BEST PHOTO TAKEN: White-lipped frog (Hylarana raniceps) — Photo by Philip Chen
FROGS – the mention of them conjures up a picture of slimy ugly creatures whose croaking keeps me awake during moonless nights.
My curiosity was aroused by the publicity on the 2013 Bornean Frog Race organised by the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation of Unimas and the Sarawak Forestry Corporation at Kubah National Park on April 27, in celebration of Save the Frogs Day. So I signed up not knowing much about frogs nor photographing them, and was well-rewarded for my effort.
After an informative talk by Professor Indraneil Das from Unimas, watching slides of beautiful frogs of all colours and hues, and a BBC documentary film, as well as learning about the diversity and intriguing aspects of their behaviour, 75 participants set out in the dark along the trail to the Frog Pond.
STERN LOOK: Bornean horned frog (Megophrys nasuta) — Photo by Methos Pang.
I shone my torch round but saw only plants and leaves. Luckily for me, other sharp-eyed participants found the frogs which I would never have spotted by myself. Some of them were tiny and well-hidden among the plants, others were camouflaged and looked like the leaves around them, but they gave themselves away with an occasional croak.
They seemed to have learnt modelling as they remained motionless when our torchlights and cameras zoomed in on them, making them easy to photograph. Perhaps they were ‘playing dead’ and hoped we would leave them alone.
I tried to put into practise some of the new skills we just learnt from Hans Hazebroek and Ch’ien Lee during their session on frog photography, and put the camera lens at the level of the frogs, which proved to require acrobatic skills as the frogs were either in a ditch or on a tree.
Within the two-hour time limit that we were given, I photographed as many frogs as I could and then ran back to the park headquarters just before closing time – late-comers would be disqualified. We then tried to identify them from the charts provided, which was easier said than done as many of them looked similar.
When time was up, I handed in my memory card of photos and list of the six different species that I found, which were uploaded onto a computer by one of the volunteers with impressive speed.
We listened to another interesting talk by Dr Ulmar Grafe from Universiti Brunei Darussalam while the judges pored over our photos and lists. We had seen the beautiful golden frog from Panama, which wave to each other with their front legs earlier in the documentary film.
RARE FIND: Nyctixalus pictus is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species. — Photo by Muhammad Fadzil Amram
This time we saw videos of a species of frogs found in Brunei, which wave to each other with their hind legs, and recordings of them communicating by ultrasound. I wished the frogs in my garden pond would do that, I would sleep much better.
Then the moment came for which we had been waiting: announcement of the prize winners. I had to take my hat off to Muhammad Fadzil Amram who not only found 13 of the 58 species living in Kubah National Park in the two short hours, he found the rarest species of that night – Nyctixalus pictus.
YOUNGEST PARTICIPANT: Azman helps to raise awareness.
Judging from the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as the prize-winning photos were shown on the screen, I think the participants agreed with the judges on who the winners of the photography contest should be.
The 10 photos which received an honourable mention were also almost as stunning.
There were two special prizes, one for the youngest participant – six-year-old Azman Mohammad Zulfikar and the other, which I walked away with, was for the most enthusiastic participant. There were many others just as enthusiastic but it was probably awarded to the one with the most grey hair.
Next year I will get in some practice on my garden frogs beforehand and give a shot at winning one of the other prizes but I know that competition will be stiff.
No matter, as I will once again have a most enjoyable and enriching experience.
I look at frogs with a different eye now, and will desist from eating frog’s leg porridge. They are no longer just a noisy nuisance.
Frogs are important in keeping the insect population in check while serving as an important food source for their predators – a key cog in the ecosystem.
They reflect the health of the environment we live in and their survival will ensure ours.
Although they seem to be everywhere, their numbers can easily be decimated as they are affected by destruction of habitat and environmental pollution, over-harvested in some areas for food and the pet trade, and succumb to infectious diseases. A third of the species is now under threat of extinction.
Kudos to the Frog Race organising committee and the volunteers for the excellent and efficient organisation of the race.