New Mammal Discovered in Forests of Borneo

Posted on December 5, 2005

The BBC is reporting that rare discovery of a new animal in the central forests of Borneo. BBC says the discovery was made by a conservation group.

The WWF says there is an urgent need to conserve forests in south-east Asia which are under pressure from logging and the palm oil trade.
The creature, believed to be carnivorous, was spotted in the Kayan Mentarang National Park, which lies in Indonesian territory on Borneo.
The team which discovered it, led by biologist Stephan Wulffraat, is publishing full details in a new book on Borneo and its wildlife.
"You don't find new mammals that often, and to do so must be extraordinary," said Callum Rankine, head of the species programme at WWF-UK.

The new creature was found with a camera trap that took photographs of the animal as it crossed over an infra-red beam. The sad part of the discovery is that it may have been because this part of the forest is threatened by man's expansion. The WWF is concerned that unknown species may go extinct before being discovered. Their concern appears to warranted. Will the new creature be named after biologist's Stephan Wulffraat? That remains to be seen.

ANIMALS
BORNEO