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January 2005
by Bilqis Hijjas
- Two water monitors (Varanus salvator) or biawak
were witnessed mating in the reflective pool in the late afternoon on
10 January 2005. The pair were causing quite a ruckus, thrashing and
rolling in the water, and were not at all disturbed by the barking dogs,
or my mother and I loudly discussing their progress from close by. The
smaller monitor was holding the muzzle of the larger one in its jaws
-- there was some blood evident, and at some points it wasn't clear
whether they were mating or fighting (see image left). The scene lasted
for over an hour. There are a lot of biawak at Rimbun Dahan;
although the dogs keep some check on the population, they can often
be seen swimming lazily across the ponds and terrorising the troupes
of monkeys. More
information on the water monitor.
- There have been several sightings of wild boar (Sus scrofa)
or babi hutan in the back garden -- they come through a gap
in the fence to root among the leaf litter in the early morning. Unfortunately
gunshots have also been heard close by, resulting in one very dramatic
incident. One morning, Jasri, the son of Jesmi, one of the gardeners,
opened the front door of their house to see a babi hutan, with
its muzzle and one leg covered in blood, staring at him through the
doorway. Jasri promptly slammed the door shut, and Jesmi and Roslan
(the other gardener) gave chase, but the animal disappeared through
the fence. We have complained to the local police station about the
danger of shooting in kampung areas and of having injured wild boar
running about, but apparently we have no case.
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