This morning as dawn broke I woke to the sounds of gibbons 'singing'. For me it's one of the most evocative sounds I've ever heard. They were in one of the taller 100+ ft trees a few hundred yards south of the Harapan camp. When close by the sound is almost deafening but being wary creatures they generally don't get too close to the camp. The dawn serenade was even more welcome as it was mercifully cool with no mosquitos. Yippee!
Just after breakfast, some shouting alerted us to another wildlife encounter - a nine foot young reticulated python crossing the track between the buildings. These beautiful, intricately marked snakes are relatively common forest dwellers but are hunted for food or the pet trade. What caused this one to leave the safety of cover and cross the road between the offices and the bunk house in the day was not clear. It may have been disturbed from its usual activity last night as many staff stayed up til 4:30 am to watch the Spain-Portugal shoot out. Football, it seems, has its supporters even in the midst of the rainforest.
Aided by the Chief Executive of BirdLife, who it turns out is as passionate about snakes as he is about birds, this amazing creature was grabbed by the tail and prevented from seeking refuge under the buildings. It turned back on its captors opening its extendable mouth and baring formidable fangs. A large plastic drum was swiftly placed on its side in front of the python, and the snake instinctively sought cover inside. The drum was lifted up and it was caught. The patrol team then took the drum off into the forest to release the now rather angry python somewhere a little less busy.
Rainforests such as Harapan team with wildlife. Collectively they hold about 75% of all land-based animals and plants (that's around 6 million species!) and two thirds of the world's threatened birds. They are home to more plants and wildlife than any other habitat. Yet they're greatly threatened, with large swathes destroyed every minute. It's tragic.
But it's not just the wildlife that loses out if rainforests are destroyed - it's people too. Many rainforests are home to groups of people who have lived in them for generations. Again Harapan is no exception - the forest-dependent people who live here are the Batin Sembilan. They live in, and from, the forest and don't destroy it. Our camera traps occasionally reveal the traditional lone hunter, armed with a spear, deep in the forest. For the Batin Sembilan, logging, agriculture plantations and encroachment all threaten their way of life and their livelihood. For them it's important that the forest survives and that's why we've been working with them to try and protect this amazing place.