We are celebrating the wonderful wildlife found at our longest-running field site, the Sebangau National Park peat-swamp forest, with two beautiful pieces of artwork! Working with talented Cornish artist, Rae Gray, we have produced limited edition prints of two iconic Sebangau residents, the Bornean orangutan and the Sunda clouded leopard.
The charming orangutan print features mother and baby pair, Gracia and Gara. Gracia is one of Sebangau’s most well-known forest residents and an experienced mother. We have been following her progress since 2005 and in this time, she has raised three babies and become a grandmother! Gara is her third baby. He is now four years old and quite the handful! Bornean orangutans are critically endangered as a result of rampant habitat loss and hunting. Gracia and Gara experienced the effects of habitat loss when part of their home range was burned during the catastrophic forest fires of 2015. Fortunately, they have moved into other areas of forest and are currently doing well.
The striking Sunda clouded leopard print features one of Sebangau National Park’s most elusive residents. We were the first to identify the presence of clouded leopards in the Sebangau National Park peat-swamp forest as a part of our camera trapping project, established in 2008. As seen so vividly in this piece, clouded leopards have unique, cloud-like spots that can be used to identify individual animals, each with a different pattern. Clouded leopards are threatened by hunting, residential and commercial development, agricultural expansion, and logging. These activities are resulting in the loss of their forest home at an alarming rate.
The Sebangau National Park peat-swamp forest is home to the world’s largest, protected orangutan population and provides critical habitat for the Sunda clouded leopard, yet it is under constant threat from forest fires. We are working tirelessly to prevent destructive fires in this area by rewetting the drained peatlands, reforesting burned areas, creating community firefighting teams and establishing sustainable livelihood practices in local villages. By purchasing these limited edition prints, you will help us fund these activities, conserving some of the last remaining tropical rainforests in Borneo.
Prints will be available to order very soon so watch this space!!
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The two iconic Sebangau National Park’s residents, the Bornean orangutan and clouded leopard by Rae Gray.
