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A great feature of Ulu Muda are several areas of high-mineral soil known as saltlicks or locally as siras. Seen here is a herd of elephants picking up
mineral-rich soil with their trunks at the Sira Ayer Hangat hot spring.
and tracks are everywhere. The spoor looked a couple of days
old. The rich soil contains iron, calcium and zinc amongst other
minerals, which helps supplement herbivore diets.
On returning to the boat, we hear the whistling sounds
of a group of nine otters hot on the trail of fi sh, which
the agile mustelids manage to catch more often than not.
Mesmerised, our attention is focused on the otter family, until
our boatman alerts us to elephants. A family of six led by
the matriarch, small calf in tow, negotiates the soft mud. The
matriarch sinks in belly-deep before reaching solid ground.
The calf fl oats on its belly, struggles in the mud, but manages
to reach the river with his mother’s help. Only when the
family group – two adults, two teenagers and two small calves
cross the river does an adolescent male, still dependent on
the herd, follow at a safe distance, presumably upon a signal
from the matriarch.
OF HOT SPRINGS AND MAGICAL NIGHTS
The next day we went upriver about 1,000 m. by boat and
then walked 100 m. to the hot spring Sira Ayer Hangat and
our guide, some 10 m. ahead of us, sees a leopard cat cross
the trail. We missed seeing it. A small glade in the forest
reveals barren ground with steam and smoke rising up. The
smell of sulphur pervades the air as pungent steam hangs
in the air. Elephant dung is everywhere. A small cold-water
stream on the far side of the glade merges with the hot
waters and fl ows conjoined toward the Muda river. Distinctive
three-toed tracks of tapir are imprinted in the softer mud.
Tapirs are shy and only venture out at night. A sheet-metal
and wood hide on steel stilts has been erected some six-
seven metres above ground to one side of the meadow.
The next evening our guide escorts us to the hide at
around six p.m., but as we approach the meadow, we hear
sounds, and not of the light-footed variety. We circle back
and reach the hide from the rear and watch eight elephants
delicately pick up mud with their trunks. After 15 minutes they
move to the opposite side of the meadow, ingest still more
mineralised soil and then vanish like mist. In the tropics, dusk
comes quickly and we turn in soon after dark. Late at night, we
are woken by the sound of splashing water. It’s a tapir cloaked
in darkness. On another night, guests were able to spot the
tapir using night-vision goggles.
At sunrise we see a White-breasted Waterhen foraging for
food around the hot spring, joined shortly after by a female
Red Junglefowl. The wailing sound of the ever-so-secretive
Great Argus can be heard, and the commotion we hear
turns out to be a pair of Oriental Pied Hornbills across the
glade. We also spot a pair of Greater Racket-tailed Drongos
fl itting from tree to tree and several species of bulbuls. A
group of six Bushy-crested Hornbills descend noisily on a
tree, then soon fl y off. Trees and the architecture of the
hide limit side visibility, but through the gaps in the foliage
a large bird can be seen approaching. We heard them every
day since our arrival, but today we actually see a Rhinoceros
Hornbill! Before we know it, it’s time to go and we accompany
our guide, who escorts us back to Earth Lodge. Within two
minutes we encounter a pair of Black Hornbills across the
river from the lodge. As we disembark, a Plain-pouched
Hornbill fl ies high above us towards the lake. Five species
of hornbills in a span of two hours since sunrise! And even
before we reach the lodge we see a Bat Hawk drawing circles
in the sky.