THE INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE MAGAZINE Vol. 17 No. 4 April 1975 The main feature this month describes a very FRONT COVER exciting place - one of the most exciting European otter (Lutra lutra). places in the world, in fact. The Gunung Photo by Hans Reinhard/Bruce Colernan Leuser must represent one of the front rank of vital areas that conservationists must save, for all sorts of reasons. It is also a place that appeals because it is 150 The Great Wildlife still unexplored and unknown. Markus Borner Photographic Adventure told me when I was there last summer that 153 Birdwatcher at Large there were - and are - no adequate maps of the Gunung Leuser region. The most recent 154 Longnecks and Humpbacks was one prepared from American satellite Harry Frauca photographs. But it turned out to be 157 Into the Unknown inaccurate. So little known was the area that he even discovered a great rift valley in the Markus Bomer centre of the reserve, whose existence had been 166 Search for India's Grey Wolf unsuspected. S. P. Shahi Markus was involved specifically in the fate of the Sumatran rhino, but he was also 170 The Rooftop Gun concerned - through his project investigations Patricia M ol1aghan - with the wildlife of Sumatra generally. Working side by side with him were two other 173 A Brighter Future for the Polar Bear? Swiss zoologists; their project was to Colin Wyatt rehabilitate confiscated orang-utans. This makes a warm and fascinating story in itself, and we 176 The Latin Skin Trade are planning to publish a feature on it in a Fe/ipe Benavides future issue. In the meantime, 1 think readers will agree that it is important work, especially 180 Cyprus Warbler in the light of the great cruelty involved in Michael Gore capturing young orangs. The interesting thing about the ownership 183 Zoo News of captive orangs, and also tigers kin rugs, 184 News Desk by Indonesians themselves, is that both are regarded as status symbols. We - or I - tend 186 WWF News to regard the lust for status symbols as being a Western fault, but it is certainly seen 188 Book Reviews amongst the wealthier Indonesians. Orangs are often kept in conditions of such unbelievable cruelty, that the only possible point in keeping them must be the owner's ability to say Editor & Publisher Nigel Sitwell '1 have an orang-utan'. Deputy Editors Gill Hiller, Tessa Board The Director of the Jakarta hOO told me Consultant Zoologist Michael Tweedie Accounts Eve O'Connor that he personally knew of about 150 Assistant to Publisher Lindsay Nunn tigerskins in the city and suburbs of Jakarta. Advertisement Director Leo Long Some of these could have been Javan tigers, no Wildlife (formerly Animals) is published on the doubt, but that race is now reduced to barely last Thursday of every month by Wildlife ten animals, and most were probably Sumatran Publications Ltd at 243 King's Road, London, SW3 5EA, England. Tel: 01-352 9294. tigers. I saw a display of half a dozen skins in Cable address: ANIMAG, LONDON SW3. Jakarta's leading department store. I pretended On sale at all newsagents, price 35p per copy. I wanted to buy one and ship it to Singapore: Subscriptions: UK & Ireland - £4.50 per year. I was quoted £750 for the skin plus £250 for US & Canada - $12.00 per year. Other shipping, most of which went on 'obtaining an overseas - £4.75 per year. All rates include PATRON surface postage. Lord Zuckerman export licence'. Of course, the latter would involve a heavy bribe to some official because Trade distribution by Argus CONTRIBUTORY EDITOR it is illegal to export such skins. Distribution Ltd, 12-18 Paul Street, David Attenborough Various people have complained to the London, EC2A 4JS, England. US national newsstand distribution by Eastern ADVISORY EDITORS Indonesian Government about this particular News Distributors Inc, 155 West 15th Street, The Duke of Bedford public display of illegal skins - but despite New York, NY 10011: Second class postage I. McTaggart Cowan expressions of concern, the Government has so paid at New York, NY. Nicholas Guppy Alan Moorehead far not seen fit to do anything about it. The publishers cannot promise to reply to any Guy Mountfort Indonesia has much to be proud of in its letter or return any unsolicited contribution unless accompanied by sufficient postage (UK Roger Tory Peterson conservation record, and I suggest it could well stamps, or international reply coupons). While Sir Peter Scott afford to put an end to this piece of blatant all reasonable care is taken, the publishers Edwin Way Teale accept no responsibility for unsolicited Niko Tinbergen law-breaking. NIGEL SIT'VELL manuscripts or photographs. 149 The author and his team were I1rnhfU>11 in the of the Gunung Leuser serve by an oil company helicopter. Once in, the out was on foot - which often meant makeshift bridges (below) to find the river that would lead us from wilderness to civilisation. The purpose of our expedition was to look for the rare Sumatran rhinoceros, and on the third day we found tracks of this shy and extremely threatened forest dwel­ ler. Following the rhino's tracks and signs like a latter-day Sherlock Holmes, I tried to learn something of the ecology and behaviour of this the smallest of the five rhino species, whose last stronghold is the remote wilderness of the mountain forests of Sumatra. But on the fifth day trouble started. ur helicopter hovered above 5 Due to heavy rain the river a swampy river bank while z began to rise, and what had been a we threw out our belongings g nice shallow river in the upper and then jumped out our- ~ part turned out to be a narrow selves into the mud. Its task co m- ::J gorge full of waterfalls and rapids plete, the helicopter pulled up and ~ in the lower part. The deep water away and the polyphonic sounds of ~ prevented us from walking in the virgin tropical rain forest replaced >­ river itself, so we were forced to the rackety noise of the engine. m cut our way through thick and We were left standing on the ~ thorny rattan palms on the steep bank of a river without a name, b slopes of the gorge. our connections with the outside [ Despite walking for ten hours a world severed, alone in the green -1 day, with two men always in front heart of one of the last of the ~ cutting a path with their big jungle world's unexplored places. We knives, we sometimes managed were in the 6,500-square-kilometre only one kilometre (just over half (2,500-square-mile) vastness of the a mile) a day. Since all the moun­ Gunung Leuser Reserve in tain ridges were at right angles to Sumatra. And suddenly it began to the river we could find no other pour with rain. route and were obliged to go My five Indonesian companions, through the gorge. The slopes were who had been shaking with fear sometimes so steep that they were for the last hour, all began laugh­ completely bare of vegetation and ing and talking at the same time, we had to use a rope to traverse happy to be alive and out of the the slippery rocks. roaring, hellish machine. When it became impossible to Despite the heavy rain we proceed along one river bank we 'started to follow our unknown had to build a bridge to cross to the mountain river. It proved to be other side. We usually did this by shallow and wide so the walking Tired from our first day in the cutting down a tree so that itl was easy and we were all in high forest we unrolled our sleeping spanned the strongest part of the spirits. But our euphoria lasted mats of pandanus leaves and tried current. But cutting down a tree only till evening, when the time to find a comfortable spot under with knives takes time - and two came to build our camp - a the plastic shelter. The roots and out of three of the trees we felled simple covering made of young stones beneath us were no worry, were immediately swept away by trees and plastic sheeting. Most of though the forest was alive with the raging flood! our equipment, including the un definable noises; far away an By the eleventh day our warm blankets, had been thor­ owl was calling. Soon all of us supplies of rice and dried fish had oughly soaked by the rain. And were fast asleep. run out, and we still had no idea since we couldn't find any dry In the moss forest at 2,000 how far we had to go to reach a wood it took a full two hours to metres (6,000 feet) above sea level populated area. Morale had sunk make a fire. But eventually we the nights can be quite chilly - very low indeed. In the evening we managed to cook our rice and even though you are on the found some banana stems and dried fish and with a meal inside Equator. By early morning the cooked the centre part so we us our morale began to rise. cold started to creep into my should have something with which With characteristic tropical bones. By four o'clock we were all to fill our empty stomachs. swiftness the daylight faded into awake, squatting round the small That night I slept badly. The dusk and the cicadas started their fire and awaiting the dawn. plastic roof was by now perforated piercing evening concert.