Archive

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands All around is blue. There’s water above, there’s water either side, and there’s water ahead. Like a fish out of water, I’m surrounded by ocean. Sharks glide past on one side and then a large turtle appears, swimming overhead. Schools of fish dart around and a stingray patrols the sandy ...

An Indonesian Klotok Proboscis monkeys sit in the trees, high above us, and look down nonchalantly. They’re probably wondering what is this strange contraption floating along the river beneath them. It’s not an unusual sight – dozens would pass the monkeys every day – but it does have a strange noise. It’s not like the ...

Tokyo cat cafe Humans seem to have always needed the comfort of animal companionship. That warm furry body lying next to you on the couch; the smiling innocent face at the door when you get home; the non-judgemental excitement of play. So it’s often hard for people who are forbidden from having pets their whole ...

Komodo Island, Indonesia Some people will tell you, sincerely, that the movie King Kong was inspired by an expedition to Komodo Island. Others will tell you, with as much conviction, that the island was the basis for Jurassic Park. Neither is necessarily wrong, neither is necessarily right. Regardless, stepping off the boat, walking down the ...

Komodo National Park, Indonesia Maen still has nightmares about that morning. About those few minutes in which he almost died. About the time he was attacked by a man-eating reptile and had to fight it off to save his life. “I don’t like to tell more my story because when I tell again, when I’m ...

Seeing the orangutans at Tanjung Puting In the middle of the jungle of Borneo, the paradox hit me. Surrounded by the rustling of the animals, hours from civilisation, it all became clear. The very thing that is threatening the wildlife population here is the same thing that could save it – human intervention. “You need ...

Orangutans in Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia For the first seven or eight years of his life, Fred Galdikas had a best friend called Apollo Bob. Like most friends at that age, they would play together outside. And like most children at that age, their differences seemed immaterial. Kids have an ability to look beyond race, religion, ...

Argentina’s gauchos I heard the cheering before I saw its origin. It was strange to hear such a loud noise – or any noise for that matter – after so many hours walking in the mountains around El Chalten. There had been a serenity in the forests. At the trek’s zenith, I had reached an ...

Peninsula Valdes, Patagonia, Argentina Baby seals frolic in the surf where the small waves meet the sand. A rocky outcrop at one point on the shoreline creates natural pools where they play in groups. Small, black and shimmering in the sunlight, the pups look like they’re in a nursery. Nearby their mothers keep a watchful ...

Punta Tombo, Patagonia Why is it so hot? I thought penguins were supposed to live in the cold, on snow, surrounded by icebergs. Instead they’re standing in the dunes, far from the water, in direct sunlight on a 40 degree day. They’re panting in the heat. So am I. This is not what I expected ...