I arrived in Indonesia on January 13th, two days after my 22nd birthday, and have spent the last four months at Cabang Panti Research Station in Gunung Palung National Park. The forests are incredible and I could explore them all day (and some days I do!). I cannot help but acknowledge that I expected there to be a lot more wild spaces and local biodiversity in Borneo than there is outside of the national park. In the small town of Ketapang, where the GPOCP office is located, wildlife is sparse and primarily found in the local city forest and in other protected spaces. Most species have been pushed out of their natural ranges, and even the density of species within the national park is much smaller than it would be if the edges of the park were not so distinct. It starkly points out the importance of protecting the remaining wildlife and forests of Borneo.

An avid bird enthusiast, Tori has an excellent eye and managed to get a beautiful shot of this juvenile Brown Wood Owl (Strix leptogrammica) while out searching for orangutans.

In Gunung Palung National Park, the trees stretch high into the sky and their branches are commonly adorned with hornbills, gliding lizards, and giant squirrels. Lianas drape across the trails and often provide support while crossing rivers and stepping across pneumatophores in the peat swamp. Mushrooms sprout in the most surprising shapes, colors, and formations, and some even make the forest floor glow in the dark. Every day I see something that I have never seen before.