Day 8 was still considered as a 'rest' day as not a lot of participants were out in the field. One week into the expedition and I guess everyone needed a day's break. Apart from the small mammal group and bat group, the rest were busy cleaning up the base camp and helping one another out in their respective tasks.
Several of the camera trap boys were assigned to help out the small mammal group except for Metis, Moon and Bon whom were instructed to search around the forest behind the base camp for Gaharu saplings. Gaharu trees (family Thymelaeceae), which can grow up to an approximate height of 50-60 metres, are considered as one of the most logged trees in Brunei and hence are quite extinct in Sungai Ingei.
Finding these Gaharu saplings now? A very hard task I have to say!
According to one of our Iban boatmen, illegal loggers came to Sungai Ingei during the 50s and 60s and had logged these Gaharu trees intensively. Nowadays, even the saplings are hard to find in Sungai Ingei. However, a few Gaharu saplings were luckily found by the boys as assisted by Samhan (field coordinator) and Haji Bakhtiar (Iban boatman). These saplings were collected for the event on Day 9.
Apart from that, Stephen Hogg (our wildlife photographer) also gave a short demonstration to the camera trap team on how to set our camera traps properly in the field. Stephen is also the designer of the camera traps that are currently used by the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition Camera Trap Team and also massively used by WWF in camera trapping sessions.
Here are some pictures from Day 8:
Several of the camera trap boys were assigned to help out the small mammal group except for Metis, Moon and Bon whom were instructed to search around the forest behind the base camp for Gaharu saplings. Gaharu trees (family Thymelaeceae), which can grow up to an approximate height of 50-60 metres, are considered as one of the most logged trees in Brunei and hence are quite extinct in Sungai Ingei.
Finding these Gaharu saplings now? A very hard task I have to say!
According to one of our Iban boatmen, illegal loggers came to Sungai Ingei during the 50s and 60s and had logged these Gaharu trees intensively. Nowadays, even the saplings are hard to find in Sungai Ingei. However, a few Gaharu saplings were luckily found by the boys as assisted by Samhan (field coordinator) and Haji Bakhtiar (Iban boatman). These saplings were collected for the event on Day 9.
Apart from that, Stephen Hogg (our wildlife photographer) also gave a short demonstration to the camera trap team on how to set our camera traps properly in the field. Stephen is also the designer of the camera traps that are currently used by the Sungai Ingei Faunal Expedition Camera Trap Team and also massively used by WWF in camera trapping sessions.
Here are some pictures from Day 8:
Relocating the Gaharu saplings into soil bagsL-R: Dr. Charles, Bon, Moon and Metis
Stephen Hogg demonstrating the correctmethods in setting up camera traps in the field
I designed these traps so you guys better do it my way!To be continued...
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