that by the last week of December, the Komodo National Park sat at sixth position, based on the level of voter interest measured within the last 28 days,” Ulbadus Gogi, the head of promotion division at the East Nusa Tenggara Culture and Tourism Agency, said, as reported by Antara.

You can still vote for your favourite 7 wonders. Just visit the website. The New7Wonders Foundation, which is behind the New7Wonders campaigns, has the express aim of undertaking documentation and conservation works of monuments worldwide under the motto “Our heritage is our future". New7Wonders calls on all citizens of the world to support it. Through film, television, the Internet and books, people shall be sensitized to the beauty of the world’s heritage, both man-made and natural, and be alerted of its destruction and decay.

Read also: Travel-tip - Komodo spotting.

Don’t blame the tiger, blame the poacher!

On Sumatra massive land clearing practices for palm oil plantations have been going on for some time, pushing tigers to have close contact with humans. Only a few days ago a 25 old man didn’t come back home after work. His body had been found lacerated in the forest.
The deforestation rate on Sumatra pushed the WWF to intensify tiger population surveys. Aside from vast deforestation, the population declines are exacerbated by illegal poaching. Workers have testified that they frequently find tiger tracks in palm oil plantations. Tigers everywhere are losing habitat. Only about 400 Sumatran tigers still live in Indonesia.

A video camera trap installed by WWF has captured footage linking the destruction of a crucial Sumatran tiger forest to the expansion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia's Riau Province. Videos and photos captured in May and June 2010 caught a male Sumatran tiger walking straight to a camera and sniffing it. A week later, the camera trap documented a bulldozer clearing trees for an illegal palm oil plantation in the same exact location. The next day, the camera recorded a Sumatran tiger walking through the devastated landscape.

Similar post: How much would you pay for this?

How much would you pay for this?

This topic isn’t new. However, it is still important to understand that buying ivory means elephants have to die! So keep your hands off those “bloody tusks”. They may look nice in a cabinet but they look much better on a real elephant. According the WWF there are approximately 2,440 to 3,350 individuals of the so-called Elephas maximus sumatranus living on Sumatra.

The agency behind this adverting poster is Bates 141 from Jakarta.

Indonesian Mysterious Monsters.

Indonesia has its share of Loch Ness Monsters: legendary beasts that lurk in lakes and forests. Some villagers have been chasing away ape-men and dodging giant bats for over a hundred years. But what’s the truth? Many Indonesians still believe in ghosts and myths. Here are 3 videos that help us get to the truth.

For over a hundred years, Sumatran tribes and foreign explorers have caught glimpses of an 80-150 centimeter tall primate that walks on two legs. In 2009, a British team spotted the cryptid and brought back hair and footprint samples. Could they have discovered a new hominid? The results of the DNA analysis have yet to be revealed…

The ebu gogo are hairy hobbits that were hunted to extinction in the 18th century for stealing food and babies, according to the island folklore. Some villagers insist that the primitives survived and still raid their crops. In 2003, archaeologists unearthed the skeleton of a hominid species (Homo floresiensis) that died out about 12,000 years ago, possibly pointing to truth in the tales.

If you’re trekking in the rainforest and hear a loud cry - “Ahooool!” - duck. Fast. Or you’ll be mauled by a giant furry bat with a monkey-head and claws. So the legend goes. The real McCoy is probably the Javan wood-owl, which is rarely seen and swoops suddenly.

“Yes I moo!”

Believe it or not a Balinese boy was forced to marry a cow. The wedding was not really planned. Ngurah Alit, 18, an unemployed youth from the seaside village of Yeh Embang in Jembrana, was caught stark naked positioned behind a cow in a rice paddy field…”making love”. In his defence, he said he believed the cow was a young and beautiful woman making flattering compliments.

To cleanse Alit’s village, he was forced to “marry” the cow as part of a Percruan ritual. Yet, it is unclear whether or not he got to say “I do”. Village chief Ida Bagus Legawa declared that the village had been “cleansed” from the “defilement from the incident.” Unfortunately, the new bride Mrs. Cow has been drowned in the ocean, as part as the ceremony.

123 new species on Borneo discovered.

In the heart of Borneo/Kalimantan scientists discovered 66 new plants, 29 invertebrates, 17 fish, 5 frogs, 3 snakes, 2 lizards and the “Spectacled Flowerpecker”, a bird. Very interesting seems the so-called Mulu-flying frog (see picture above). He can change the colour of his skin and eyes – depending on the time of the day. Bright green at night to brown during the day. Another frog, the Borneo Barbour frog (picture below) is also unique of its kind. He has no lunge to breathe. The whole process of breathing happens through his skin. You can find the entire list of newly discovered species here.
All species were discovered since Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei signed the “Heart of Borneo” declaration in 2007. Borneo experts from the WWF assume hundreds of never seen species still live on the Island of Borneo. Yet, Borneo’s rainforest is highly endangered.

Greenpeace attacks Nestlé to save the Orang Utans.

"Ask Nestlé to give rainforests a break" - the new campaign from Greenpeace has been launched with a new internet viral co-incited with protests taking place across Europe. The short film shows a man eating a KitKat bar – but instead of biting into the chocolate bar he eats the finger of an Orang Utan. Greenpeace is calling on Nestlé to stop the company using palm oil that is the result of forest destruction. One of Nestlé’s palm oil suppliers is the Indonesian company Sinar Mas. According to Greenpeace Sinar Mas “is breaking Indonesian law and ignoring its commitments as a member of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the industry body that claims to be making the palm oil industry more sustainable”. Indonesia has one of the fastest rates of forest destruction on the planet, with palm oil plantations being a major cause. A dying rainforest means the extinction of unique species like the Orang Utan.

The video has been removed from Youtube due to protests from Nestlé. However, because of the charm of the forbidden it has been uploaded from other users and has been forwarded many times.

Travel Tip No. 1: Komodo Spotting.

If you like wild animals, hiking and exploring then visiting the Komodo region is a must. The Komodo National Park is located between the Islands of Sumbawa and Flores. A good starting point to visit Komodo is the town of Labuan Bajo on West-Flores. From there you can take a boat to the National Park. The main islands of the region are Komodo Island and Rinca Island. Komodo is more like a jungle, Rinca is more like a savannah. Because of these differences it is more likely to spot Komodo dragons on Rinca Island. Once you visit Rinca Island a local guide will accompany you during your hike. He knows the best places to spot the huge Komodo dragons - we have seen about 20 dragons during the hike! If you are lucky and the dragons are lazy because of a full stomach and the heat it may be possible to get close to 2 or 3 metres! That’s a great experience. But don’t forget the dragons are deadly. Their spit contains of several virus who evocate blood poisoning.