SMG’s Borneo Travel Log, Wednesday
Wednesday Morning and Afternoon: Today we set out for a long trek through the jungle. Nurzhfarina “Farina” Othman, Houston Zoo Conservation Associate, updated us on the latest positions of the elephants and we hopped back in for another long boat ride down river. When we got close to the spot where the last satellite position was, Farina switched over to the radio telemetry tracker to listen for beeps. After that, it’s into the jungle. Our guide Coco led us in and we began bushwacking through some of the thickest forest I’ve ever been in. We continued for about two hours this way, only pausing to take water breaks and listen to the radio signal. We could hear the elephants as we got close and it was an eerie sound to hear when you can’t see them. As we got closer and closer to the signal, Farina tells us that only two of us can go up with her at a time because the elephants aren’t very happy we have been following them. We sent our camera man up, and I followed behind him. We were crawling on the ground to minimize our noise and slow us down and then….a trunk. Elephants. I can’t believe how easily they can move through this dense forest that we had been tripping on all morning. We spend just a few moments with the elephants before we have to head back and start our return walk to the boat. We started at 8 a.m. and we arrive to the boat at 2:15 p.m., completely exhausted and wiped out but happy we have seen the incredible Bornean elephant.
Houston Zoo’s SMG (Social Media Guy) is on the trip of a lifetime to Borneo!
From Dec. 1–11, 2017 the Houston Zoo and Houston’s KPRC Channel 2 are traveling to southeast Asia and the island of Borneo to document the work you are supporting to protect the counterparts of the wildlife that you see when you visit the Zoo. Houston Zoo conservation associates who have dedicated their careers to protecting elephants, orangutans, pangolins and a whole host of other amazing species on the world’s third largest island will give us an in-depth look at what it means to save species from extinction.
We’ve created a special webpage to follow their exciting journey around the world, go behind the scenes, and learn more about how we can all save animals in the wild. Follow along with SMG!
