Under threat

I've always believed that any appendage to a wild animal is almost certainly a death sentence to it, as in an elephant and its tusks, a rhino and its horn or a deer and its antlers.

When I took the picture of this rhino hornbill at the Lok Kawi zoo, I recalled what a friend told me. Apparently some people believe that the eye catching horn on this bird has "medicinal" properties.

It is supposed to be a cure all for everything from asthma to stomach ailments. With such a perverse belief, it will be no wonder if this creature could eventually face the same predicament as its four-legged namesake. Wildlife experts reckon there are no more than 50 Sumatran rhinos left in the wilds of Borneo.  

Nature nearby

It is said that Borneo like other tropical regions contains the highest biodiversity, meaning as I understand it, it has the largest variety of plants and creatures.

My house is in the middle of a housing estate in Kota Kinabalu is a little testament to this. Little creatures do drop by at the yard attracted by the plants that we have there.

So I've learnt to keep my camera nearby to "capture" them. And it has made me realise that nature photography requires much much patience. Afterall, a toad or a butterfly will not wait around for anyone to set up that "Kodak moment."

Here are some of the creatures that have appeared in my yard.