Expedition: New Orang Pendek Discovery

Davies OP

Adam Davies is shown with a 2004 cast of an Orang Pendek track. Courtesy BBC News. Davies has good news from his latest expedition efforts in search of this hidden primate.

Adam Davies has returned from his pursuit of the Sumatran Orang Pendek, having been gone from September 2 through his return today. In conjunction with a History Channel documentary, Davies was there with British photographer Jeremy Holden, who has worked with Debbie Martyr in the past.

Davies just back from the rainforest, forwards his quick update to me:

BBC Orang Pendek

The expedition was a huge success. I picked up an Orang-Pendek trail and we made some excellent prints, all of which the History Channel filmed. I and my chief guide Sahar, also picked up bear and golden cat tracks, and some tiger kills – a deer and a boar skull.

The prints are special in that they will show how the creature moves (e.g. how the hallux [big toe] twists in response to movement and how its weight is distributed whilst walking). The prints collected may also contain dermal ridges! I didn’t clean them in the jungle, as I wished to maintain the evidence. The casts have been left with the History Channel to be analysed scientifically (maybe they’ll ask your friend Jeff Meldrum to be involved?).

I’ve requested for the casts to be returned to me when they are done. I don’t need to tell you that this will be something of a world first, as it is clearly unique evidence. Jeremy reinforces this point to the camera and it is all filmed by the channel on location. The prints are also very similar to the one you’ve got a copy of [from the previous Orang Pendek expedition].

BTW, the earthquakes were a sight to behold. I was on top of Gunung Tujuh when the first one hit – the ground seemed to turn to liquid. All the birds went mad, the lake pitched, and being volcanic, bubbled rather worryingly!

Down in Padang, I saw a few of the collapsed buildings, and learnt that a lot of people had been sleeping in tents outside, afraid of their houses falling on them.

This History Channel documentary will be special. It felt very dramatic at the time [in the field], and I’m sure it will look great when the programme airs.Adam Davies, September 20, 2007.

Malaysia
The following are other photographs from the past explorations to Sumatra by Adam Davies and Andrew Sanderson.

The rather specific Orang Pendek track they have found, photographed, and cast, shows toes at the end of the foot and something out to the side, which may be from another toe, the hallux (which would be typical for a pongid).

Orang Pendek

The Extreme Expeditions pages show the obtaining of the 2004 cast in Sumatra, on their pages 13 through 15. They also show where and how they obtained the 2001 cast (below) here, the original that was on display at Bates College (of which I now have a first-generation copy).

Orang Pendek Cast

Please click on the image for a larger version.

Orang Pendek Cast

Please click on the image for a larger version.