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Four Days in Wild Thailand


Nature Traveler

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Nature Traveler

Just recently we had the very rare privilege of being allowed to travel to and spend some quality time in Thailand's premier wild area, Huai Kha Khaeng National Nature Reserve. Completely closed to the public, Huai Kha Khaeng is home to most of SE Asia's most emblematic species. We've visited before with great success but this time we nailed some very interesting species deep inside the core area of the reserve. Enjoy!

 

http://cokesmithphototravel.com/four-days-in-huai-kha-khaeng.html

 

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You really were privileged, not only to see this place but to get such a marvellous sighting of a melanistic leopard. Black Panther!!! Fantastic! Thanks also for the link to brucekekule.com, most interesting reading, and ... Clouded Leopard! Doublewow!

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Nature Traveler

Yes Bruce is the #1 camera trapper on the planet for sure. The stuff he gets is unreal.

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That was one special trip.........

 

Fantastic sighting of Leopard.

 

Thanks for links.

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kittykat23uk

Awesome trip report! Thanks for sharing!

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Just enjoyed a travel day through your photos and essay. Fantastic!

Thanks for sharing.

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wow! what an awesome trip. thank you for taking us along on your trip, one that we will never make on our own. how richly rewarded you and your family have been for working so hard that you have been able to see the snow leopard and now the black leopard!

 

i'm seriously jealous and very pleased for you, Som and Cokie. your trips are always enjoyable and fascinating. But it's really sad and depressing to hear that the national parks have become a shadow of what it used to be. i hope the military govt will be more wildlife-friendly, but it is a faint hope.

 

would you know how committed the ministry is to supporting the park rangers in Thailand? thank you.

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What a great little trip and how kind of Bruce to take you. Fabulous sightings and I feel so happy that they are still possible here. One day I'll ger the opportunity to visit there properly... I live in hope, but I definitely prefer they keep the place firmly closed.

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Nature Traveler

Yes I suppose I agree. Keeping it closed is the best way to go here in Thailand. In Thailand, the national park mission is to ruin the natural beauty of all of their national parks. Parks are for cheezy tourism and not for the enjoyment of nature. Poaching is still rampant and in many cases actually organized by the park superintendents and other personnel. Tigers have been wiped out in Khang Krachan most likely this way. The Western Forest Complex is a bit better off but things are still out of control there too. When the parks are open to Thai tourists, they are for karaoke and drinking all night - they are simply awful places on the weekend. And the wildlife often does not return until the following Wednesday or so. Seriously - this is how we plan our visits - no point on the weekend and usually not before a Tuesday. I'm not sure where the new government stands on conservation. They have been definitely going after illegal timber operations all over the country but time will tell how much is done to protect what little is left here. But we sure do feel lucky to have had this opportunity!

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Thanks so much. That is amazing. I love Thailand and I had no idea that so much of that wildlife still existed there. Great photos.

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A melanistic leopard...now that is something pretty incredible! And excellent day-time photos of it too!

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Fascinating report. Thank you. I always appreciate learning about lthe wildlife in less well-known areas of the world. To show my ignorance, I had no idea that back leopards still showed their traditional markings, however obscured. One of your photos really captured that. I will have to put Bruce's two books on my want list.

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