So my last few months in Sikundur have been
full of adventure, laughter, many great memories and some animal sightings of
course! The data collection for my thesis is halfway through and the next phase
of the data collection is the really important stuff – the data collection of
gibbon and siamang vocalizations, which will allow me to determine their group
densities in the different habitat types within Sikundur. This data that I am
collecting on siamang and gibbon group densities is the first of its kind for
the Sikundur field station!
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| Left: Collecting vocalization data Right: Field equipment |
The data collection for the morning vocalizations
was not physically tiring like the vegetation transects and it rarely involved
walking long distances. Instead, we had 3 pre-determined listening posts in
each habitat site that we were stationed at for 4 consecutive days. What does
this entail? Well, we had to be at these listening posts for the entire singing
duration of gibbons and siamangs. This meant we had to be at the listening post
by 5 am and we usually remained at the listening posts until 11:30 am. Due to
the early start, we decided that camping by the listening post sites would make
our lives easier, as well as drastically reducing the walking distances we
would have to walk in complete darkness.
Although Helen and I are fierce jungle
explorers (this is what I like to think at least!), we hired local villagers to
accompany us during these night walks as nobody, not even our field assistants,
wants to be walking alone in the jungle and potentially encountering wildlife
in complete darkness! Thus, our camping trips were made much more lively by the
company of the local villagers. I can honestly say that camping out in the
middle of the rainforest is an once-in-a-lifetime experience and these camping
experiences have helped me grow as a researcher. Furthermore, these camping
experiences have acted as a reality check for me --“Yes Rosanna, you are really
doing this. You are in Indonesia living amongst some of the wildest animals and
this is a unique experience available to few people.” I think about those
camping trips when I am eager to go back home or when I am feeling lonely and
pathetic because they remind me of how lucky of an individual I am and how
blessed I have been with this Indonesian adventure and experience.
Now, back to the camping trips! I like to
refer to our camping trips as “old school” as our tents were constructed with
tree trunks and those big blue tarps. We definitely did not do “glamping” --
camping with all your everyday commodities and comfort. However, our campsite served its purpose for
sleeping and eating. Best of all, the tent was a perfect napping station
amongst everyone on hot afternoons when there was little to do. Hygiene of
course was a concern, but since everyone is in the same situation you come to
accept that everyone will smell. When there were surpluses of water sources
nearby that could be used for other purposes than just drinking water, we
treated ourselves to a nice wash in the small streams or large puddles!
Some of my most memorable experiences
during the camping trips are related to the storms we weathered under our blue
tarps. On three consecutive days, massive thunder and lightening storms
occurred throughout the night. When I am back home, I really enjoy
thunderstorms and I usually sit on my veranda with a sturdy roof above my head
and a warm beverage in my hand. However,
when you are in the middle of the jungle with a flimsy tarp as your protection,
these storms are very dangerous and potentially deadly. On the first night, I
proudly told the boys I really enjoyed storms. They all laughed and couldn’t
believe what they were hearing. By the third night, I can say my opinion changed,
as I did not feel safe under the tarp that was swaying with the viscous winds.
On the third night, the level of the storm skyrocketed and the whole lot of us
literally sat under the blue tarp for a few hours simply waiting for the storm
to end. The slaughtering rain instantly flooded the camping grounds and our
sleeping areas. The thunderclaps crackled right above our heads and the thunder
vibrations were bone deep and made the ground tremble. Lastly, lightening
struck nearby trees and we remained helpless as we watched trees 20 meters tall
crash to the ground all around us. At one particular moment I remember looking
around and I noticed that all the villagers and field assistants’ heads were in
their hands. It only occurred to me then that they were in the midst of
praying!!! In a way I feel that my naivety towards tropical storms and their
dangers is what allowed me to get through the night with relative-calmness and not
become overwhelmed with fear. As we left the forest on the last day, the forest
was unrecognizable from its previous self.
All around tree trunks were split right down the middle and massive
trees were uprooted from the ground and were shredded into pieces. It has
rained so much in those three nights that the river had swelled 5 feet or more!
We had to shuttle our bags across the river on a rubber ring in order to get
back to camp! As we had to cross a river to get I thank a higher power for
keeping us safe during those storms!
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| Left: Heading to our camping site with all our supplies! Right: Supra to the rescue! Ready to shuttle our bags across! |
The rest of our camping trips were
relatively uneventful, except for a few animal sightings, which are always
welcomed and of course fun! The first animal sighting was a lone wild elephant,
however, the excitement factor was above normal as this sighting occurred
during the night! As Helen and I, along with our four other assistants, were
walking towards our listening posts around 4 am, we ran into the REAR-END of an
elephant only 5 meters away. We literally almost ran into the BUTT of an
elephant!!!!!!! Initially, Helen and I were shocked and remained quiet, but we
remembered the advice of others and instantly began making noise and shouting. The
next remarkable animal sighting was a wild orangutan arousing from its nest in
the early morning. Within Sikundur, they have habituated a group of orangutans
and follow them frequently. Current researchers, such as James Askew and John
Abernethy, are conducting research on their behavior and ecology. However, a
portion of the park that lies across a wide river remains unstudied and the
orangutan population on the other side of the river remains unknown. As you can
see where I am going with this, this camping trip happened to be across the river
as we were sampling this region’s gibbon and siamang groups. Thus, this
orangutan I was watching has never been seen before by any of the field
assistants and was entirely mine for approximately 20 minutes. The
orangutan and I shared a few special moments together.
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| The orangutan and I sharing a moment |
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| Social times while camping |
What I have gained from these camping trips
are memories that will last me a lifetime. Surprisingly enough, I must admit
that my favorite moments from camping are not related to the amazing animal
encounters or the terrifying, yet exhilarating tropical storms, but the
interactive moments I got to share with the local villagers and field
assistants. I was given the opportunity to immerse myself into the Indonesian
culture through cooking food with them, sharing childhood stories, and
connecting with them on a personal level. Most of our nights were spent
teaching each other our native languages, as all the villagers were very eager
to learn English, and I Indonesian. Helen and I even introduced them to
marshmallows, which they thoroughly enjoyed!!
All in all the camping trips were a huge success
and all that is left to do is analyze the data! Until next time….
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