Dispatches From The Field

14 July, 2003 -- Po-Hon Liu (Boris)

Packing up my standard field equipment-digital camera and binoculars, I am ready for our routine forest hikes, including transect censuses and trap checks. It was seven o’clock in the morning. Martel (University of Antananarivo), me and two Earth Watch teammates-Catherine and Michael, were leaving for the JBA (Jardon Botenique A-one of our research sites) of Ankarafantsika National Park.

There is no sign of new activity until we almost get to our 8th trap. In about 20 feet before the trap, Martel suddenly rises up his right hand (it means “Hold”) and we know that there is something going on up ahead. He turned around and told us there is a fossa inside the trap! Immediately, everybody retreats 50 feet backward to avoid disturbing the fossa. Martel silently approaches to identify any features from fossa; meanwhile, I am setting up my camera to the best shooting condition.

Martel comes back to us after he has identified “Jenny”-our first-caught, juvenile female fossa. She just returned for another “free meal”. Martel indicates the direction he is going to flush her in and I choose the best location for getting a picture of her as she hightails it away from us.

Desire for a great shot temporarily countermanding my common sense, I situate myself directly in her suspected line of flight. Sensing us nearby and closing around herm, she twists her head and looks around for a while; then she starts to run. She speeds up quickly and runs toward my direction. It is only 10 meters between me and where she started running. Without losing any decisive moments, I keep pushing hard my shutter release which has already been set in continuous shooting mode, as if pushing harder will make the frames advance faster. Jenny jumps up into the air while the distance between us is only 2 meters or less. Suddenly, she switches the direction in the air, touches down to the ground on my right hand side and disappears in the forest just in one second. Expectedly, I fell down to the ground, diving out of her way. My pulse still hasn’t slowed down!

Checking all those pictures I’ve taken, there is still a syndrome of the breath-taking moment. The best picture is out of focus because Jenny was “too close” to fall into the camera’s focusing range. However, it does not bother me too much. This summer is definitely full of adventure to me. I expect more things happening to me before I end up my unforgettable journal in Madagascar.