Bat Cave

On se sent d'humeur exploratrice ces derniers temps.
Nous nous sommes donc rendu dans les grottes de Gomantong, à deux pas de chez nous. Il faut d'accord traverser un bout de forêt mais le sentier est bien fait et l'endroit a toujours été protégé donc on a des chances d'y trouver quelques spécimen intéressants. Nous y avons  croisé entre autre des Red Leaf-Monkeys, primates roux vif magnifiques à observer et un Wallace Eagle, bien posté à la sortie de la grotte, attendant patiemment 5h30, heure de sortie des millions de chauve-souris...

L'intérieur de la grotte est à déconseillé aux âmes impressionnables que la vue d'un sol grouillant de cafards et autres antennes à pattes pourrait effrayer. C'est exactement la scène de Indiana Jones et le Temple Maudit quand, dans les souterrains, il lui semble marcher sur des gâteaux secs... Mais ce ne sont pas des gâteaux secs!

Ce vaste labyrinthe puant abrite deux trésors: les fameux birdnests, ces nids d'hirondelles au menu des tables chinoises et le guano de chauve-souris. Au premier va toute ma préférence.

 Les gardiens dorment à l'intérieur de la grotte....

Nous avons "découvert" une autre grotte jusqu'à coté de la maison aussi.

On s'y rend à pieds, c'est une marche d'a peine plus d'une heure. C'est plus petit que Gomantong mais il y a de très belles et très mystérieuses formations de calcite

(C'est ça non? je ne sais plus.... allô allô les copains géologue !! )

bien à vous
votre
Valentin

Abai

我们一直都是用陆路来到kinabatangan河，路到了河边的村庄-Sukau就终止了，kinabatangan河还继续往下游大概60公里（3小时船程）才到河口，然后分岔往左进入山打根海港，往右出Sulu海进入菲律宾的海域国界。下游途中还会经由两个没路到的河边的村庄，首先是离Sukau 35公里河长的Abai村，到了河口是Mumiang村，于是Abai就成了最与世隔绝的村庄，不只是没路可直达，而且河与陆路最近的两个接点,即Sandakan 和Sukau都至少要开上整小时的船。村里住着几十位多数前身为渔民的村民，由于河水越发污染，上游开发越来越多的油棕园流出的化肥料和农药都导致Kinabatangan的鱼产越来越少，我都怀疑村民还能从事什么来谋生，附近一所小学有两教师和十来个学生，他们念完小学若还要继续就必须到离村大半天行程镇上的寄宿中学。
而我介绍了这么多只是因为我和叮当打算去Abai再走一趟，再，是因为去年曾经从Sukau追大象群追到了Abai顺道下船随便绕了一圈没留下什么印象。而这趟我们想尝试从山打根海口进入，看看Kinabatangan的另一端。和几个朋友花了500rm租了一30加30马力十足的汽艇，从山打根海港出发，海洋上的晴空炙熱，但当船駛進了kinabatangan河，兩河岸便是綠林成蔭，忽然便有超塵脫俗之感。鹹淡水交界處混杂长了红树林和棕榈林，如nipa nipon, 朝逆流而上半小时后到了淡水處才渐渐出现了河岸森林。
开过Mumiang时我记得那里读过说第一批进入Kinabatangan河的是来采集灵芝燕窝的华商，就驻足于此村，而今天完全看不到华人留下过的痕迹，在这个马来西亚朝菲律宾方向的海口，倒是有一部份Sulu非法移民落脚，说到Sulu人，大马人到有点担心，因为年初在沙巴南部的Lahad Datu发生的Sulu武装人民和马来西亚警员对峙造成了死伤。

船开了一小时多到了Abai，在一片荒凉处忽然看见一个建得很好的码头，这就是我们这次来Abai的最大目的，来看地。。。

干雨

虽说赤道雨林应该天天有雨，但我家已经快一週没下雨了，午后比平时更酷热，我们不喜欢空调，家里就只靠两把电风扇驱热，风扇到后来吹出来的风也是热的，可幸我不怕热而法国长大的老公这时也不在家，只是我刚种下的一地菜就得靠天天浇水，但我又有个种菜原则，就是要让它们自然的自己强起来适应气候变换，天天浇水就违背了这原则，于是我便隨兴的三两天浇一次，然后期待雨下，毕竟水缸存货有限，虽然老公不在我只是一个人用，但先在我还有菜孩子要养呀，没了雨水就得去用黄黄的河水了。
今早看来又是个大晴天，于是去喂孩子们水，午后忽然晴天就变了黑脸，雷声其次彼落，大风吹落了几把树干，温度骤降，我凉得关掉了风扇，坐在露台喝着法国南部夏天味道的pastis，准备享受这场大雷雨的降临。然而雷风不断过了好几分钟后我听到了鸟鸣，心想雨还没下来怎么鸟先出来了?这时天忽然就转晴了。我还真不敢相信这么铺张却可以一滴雨都不下，还好不旺我浇过了水。
今天算我体验了干雨一奇像。

太阳熊的养生套餐

世上最小的熊叫太阳熊 malayan sun bear（Helarctos malayanus)因为它们胸前印着金黄色的大斑点。我在马来西亚半岛森林里一特殊情况下曾看过，是在一原住民家里,看见一太阳熊婴儿跟几个孩子在一起，原本还以为那是什么怪狗，孩子们像抱宠物一般把熊拎来给我看吓了我一跳，虽说是婴儿也只有小狗一般大但它到底还是熊，已经长了太阳熊有的长爪和犬齿，我伸手摸摸它时它还会张爪要抓我，而出奇的它却任由孩子们拎来挪去一点不吭声，真是可爱。孩子们告诉我是爸爸打猎时杀死了熊（马来西亚的原住民是被允许在自供的消耗范围内猎食的 ），才恍然看见小婴儿熊从身旁出现，小婴儿没妈存活不了，于是爸爸把它帯回家养，我想小熊这样和人类一起生活可能存活不了的那是十几年前的事，如果是今天这小熊的命运就可保了。因为Sepilok Orang Hutan rehabilitation center设立了太阳熊的疗养计划，而且不久将对外开放野生太阳熊的范围，原理跟那里的红猩猩复原计划一样，这里不是动物园，没有被关在笼里供人观看的红猩猩，只有一些受了伤或被遗弃的红猩猩暂时被领养在这里，人类私下猎擒它们来贩卖或当宠物，猎擒过程失手了遗弃受伤的红猩猩或捉了大的扔下小的，或宠物养不来了便弃之的，都被送来中心疗养。这里是一片开放式的原始森林，除了小婴儿或需要医疗的动物会留在中心室内，其他红猩猩可以自由出入，只有在每天两次的喂养时刻游客才能观看来用餐的红猩猩，不是所有红猩猩都会来用餐，这完全归于它们的个人喜好和个性或当时的生理需求，比较独立或怕生的健壮红猩猩都会选择自己觅食，有些吃腻了中心的套餐（即香蕉）会离开一段日子后又再回来。
太阳熊爱蜂蜜，不知道给太阳熊的养生套餐会是什么山珍海味。

 

Paying 11 for 6

When you got no change to pay 6, so you pay 11, you are most probably a Chinese.
This habit of always trying to round up the change, like paying 11 instead of 10 to get a one piece note of 5 back, probably attribute mostly only to the Chinese, because I remember doing the "11 for 6" thing in France and got people looking at me strangely and return my extra 1euro. Another time when buying a ticket for a concert, I gave 55euro for the ticket of 35euro, the ticketing counter lady, maybe had been giving 15 change all night to everyone, went looking for a calculator, so I took back my 5 and paid her 100.
My French friends hate when I make fun of their mental arithmetic skill, they will tell me many great mathematiciens are French, but still many adult French I knew can't do division on paper, I am not judging them, I only think it is the fault of the complication of how French language name numbers, they are hating me more making this double insult on their mathematic and their language which they are so proud of, but many foreigner who learn to speak French will agree with me, cause the French call 70 as sixty-ten. 80 as four-twenty, the worst is 90 as four-twenty-ten, imagine 99? four-twenty-ten and nine. By time they finish saying 99, they probably already forgotten their last count.

But if I am allowed to generalize, then there is worse than the French, the Malay.
After a few experience of Malay merchant miscalculated my change (it could even be more) now I will always recount the change instead of trusting the merchant skill. It also happened sometimes they themselves ask me to count it for them, especially in the food market where some farmers are illiterate and don't count well.
At one of my weekly market place, Thers is this lady merchant, each vegetable I add in my shopping basket, she will repaet asking her husband to do the addition for her.
Today I went to the house of an old lady to buy organic kampung chickens' eggs, 60cents each, I got 10, and the whole family asked each other how much is the total of it, few seconds later they all agree with 6 ringgits, I gave her 10 and she return 6 to me and I returned her 2 back... I then asked about the price of her chicken sell prepared. "Prepared?" I explain "killed, unfurthered, intestine emptied and chopped" she puzzle for long time figuring out a price cause she said no one ever buy it that way. "what? everyone else do all these themselves?" she puzzle again by my surprise, so her daughtor told her "she doesn't know how to kill a chicken, Chinese people only know how to eat." Although she made me sounds like an idiot but she is right. Chinese love eating and only know how to eat, they specialy love eating seafood and surely non of the know how to fish, cause the Chinese outside their bussiness environment is like handicap, most of us has phobia for rural living, we are afraid of insects, know vey little about animals and plants, we can't fish nor swim, neither to climb a tree or plant food.
In the eyes of the Malay, they think we are such a big eater and we are so sissy. In the eyes of the Chinese, they think Malay are hopeless in mathematic and lousy bussiness man. So that should make us both need each other rather than hate each other.
But no matter what, unfeather a chicken should not be easier than counting 60 cents per egg for 10.

White man toilet

As the kampung kids tought me many things about jungle, I in return want to show them my world, or to be more precise, my house rules. The first time the girls came borrow the toilet, mostly out of curiousity only, one finished my toilet with a big mess, durty foot print on the seat and all over the floor. So I told her that this is no like their toilet which is basically just a hole and without toilet paper cause they use water to wash, in our white people toilet (how they call it) after pipi or caca we don't use water to wash our xx but we use paper to wipe, then we shall throw the paper inside the wc and flush, most important, we sit on it, not climb up to stand on it. She smile shyly and she assured me she will try do it right, the next round is a big improvement, no more dirty foot prints and wet floor, but the toilet roll are all wet, I shoute at her, what the hell is those wet pipi on the roll? Se laughed.

 

The little Amazonian

Umai, one of the 9th kids from our neighbour, she is eleven, not yet a lady and too Amazonian to be called a girl. She became very quickly close to us when we first move in, so she come the most often amongs other kids to our house to play with us, or help us with all kind of dirty garden chores. She climb tree like a little monkey she love getting me all sort of strange fruits or insects as present, she brought us fishing in a hideen stream full of mosquitos and she will make fire to chase them away.

There was the time when I am alone in the jungle house and paranoid by some new visitors, a miny mouse and a giant gecko, so she told me these things are afraids of her and she want to come spend a night to acompany me, she brought with her a mouse trap and set it up with some oil palm seed. She arrived nearly night and she haven't had dinner, I told her she better dine with her family before coming here or else her mum wouldn't like it, she told me she is not hungry and never mind dinner, then I asked what she have had for lunch to make her so full, she said "porridge". I insisted on asking more cause I knew these strange kids don't eat, finally I learned that her family got no food for dinner today cause her step father have no income for some days. I was shocked, then how about 2 babies sisters? She said, "they got the milk from mama's nene.".... Although she keep insisting not to be hungry, when she eat at my place, she finished up her noodle, plus accepting all extra food I proposed, hot milo, biscute, fruits. I couldn't imagine how she would hold this empty stomach for all night and the whole next morning (cause I also learn that she don't usually have breakfast). I started to be angry about her unresponsible parents, they make kid, more kid, a lot of kids, she got 9, recently one new born, we sent her to the hospital far in town last month cause she can't pay taxis and she already pass the quota to give birth again in the village hospital, now she can't even feed them all but she keep making new baby. But these whole issues doesn't at all seems to borther Umai, she told me "it's just like puasa (Muslim fasting month).

 

Free lunch or starve

The Sukau villagers, represnt well most rural Malay villagers, are the people who live with whatever the nature give them, or whatever allah want them to have, "isahallah". At a surface this can sounds like a kind of philosophy for some people who live in the european standard of civilisation and seen poverty only from TV. But having the chance to experince living amongs them and see the reality deeper, what I finally learn behind this romantic capediem. atitute is also the atitute of being used to things only come easy or else never persue after anything, I would call it the "free lunch atitute or starve" atitute.

One example with the land, every Malay native (bumiputra) in the village own a few acres of land entitled to them from the government. In these land, most bigger tree are logged to build their house, whoever got outsider offer to do palm oil would be more than happier, except few do fruit plantation, most of the land are usually left unused, for yers... and for our project, those are the only land we can go after now, as a Malaysian but non native (or meanings non Malay or non minority) I have no right for free land, neither the right to buy one, I could buy one but only buy under someone else name who is a bumiputra, as we have no one trusted to this level, so we opt for renting.

Once we found an unused land that we like, when discussed with the owner for a rental price he demanded the price of 30% of our future implanted capital plus the profit of it... I think to myself, he might as well ask us to be his god parents, in chinese we said 衣食父母(food & clothes parents), describe the person who give you an living.

He then said, the land price have increased because of tourisme boom these pass years, I understand that this village used to be disserted, land worth nothing and suddently few investors came in, then people start to think that their free lunch arrive and they shall be rich now. then I told him, the value of the land increase with condition when there is investment or businness implantation in it, we are talking about less than 10 decents lodges bussiness implanted here since last 10 years, I don't deny that the land price did increased, like infaltion increase too, but not to the extends of the value of 30% of our future business.

He don't seems willing to settle for a reasonable rental price, so he will keep his unused land forever. Today 99% of the land in Sukau still remain unused, and meanwhile no new investors are coming in to Sukau except us. The value of the land is perhaps only a dream for them to turn rich overnight.

l'aventure c'est l'aventure

chers amis, ma famille;

Je m'accroche à "l'aventure" comme un bernique à son rocher pour ne pas sombrer dans les profondeurs de l'abîme... Car il faut s'accrocher. Pas plus tard que la semaine dernière nous cassons le joint de culasse de la voiture en pleine nuit au milieu de nulle part, le tout entièrement de ma faute ce qui ajoute à mon émoi. Résultat: 5 jours coincé à l'hôtel et une facture salée. gasp!
Notre safari aux terrains constructibles quant à lui avance à petits pas lents, il se traîne, il minaude, il dandine de ci, delà...  Mais qu'on me donne une marche militaire!

Heureusement il y a toujours quelques bonnes nouvelles pour relancer la machine. La maison est de plus en plus belle, le jardin aussi et s'est enrichi d'un potager.



Nous venons d'acquérir une barque et son moteur (mais pour combien de temps encore tant le poids du second semble entraîner la première vers le fond. Les fuites sont innombrables...)


Au rang des bonnes nouvelles j'ajoute que je pars 2 semaines en Australie travailler un peu.

Dans la rubrique Vie Sauvage, voici un serpent qui n'inquiète nullement Tikka.



tressage d'orchidées sauvages...

On vous embrasse tous tendrement avec une pensée spéciale pour mes deux neveux Adam et Théodore.

vos Tikka et Valentin

Elections

Chère famille, mes amis;

Toutes les 5 années, à peu près, ont lieux les élections nationales malaysiennes. C'est cet événement haut en couleurs que j'ai choisi de vous faire découvrir cette fois-ci en plongeant, comme à mon habitude, au coeur de l'action la plus palpitante. Une évolution notable c'est quand même glissée dans ces chroniques de l'extrême, je suis dorénavant protégé par une authentique James Bond girl, une amazone de charme, ma femme, Tikka.

Si je dis "à peu près" toutes les 5 années, c'est que la date est choisie par le parti en place. Ainsi, le Barisan National (BN), au pouvoir depuis l'indépendance (1957), a négligemment grignoter 6 mois, tardant à annoncer la date du retour aux urnes...

Le BN était, pour ainsi dire, le parti unique jusqu'à il y a 10 ans. Depuis, une certaine contestation tente de grandir mais c'est bien difficile face à un pouvoir omnipotent, qui confond allègrement ses fonds avec ceux de l'état et qui n'hésite pas à recourir à la force et à l'intimidation si nécessaire. C'est que le BN en distribue des "gula-gula" (sucreries) avant les élections! Réservoirs gratuits pour tout le village, moteur flambant pour les pêcheurs... Le pays tout entier est en travaux! Il faut finir telle route, réparer telle école...

Il faut aussi faire attention avec qui on discute... Ainsi Tikka, toujours prompte à hisser le drapeau rouge de la révolution a eu la bonne idée de jouter avec notre "futur" propriétaire... qui s'est révélé être le responsable de la campagne du BN local. Depuis il refuse de nous adresser la parole! Vous l'aurez compris, l'opposition se fait discrète dans les villages mais ça donne un certain goût de clandestinité, de lutte secrète qui n'est pas si désagréable... Nous faisons déjà partit du noyau dure de la résistance!

- Ici Sukau - pom pom pom pom
- Une larme de crocodile se cache au fond de mon thé glacé -
- pom pom pom pom

On votait hier: Devant l'école, le chef du village donne 100 Rm (2 - 3 jours de salaire) à chaque votant en leur faisant jurer de cocher BN. Cette pratique ne choque personne... On ne se demande pas d'où vient tant d'argent, pire, nos amis les plus "progressistes" regrettent bien que l'opposition ne fasse pas plus de voix mais que voulez-vous... elle ne donne pas d'argent!

Les résultats sont tombés: l'opposition est battue, la résistance est tombée. Ce ne sera pas pour cette fois encore. Pire, les scores ont l'air moins bon que la dernière fois. L'héroïsme n'y aura pas suffit. Alors on analyse méthodiquement. Le redécoupage des circonscriptions bien sûr, le transport des urnes toujours suspect, tout cet argent déversé et ces bus qui vont chercher les impotents jusqu'au coeur des campagnes...

L'heure est à l'amertume. Heureusement il y a une revanche dans 5 ans! A peu près...



jusque dans les plantation d'huile de palme...

bien à vous
depuis leur QG secret
Valentin et Tikka

树高河红

 

我们在Sukau找到了一宝地，是村民老祖宗留下的大果园，因为一直都有经营收成榴梿和langsat及藤，这林里的果树都幸免了被砍伐以取其木或改种收成更高的油棕，所以这片森林要比大部份保护区外的森林更原始更健康，是目前为止我们所找到唯一还有高大老树的森林，更重要的是它处于小丘上，不受每年年尾都要犯的水灾影响，于是土地紧实树根也扎得稳。园外不远便是野生动物森林保护区，经常有来吃水果的orang hutan,长鼻猴，还经常有侏儒象出入，年中果成的季节在这里是要很热闹的。

然而这只是"树高"的切实部份，还没说到"河红"的浪漫部份。

这块宝地是要经由Kinabatangan河边的一小支流，再转入一更小支流才能到达，这更小的支流就叫红河。两旁长满红树，树技垂落，绿映河面，乘着小船有如进入一绿色隧道，柳暗花明又一村，还可以近距离看树上的猴子。

树高河红，我们的未来project就设在这里了

 

Avril 2013

chère famille, chers amis;

Voici enfin quelques nouvelles de Bornéo! Pour nous excuser de vous avoir fait attendre si longtemps, en primeur, une petite balade dans les bayous de Sukau, ceux là même qui mènent à notre futur camps.
MERAH-desktop
Attention ne vous trompez pas: à la fourche c'est bien à droite qu'il faut prendre...

Mais nous n'oublions pas les plus jeunes et passons directement à notre rubrique "curiosités de la jungle".
Voici donc la Mante religieuse géante!


Un insecte Lanterne (c'est son nom - Pyrops Sultan).


Et un HornBill (Pied Hornbill - Anthracoceros convexus) venu prendre le soleil dans le jardin.


Et bientôt un reportage complet sur les macaques dont l'activité frénétique autour de la maison égaye un certain nombre de nos matinées.

La maison s'embellit, se meuble doucement. la chambre d'ami sera bientôt prête. Tikka accroche ses orchidées, on plante de nouveaux fruitiers dans le jardin. Nous nous faisons doucement à la vie du village, on prendrait même des habitudes.

Les choses sérieuses commencent cette semaine. On rencontre l'avocat pour parler création de société, licences... Si on veut vous faire à chacun un nid pour l'année prochaine il ne faut plus perdre de temps!

On vous espère
vos
Tikka et Valentin

 

 

Orang hutan facts

Orang hutan row boat & use saw

http://youtu.be/IFACrIx5SZ0

 

Strange fruit

Myrmecodia (Myrmekodes in Greek= full of ants) is a interesting genus of 26 species of epiphytic ant plants native to South-East Asia, where they grow on branches of rain forest trees. The plants develop a spiny greyish caudex to store water and food.
These plants form symbiotic relationships with mycorrhizal fungi and ants, which allows them to obtain sufficient nutrients, despite a very limited root system and minimal substrate. The caudex develops a labyrinth of internal chambers opening to the surface and inviting occupation by ants.

Myrmecodia beccarii (family Rubiaceae) has a swollen body that contains galleries ("domatia" in biological terminology) where the ants live. The only function of these holes is to serve as a shelter for ant colonies. In these plants, there are openings or thin windows of tissue which enable ants to get in and out of the plant easily. In these chambers, there are food bodies that the plant produces with no known function other than the feeding of ants.

They do not appear to have a real use for the plant.9 In short, domatia are very special structures that have been created in order for ants to live. The heat and moisture balance provides an ideal environment for ants. In these places marked by diligence that are prepared for ants, the ants make themselves just as comfortable as people staying at luxury hotels.

 



 

Dischidia is a family of epiphytes from SE Asia and Australasia. It is closely related to Hoya although it is vegetatively a much smaller plant and the flowers are usually not showy.
The plant has no roots penetrating the soil (epiphytes), most epiphytes gets carbon and nitrogen from air. But Deschi get it from ants (mostly Philidris). Ants breed their offspring and store organic remains (dead ants, pieces of other insects, etc.) inside the "ant-leave". The plant makes use of these residues as a nitrogen source. Moreover, the inner surface of the leaf spaces absorbs the carbon dioxide given out by the ant, and in the process decreases dehydration through pores.10 Preventing dehydration is very important for these ant plants which grow in the tropical climates, because, they have no roots and cannot reach water in the soil. So, ants supply two important needs of the plants in return for the shelter provided to them.Almost all of the species of Dischidia have close relationship with ants and many have evolved interesting vegetative aspects to attract ants.

They are some with pouch leaves where ants can build nests within, another type have disk shaped leaves pressing against the trunk which again act as ant shelter. Two other types of Dischidia are not designed to attract ants (although they usually are found around the aerial ant nests), having either flat thick leaves (as in D. hirsuta) or bearing small knob-like leaves along very long internodes (eg D. bengalensis). Researchers have trace the movement of radioactive carbon and nitrogen atoms from ants to plants, confirming that the plants assimilate matters brought in by the ants.

Junglionary

• The word jungle originates from a Sanskrit word jangala, meaning "forest".


• Musk, the glandular secretions from animals such as the male musk deer, civet cat. Originates from the Sanskrit word "muṣká" for - testicle


• Myrmecodia, a sort of ants plant. Originates from Greek "Myrmekodes,"for - full of ants

Vidéothèque

Borneo rainforest survival tips

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xn4y5d_seul-face-a-la-nature-la-jungle-de-borneo_sport?search_algo=2#.UP8FSOiqQsV

BBC Expedition in Borneo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bde9lMDPsu0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiLPjZGJus0

Jungle kawaii

[wpcol_1half id="" class="" style=""]Walking watermelon

Tapir's baby are stripy like a balck & white version of watermelon, these stripes will dissapear when they grown up, except one which they will keep as souvenir & let it run across their black body on their tummy


[/wpcol_1half] [wpcol_1half_end id="" class="" style=""] [/wpcol_1half_end]

 

Tarsier's baby

Tiny Tarsier give birth to BIG baby (22-30% of the adult weight) & baby are born very advanced, full fur, eyes open & able to climb tree since the first day, thanks to their mum who carry them for 6 months in total.
Translate that to human measure in relative to tarsier's life span, that means a gestation of 18months, baby can probably walk in the womb & when they are born they can weight up to 20kg & half a meter height.
I strongly believe Tarsier deserve 2 mothers' day per year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAaH2gSUdbo

 

The hands of four primates: tarsier, gibbon, chimpanzee, and human.

Despite the similarities in their hands, the differences are what makes each most suitable for its way of life. The tarsier leaps and clings, and has large finger pads to help it do this. The gibbon swings from the trees, so has long, strong fingers for swinging. The chimpanzee may be able to manipulate very crude tools with its stubby thumb, but the human’s thumb faces the forefinger, which provides dexterity for countless purposes—from threading a needle to mountain climbing. . .from carving wood to buttoning a shirt.



 

 

Elephant facts

[wpcol_1third id="" class="" style=""][/wpcol_1third] [wpcol_2third_end id="" class="" style=""]Pygmy elephants extintions is not a joke, the Borneo Elephant (Elephas maximus borneensis), a well-documented variety of elephant, is also called "pygmy elephant."

This elephant, inhabiting tropical rainforest in north Borneo (east Sabah and extreme north Kalimantan), was long thought to be identical to the Asian Elephant and descended from a captive population.

In 2003, DNA comparison revealed them to be probably a new subspecies.^[1][2] A 2010 study found that there are an estimated 2,040 elephants in Sabah.^[3] The term pygmy elephant should not be confused with "dwarf elephant", which is used for a number of extinct species of elephants that evolved their size due to island dwarfing.[/wpcol_2third_end]

14 endangered Borneo pygmy elephants have been found mysteriously dead in Sabah's east coast of Tawau. (NEWS 29/01/2013)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcbGVni-zMk

The 3 month old orphanage now living at Lok Kawi zoo near Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (UPDATED: 08:55 GMT, 6 February 2013)

Mysterious spate of poisoning: Joe's mother is one of 14 known elephants to have died and investigations are still being carried out to discover what wiped them out and whether it was deliberate or accidental
Investigations are still being carried out to discover what wiped out the 14 adult elephants, and whether they were killed deliberately, by accidental contamination or infection. Last week it was claimed that palm oil plantation workers were responsible for poisoning the animals.
Experts believe the elephants could have eaten toxic substances laid to keep away ‘pests’ from the highly lucrative crop. They live on land in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve which is very close to palm oil fields.



Even to a baby elephant, he surely can’t look much like mother.
But to a young orphan called Joe, this 29-year-old nature reserve keeper has become the next best thing.
The three-month-old pygmy elephant was pictured last week nuzzling his lifeless mother in a desperate attempt to revive her.

Why won't you wake up, mummy? Joe was visibly distressed as he nuzzled his lifeless mother in a desperate attempt to revive her
His distress was so visible it moved wildlife officials to tears.The mother had become the latest victim of a mysterious spate of poisoning in the tropical rainforest of Malaysia, one of 14 now known to have died.

Had Joe not been rescued he would almost certainly have stayed at his mother’s side until he starved to death. Frightened, thirsty and confused, he had lost weight and might have ingested poison through his mother’s milk.

Despite 24-hour care in the nature reserve now looking after him, experts feared Joe could still die of a broken heart.

Getting to know you: Little Joe and his keeper indulge in a bit of horseplay now that they have formed a remarkable bond

Bath time: Joe's new keeper Augustin seems to be enjoying it, but the elephant isn't so keen. Augustin said of the elephant that he 'has clear likes and dislikes'

Feeding: Keepers have found a special formula of milk which caters to Joe's nutritional needs
Then he was introduced to Augustin David. Now, in a remarkable bond between man and beast, the keeper has become Joe’s surrogate mum.
Like any parent, Augustin faces a gruelling schedule that requires feeding Joe every two hours, all through the night, with a particular mix of formula milk that the infant has a taste for.
Playtime involves him running Joe around the compound at Lok Kawi zoo near Kota Kinabalu, which the little elephant loves; and persuading him to keep still for bathtime, which he loathes.
‘He has clear likes and dislikes,’ Augustin said. ‘He loves suckling people’s thumbs - just like a human baby, it calms him.
But he doesn’t like showers, so we have to wash him in his pen. At the moment he is losing his baby skin so he likes to rub against anything because he’s itchy.'

Bond: The keeper and the inmate have formed an unusually close relationship at the wildlife centre

Friendly: So far, Joe seems to be adapting fairly well to life among humans after his mother's death

Danger: But it is too soon to say for sure that the fun-loving elephant will survive his ordeal
He also loves attention. And when it’s not focused on him, he is not slow to let his adopted mother know.
He kicks Augustin in the legs or nudges up against him. ‘He’s active, playful and naughty,’ the keeper said proudly. In any other circumstances, this would be simply a delightful if rather bizarre partnership. At the moment, however, it is still a fight for life.
Dr Diana Ramirez, the vet overseeing Joe’s recovery, told the Daily Mail: ‘He is far from safety yet. It’s too soon to be sure that he will make it – sometimes baby elephants can look OK and then die suddenly. 

‘They are very prone to colic and it can be fatal very quickly. Once he’s past six or seven months, we can be more confident. But he clearly has a strong will to survive.’

Chilling out: The elephant stretches in his new home as Augustin looks on at his protegé

Surrogate mum: Like any parent, Augustin faces a gruelling schedule that requires feeding Joe every two hours, all through the night, with a particular mix of formula milk that the infant has a taste for About two-thirds of the world’s diminishing population of Borneo pygmy elephants can be found in Malaysia

Popular: The orphaned elephant has been a hit with handlers at the wildlife centre in Malaysia
All the animals that died still had their tusks and none bore gunshot wounds, indicating that poachers were not responsible.
The future? If he pulls through, Joe is likely to stay at the 280-acre park for the rest of his life – rescued elephants often have difficulty adapting to life in the wild.
He won’t be lonely. An instant family – the reserve’s 16 other injured and orphaned elephants – are waiting to be introduced.

ELEPHANT LIFE CYCLE

The life cycle of the elephant can be categorised into 3 main periods – the baby, the adolescent and the adult elephant. Like humans, each stage lasts for an extended period of time and very distinct developmental milestones characterise each level of maturity.

The baby stage lasts from birth until the elephant has been weaned off its mother’s milk completely. This can be anywhere between 5 and 10 years of age. Being weaned means that the calf no longer drinks milk from its mother, but is able to live only on solid vegetation. For the first 3 to 5 years, most elephant calves are totally dependant on their mothers for their nutrition, hygiene, migration and health. This period is used to teach the young one all they will need to know about the herd and their environment in order to be able to survive alone. These lessons include the proper use of their trunk for feeding, drinking and bathing. The calf is born after a gestation period of almost 2 years (22 months). The first calves of the season are born about 2 months before the first rains, meaning that vegetation is soft and lush when they start to feed on it.

The adolescent stage extends from the time that the elephant has been weaned (5 to 10 years of age) until about 17 years old. It is during this stage that the elephants reach sexual maturity. This generally occurs anywhere between 8 and 13 years of age. They do not usually begin to mate at this adolescent stage. Adolescence is the time in which young elephants begin to break away from the main herd. Young bulls, in particular, tend to form smaller pods of peers, known as ‘bachelor pods’. Females are more likely to stick to the main matriarchal herd.

Adulthood starts at about 18 years of age, and the elephant has an average life expectancy of 70 years. Although sexually mature in their early teens, elephants generally only start to mate at about 20 years and stop bearing calves at about 50. Like humans, elephant cows experience something similar to menopause. Many of the age-related illnesses also bear strong resemblances to those of humans, including cardiovascular diseases and arthritis. During adulthood, many of the bulls tend to wonder from the main herd in search of new cows with whom to mate. The female elephants will remain with the matriarchal pod, sticking together and assisting one another with nursing and caring for calves.

Elephants, like humans, enjoy clearly defined stages of their lives, each lasting for several years, even decades. Stages are characterised by structured roles and duties. These fascinating creatures continue to amaze researchers in terms of their insight and resourcefulness.

 

FOOTAGE DATED 1921 OF WHITE MAN TRAPPING ELEPHANTS IN BORNEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhxJkiyuokg