Journey Along the Katibas River - Part 1

Boat express from Sibu town to Song which depart at 6.15am and reach Song at 8.15am.

It was a follow-up trip to the long houses along the Katibas River which is regarding the labours appointment to join us in our orangutan nest survey last June. Actually i only assist the officer from the Forest Department but as usual, i am excited because this is my first time going upper Katibas River.

My excited face on the boat just before we start our journey.

We already plan to overnight at the last longhouse which is Rh. Sapai and TR Sapai himself is our boatman for this trip. Our journey will took us more than six hours because we will be stopped at a few longhouses to deliver the letters and meet up with the locals. Somehow, the weather is not as good as we hope it will be. After our second stop, the rain was too heavy and we must reach Rh Sapai before its dark. So, we decide to skip the other four longhouses and continue it the next day on our way down to Song town.

The mouth of Katibas River

The water level is just nice so we don't have to pass the shallow water with rocky rocks in this super cool river. I imagine of the strong current but since the water level is quite high, so the current is just mild. 

Our boatman, TR Sapai. The fuel is cost about RM500 for one way trip. 

Our boatman is very experienced and skillful person and he knows all the safe route to escape the big rocks in this river. I salute him for i feel safe along the way but somehow, he was drunk on the next day after a few stops at the longhouses. Only then i start to feel scared. Ha ha ha..

The flowers of Ensurai tree (Dipterocarpus sp.) is food source of aquatic life in this river.

It was a great experienced, even though it took us six hours to reach TR Sapai's longhouse and bad weather on the first day but i amazed by the beautiful scene along the river banks especially after the second last longhouse. It was amazing to have a chance to see the flowering Ensurai trees (Dipterocarpus sp.) along the rivers and knowing that the food source of the aquatic life especially the fishes is abundant and available. 

Finally, in the end, this will be one of the experience that i will appreciate as much as other trips that i have made while exploring the Rainforest of Borneo. I am grateful to God for this great opportunity and i am still safe and sound. 

---

Grateful Heart, 

Rose Ragai

#2 ~ What is MANGROVE FOREST?

I know mangrove is a tree that people use for charcoal and also construction. In my previous entry I already mention that I did not know so much about mangrove. So, mangrove for me is only a tree. At this new place, the operational site has lots of mangroves. This makes me realize that I have to polish my knowledge and get the answer “What is MANGROVE?”.

I Google it up and found many interesting articles and information about mangroves. When I was asked by my friend to produce one poster on conservation, straight away I told her, “I want to make a poster about Mangrove Conservation”. So, this is the poster. I am quite happy with this poster because it provides information about mangroves, what we do and what we have inside this forest besides the mangrove tree species.

The Poster!

Let’s me extract some of the information from this poster.

What is Mangrove Forests? 
● Mangrove forests consist of diverse, salt-tolerant tree and other plant species, ranging from small shrubs to tall trees tens of meters high.
● Mangrove trees have various adaptations that allow them to live in saline, tidal areas. Their dense root systems give support in the soft, water-logged sediment. In most species, the roots protrude above the soil to absorb oxygen from the air, as the sediment is oxygen-poor.
● The most extensive area of mangroves is found in Asia, followed by Africa and South America. According to the FAO, the total mangrove area is around 150,000 km2. In Malaysia, mangrove vegetation covers an area of about 577,500 ha, with Sabah having the most extensive coverage of mangroves, accounting for 59% or 341,000 ha of the country’s total whereas, Sarawak has 132,000 ha (23%) and Peninsular Malaysia 104,200 ha (18%). Sabah’s mangrove forests occur largely along the east coast, facing the Sulu and Sulawesi seas.

The Importance of Mangrove Ecosystem: 

● Mangroves are valued for the protection they provide against coastal erosion, flood control, water purification, habitat for all sorts of marine life and also for their biodiversity conservation function. 

● It is considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life. 

● The important habitat for wildlife such as mammals (primates), birds (kingfishers, herons), insects (firefly), crustaceans (crabs, shrimps) and reptiles (crocodiles, lizards). 

● The mangrove forests provide natural resources in term of income generation for the fisherman community.

The local fisherman collecting mud crabs.

As a conclusion, before I start to do something I must understand them first. To get the understanding I need to put a big effort in it. This is my 3rd month and I don’t think I know that much yet. There are lots more to be done in order to make a huge impact in conserving this type of ecosystem and realizing that the local communities also play a major role, they are inside the circle as well.

The question now is, HOW? WHO? and WHEN?

Till then! Cheers!

Reference: 
Ng, P. K. L & Sivasothi, N. 2001. A Guide to Mangroves of Singapore. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, The National University of Singapore & The Singapore Science Centre. http://mangrove.nus.edu.sg 
Sabah Forestry Department. 2008. Mangrove Forest Management and Restoration, In Annual Report 2008. http://www.forest.sabah.gov.my

#6 Walking Through Nature/ Villages

This is my current trip to Ulu Tomani, Tenom. I think i did mention about my work in five villages at Ulu Tomani before. But, what i want to share today is my recent trip to this village. What did i encounter through my walk? What interesting things i want to share with you guys throughout my walk? Yeah... this is cool!

The fruit of Torch Ginger. 

One of the menu for the day. The Torch Ginger fruits. See my previous post on Etlingera eliator about this ginger species. It is very sour and i like it though. Mix up with some chillies, it is delicious. Nyam..nyam..

Preparing coconut milk using the manual method. 

This reminds me of my mum at home. She use the same method to prepare coconut milk. It take some times but this is one way to get the white flesh of the coconut fruit to get the coconut milk (i hope i explain the right info... if not sure then you can Google for info... :-)..)

Indigenous Mustard Green (Sabi) 

I really love this veggie. It is bitter taste but still yummy for me. :-). In Sarawak, this veggie is famous among the Iban ethnic. You can read more about how Iban people prepare the salted Mustard Green here Salted Ensabi.

Learn how to weave.

 Most the activities were weaving. There were visitors from another district to this village during my visit. So, the Murut community at Alutok, Ulu Tomani teach these visitors how to weave. They start to exchange their expertise and it makes me happy. Yay!

Can you see the fish?

This part is the most exciting because the fish is tamer now. We can feed them at our hands. Yah! I love playing with this fish though.. :-)

This one is big now.

So, that is what i found along my walk to this village. I hope you enjoy walking with me. Till then! God bless. 

With Love,

Rose Ragai

#5 - Walking Through Nature/ Villages

My walk continues to another village called Meligan. This village is about two hours drive from Sipitang. It is almost in the middle of Sipitang and Long Pasia. These village populated by about 1000 people. Quite a big numbers but yes it is. This village have their own primary school, health clinic, pre-school, public hall and also SIB church. The main ethnic in this village is Murut Tagal. I impress with this village because it is very clean. As we walk through the village, there were no rubbish along the road. It was totally clean. Thumbs up to the leader of the community in this village. That is why we plan to have this village as a host for the up coming ****, okay i almost reveal it here but i need to keep it secret though. I will share after the event happen.

My friend and i continues with our interviews from door to door. As long as there is people and the house is open, we tried to have conversation with them. It is really not an easy task to be done because both of us were new to the people in this village. We just approach them and if we have luck then maybe they will agree to be interviewed. We did not get many people but enough with the data. But then, we were attracted by the movements of the blue bird flying in the air and then perch on the fruit tree nearby one of the house. The bird keep on doing it for at least twice. As we get closer to it, it was a flycatcher but not sure what is the species. As we get closer, i can get about five shots and this is two of it. 

Just stand still for about a minute while my friend and i captured his/her
photos. I am not sure if this is male or female. I don't have my birds field
guide book. Yai! I wish i have one. I only have the pocket guide book. 

When he/she notice of our movements, the he/she flew away but still
i can capture him/her. After this he/she flew away till we can not him/her
anymore. Anyway, it was great to captured his/her photos that day. 

Here is an info about this species that i get from Global Species website:

The Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassina) is an Old World flycatcher found in the Indian subcontinent, especially in the Lower Himalaya. It is named after its distinctive shade of copper-sulphate blue and has a dark patch between the eyes and above the bill base. The adult males are intense blue on all areas of the body, except for the black eye-patch and grey vent. Adult females and sub-adults are lighter blue. In Sundaland, it can be found in Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. 

So, that is about our little friend that we discover that day. Quite an interesting discoveries even though that is not the main purpose of our visit. But still, the love of the NATURE will always keep us alert and aware of anything related to our MOTHER NATURE. So, before i end this post, let's share two of my favorite view in this village. Of course the hanging bridge and the peaceful river. Till then!

Every time i visit this village, i will always wanted to let
my feet step on this hanging bridge.  

The river is so nice to see. The view is outstanding. It was so clean okay.
I hope the villagers will keep it clean since they will launch a Tagal System
for this river somewhere in June. 

#4 - Walking Through Nature/ Villages

Hey guys! Quite a while i did not share my adventure with my dear mother nature right? Actually last week i have a trip to one of the rural area called Ulu Padas area within Sipitang District. Can i consider walking in those villages also close to nature? I may say, yes because these villages is adjacent to a very amazing and beautiful forested areas. So called Mother Nature.

Location of Long Pasia. Credit to Google Maps.

The first village we visited was Long Pasia. It is situated in Sabah, Malaysia, its geographical coordinates are 4° 23' 0" North, 115° 44' 0" East. This village is beautiful. If you not agreed with me, see this photo below. 

Village view from entrance of the village. 

What do we do at this beautiful village? Actually we are doing survey on herbal usage and hunting practices. It is quite interesting findings and it will be useful for our next programme. I will not elaborate further on that. What i want to share here is some of our findings on the herbal and animals that these people hunt. 

Not all of them use herbs as their traditional cures anymore after religion and clinic is built in the village. There are only two or three elderly people still practicing it. They are not really interested and aware of this practice/ traditional knowledge will disappear when these elderly people leaving them behind. 

One of the herbs that traditionally use to cure sickness. 

When comes to the hunting activities, people in this area really need protein from wild meat such as bearded pig, Sambar dear and barking deer. There is also human-animal conflict occurs such as this little fella. 

Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

This fella was killed because he disturbed villages chicken coop. He killed the chicks but then not eating them. This makes the owner of the chickens mad and killed him. Pity little fella. Actually i am not sure if it is the true story because, adjacent to this village is a vast, huge forested areas. Is there human activities that makes this fella enter their village? That is still a questions in my mind. Not only this wild cat but another things that happen in this village is they love to have young animals as their pets. Such as this bearded pig.

Sub-adult bearded pig (Sus barbatus)

So, that is my sharing or my walking to this village last week. Quite an interesting experienced and information right? I was happy because i have this chances but then, i am a little bit sad because these people not practicing sustainable hunting. There are excessive hunting activities in this village. I do hope our awareness programme will help them to start sustainable hunting practice. Till then guys!

Tagal System - Pelian Fish

I am so sorry for the post that i deleted yesterday. It suppose to be a video of the fish that i took but an error occurred when i upload the video here. So, today i do a posting on the same title. A collection of few photos and my experienced with all the fishes. I did wrote about the story of Tagal System before in my post: Swimming With The FISH - Tagal System. That was a year ago. I often visit this village and if i have time, i will spent my time visit the stream/river next to this village.

 According to the villagers, this year is the 3rd year of the establishments of this Tagal in their river. So, this year is suppose to be the harvesting year. However, the river always get flooded and the fish often brought by the water to the down river. But, as you can see the fish is quite large in size already but this species, they called them Pelian Fish can grow as large as half meter long. This one still very small, it's only about 20cm.

 As we reach the river bank, suddenly all the fish came out. They seems to aware of our present and i am sure they know that we will feed them. Maybe because they already get used of it. If people come by, they will get free food. He he he... But, this time something more interesting to be experienced by us. The villager told us that the fish is now tame. They are not afraid of people anymore but still not that tame ya.So, we want to see and experienced it by ourself.

 I told my friend that i want to step into the river and feed them there. I want them to come near to me and eat from my hand. As a few seconds, more fish come and tried to steal the food from my hand. I just keep it in my hand and let them get it from there. 

 I am kinda overexcited and as you can see, there a lots of fish around me. What a great experienced. I wish i brought my clothes and swim with them there. Ha ha ha... 

EARTH DAY 2010

It's Earth Day today. I can see lots of my blogger friends blog about Earth Day for today's post. I make a quick surf on the net to find a little info about this movements. Since it is celebrated nationwide so, why not i share a little bit info or history how this movements started.

Earth Day began on April 22, 1970 and was instigated by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. It was first observed on April 22, 1970 in Wisconsin. An estimated 20 million people nationwide attended the inaugural event.

After the official celebration of the first official Earth Day, Senator Gaylord Nelson said:

"That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself."

Earth Day is now observed in 190 countries, and coordinated by the Earth Day Network, a nonprofit organization founded by the organizers of the first April 22 Earth Day in 1970.

Global Logo for Earth Day Network Project

In many cities, the Earth Day celebrations are extended to Earth Week, an entire week of activities related to the promotion of activities related to the preservation of Earth. The Earth Week usually start on April 16, and end on Earth Day, April 22nd. 

Here's some interesting information that maybe can help us to think more about our responsibility to our Mother EARTH!

This is how long it takes garbage to break down:

• plastics take 500 years

• aluminum cans take 500 years

• organic materials take 6 months

• cotton, rags, and paper take 6 months

So, think before throw our rubbish..... HAPPY EARTH DAY TO ALL!!!!

Environmental Awareness Workshop - Part 2

I did share a little bit about this programme in my previous post : PART 1. Okay, let me share about the activities that they were doing for the four days programme.

Registration on the first day...

On the first day after registration they were introduce to department responsibility towards the communities that the company engaged too, nature club concept on supporting environment and recycle. These three was presented by three different speakers from three different organization.

After lunch they have group discussion on two different topics, nature and wildlife and environmental issues. They really have a great ideas about these two issues based on their group presentation. They are aware of the issues such as global warming, illegal hunting, green house effects etc. However, when asked about what they can do to help or support any environmental efforts, they have no answer for that. This is really shows that they are not expose to any environmental campaign. They didn't know that they can do something to help their environments. Even a small action.

Group presentation on current environmental issues.

Sorry guys, i feel sleepy now. To be continue soon. Night all!

I Am Back Safe & Sound

Alright....Came back from Murut's village on Thursday afternoon. So much fun and interesting discovery during my visit. I received a few advice, comments and ideas of surviving in Murut's village or area. By the way, i am still alive my family and friends. Thanks for your prayers and of course my Lord Jesus Christ for always walk with me each and every day in my life.

What did i do to survive in kampong? Especially kampong of people that i am not familiar with. Difference in races, customs, beliefs and traditions. The main thing that my mum always remind me if met new people was "Be humble and down to earth". Never shows and or criticize them especially the way of their life. Accept them for what and who they are, so they will do the same to you. This is the only thing that can make me survive with these people (I do pray so that things will be alright throughout my visit).

Aha...this is my picture with the people that i met. They smile isn't they? Welcoming me, maybe... (^_^)

New Exploration

Tomorrow i am going into another Murut's village. Will not be alone though. Have one friends accompany me. If i told a friend about being in the remote area where lots of people still practicing their tradition, not well develop, they will ask me many many questions. Such as, Are you okay staying with them? Not afraid meh? Hey, you must be careful you know, i heard these people is not so friendly...and lots more expressions and comments from them. In the beginning i am afraid because of so many different stories i heard about them. However, so far my exploration, adventures and experience around these people is fine. Nothing much happen but i still keep my safety and politeness when i am among them. Just careful with my actions, speech, expressions etc....

So, tomorrow i will stay in another two villages where i never stayed before. I will always expect the unexpected so that i will always ready for whatever will happen while i am there. Hope i will be fine. God will always be with me though....:D

Watermelon Art for Cancer

I recieved an email from a friend in June last year. I found this picture of watermelon arts is really amazing and beautiful. So, i posted it here. Really nice right?

Herbs - Etlingera eliator

Let’s start this year with some medicinal plants or herbs. I would like to introduce you guys with this plant but I am sure it is already well-known. If you Google it using scientific name Etlingera eliator you will fine at least 14, 500 results. Meanwhile using English name, Torch Ginger you will get about 58, 000 results and using Malay common name Bunga Kantan you will hit about 128, 000 results. So, it means that this plants is already known by most of people in the world (this is just my random thought, can not be really count on it because maybe some of you doesn’t know about the existence of this plants).

Photocredit to PIER

As describe by Smith (1979) this plant is “a coarse herb growing in large clumps 3-6 m high; its leaves are up to 85 x 18 cm; the scape may be as much as 1.5 m tall, and the inflorescence bracts are bright red; the inner perianth segments are pink, the labellum being red with a yellow or white margin and the anther red; the fruits are green to reddish".

This plant is widely distributed in Malesia, subsequently introduced into the Philippines, and now widely cultivated elsewhere (Smith, 1979). However, it is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, and S Thailand but widely cultivated and naturalized in SE Asia.

Photocredit to travelpenang.com

This plant can be cultivated for ornament too despite of most people used it in traditional medicine and as a flavor in local dishes.

I love the aromatic smell very much. Any dishes that prepared with this plant will make my mouth watering.

My trip to one of Murut village last year gives me a chance to see how they prepare food using this herb. However, unlucky that I didn’t snap any photos of the dishes that they served. But, I am telling you that this herb really can spice up any dishes that you prepared.

Pangolins in trouble

The Star Online (Tuesday December 9 2003)

* Although this is outdated news but this trade still happen and pangolin populations may faced a bad shape.


The pangolin may wear a suit of armour but that has not prevented it from ending up on dinner plates and medicinal stores, writes STEPHEN HOGG.

THE Malayan pangolin (Manis javanica) or tenggiling in Malay is a little-known animal. This strange and rarely seen member of the family Manidae from the order Pholidota is an old-world creature once associated with anteaters, sloths and armadillos.

Once frequently encountered across Malaysia in rubber plantations and oil palm estates, pangolins are more commonly seen these days adorning dinner plates and traditional medicine shops in China.

This ground-dwelling, scaled animal measures close to 1m in length and weighs about 2kg. Completely covered from the neck to the tip of the tail (but not the face, throat and belly) with hard armour-like scales, this unusual creature more closely resembles the new-world armadillo. The scales are tough and made up of agglutinated hair, somewhat like the rhinoceros horn.

Equipped with a long prehensile tail, short powerful legs, tiny eyes and a slender, pointed head, this creature is very adept to its home on the forest floor. Rarely seen in the wild, this elusive species is more probably seen by the public lying dead on the road as a result of a motor accident.

Native to both South-East Asia and Africa, the pangolin prefers lowland to lower-montane forests up to an elevation of about 1,200m. Its strong prehensile tail has several functions, one of which is to act as a support when the animal stands up tall on its hind legs and another is as an extra limb whilst foraging for food in the branches of trees.

The pangolin lives almost entirely on ants and termites. These it locates by scent using its long, flexible and highly sensitive snout. Occasionally, the pangolin eats other soft-bodied insects or grubs but it favours ants which it picks up frantically using its long, sticky tongue which can measure more than the length of its head and body. Amazingly, the pangolin can shoot its tongue out to lengths of up to 25cm.

The tail is used as a support when the animal stands up on its hind legs whilst using its strong forelegs to tear open termite mounds. Superbly adapted for this type of feeding, the pangolin’s face and eyes are protected by thick skin and eyelids. It also has the ability to open and close its nostrils, thus completely protecting itself from ant or termite attack.

Equally suited to trees as it is the ground, the pangolin is an excellent climber. It does this using a caterpillar-type motion: it holds the tree tightly with its fore legs and then brings its hind legs up and so on. It searches tree branches for its favourite food – the leaf nests of weaver ants.

Pangolins now face an uncertain future as humans decimate their population through trade in pangolin skin, leather, meat, scales and live animals. Most of these are destined for China. The pangolin trade is now a major industry. At this rate this animal must certainly be in serious danger of extinction.

In Vietnam it was reported in April that officials confiscated some 600 pangolins and 700 monitor lizards totalling 4.5 tonnes. The animals had been smuggled into Vietnam from Malaysia but, upon their discovery, neither the receivers nor the senders wanted to keep them. Vietnamese officials had no choice but to incinerate the animals after they “failed to adapt to their new habitat.”

Last December, my wife and I encountered a truck filled with 190 pangolins that had just been confiscated by Thai authorities after entering Thailand from Malaysia. Shocking as it may seem, this is not a rare occurrence, with confiscations happening almost daily and numbers of animals reaching up to 500 in one load. Who is to say how many actually reach their destination and evade confiscation?

This trade is illegal but still it goes on. Traders from China apparently paying as much as RM1,500 per animal only encourage perpetrators to continue this illicit trade. There is high demand for scales in traditional Chinese medicines. They are thought to be a powerful antiseptic; medicines made from pangolin scales supposedly cure fevers, skin disorders and venereal diseases.

According to Chris Shepherd of TRAFFIC South-East Asia, a wildlife trade-monitoring organisation, there is currently no legal international commercial trade of the pangolins. “The illegal trade in pangolins is largely out of control, with large shipments of animals being smuggled across numerous international borders, often by the lorry load, to their final destination in China.

“It is not known where all the pangolins are coming from. This is where the public has a role to play ? in supplying the authorities with the information they need to complete this puzzle and to stop this large, illicit trade.”

It is unfortunate that statistics on pangolins are missing in this country. Ask any organisation “What is the status of the pangolin population in Malaysia right now?” and the answer is ... no one can tell you.

There is simply not enough information, money or resources to study the pangolin and, judging from the amount of trade, there cannot be many of them left. This is where the public can help. We need to collect as much information as possible. Please go out and look for pangolins (but do not capture them) and document their whereabouts and their numbers. Then feed the information to wild1@pc.jaring.my to build up a databank on this unusual but beautiful creature.

Educate The Young

Do they really understand why they need to understand about their environment? Of what they have around them and appreciate it?

Hug a TREE....why? for what?

It is our responsibility to educate our young generation to understand more about the nature. We need to inspire our young generations to become life-long stewards of their mother nature. Educate our children to understand the consequences their choices and behavior have on their surroundings.

Banded Palm Civet (Hemigalus derbyanus)

Small to medium-sized carnivores, civets are in the Viverridae family which includes genets, linsangs, and mongooses. Civets vary in size and form, but most present a catlike appearance with long noses, slender bodies, pointed ears, short legs and generally a long furry tail.

Banded palm civet is similar to banded linsang (Prionodon linsang) but banded linsang is smaller with entirely banded tail and spots on the body in addition to barring.

This is a juvenille banded palm civet that the local people captured. He actually tried to get the mother of this "unlucky" little civet but unfortunately he missed her. Mostly local people in this area eat civet's meat. After the mother run away this man saw this helpless little civet and captured it.

This local people tried to kept this little guy as their pet but he have problem with it. It do not eat fruits such as banana that he gave to it. Why? It is because banded palm civet is not frugivores. Their diets are earthworms, insects and other small animals both invertebrate and vertebrate.

When he saw me interested with this little guy, he ask me what this animal normally eat? I told him that info. Finally he decide to give it away to me. I was very happy and thinking of donate it to our mini zoo at KK. On my last day at that village, i was waiting for him to give me this little civet. However, he told me it was escaped because his kids forgot to closed the cage door.

Anyway, i have other feeling about it. People at this area have a very bad habit. If they have something they will not give away freely. They want some token out of it. I will not do it because if i buy it, this will give them some demand on getting more wild animals to be sold as a pet. This happen before. The other guy from this village kept Bornean Gibbon as a pet. One teacher teaching in that village saw it and he admired this gibbon very much. He offered him about RM500 for that gibbon and he just sell it. Not only that, the other guy from the adjacent village own a Malayan Porcupine (Hystrix brachyura) and wanted to sell it with the price RM30.

Even how i really wanted this animal to live freely in the forest i still not gonna buy it from them. There is still a way that can make this people aware that it is wrong to sell this wild animal. They know it is against the Wildlife Enactment (law) but when there is demand they just get it. They need money to live their own life too. Therefore the only thing that i can do is by giving them awareness on why we need to let this animal stays in the forest. Especially the young/juvenile one.

It is still a long way to go. Working with human is not easy...................we have unique and different mind set...hmmmm...