We’re in Komodo at the moment exploring, snorkelling and diving. The surrounding islands are a combination of grassland with patches of acacia scrub with more extensive woodland in places where the local Timor Deer are, contrary to some opinion, native residents. Today we were watching a deer swim across an impossibly strong current. It was probably one of the best things we saw all trip, despite the amazing Manta Ray and Komodo Dragon encounters.
The deer appeared in the late afternoon as we were anchored offshore. We could see it walking south along the beach at Gili Lawa Laut. When it continued to stumble across the nearshore rocks we suddenly realised it was going to attempt the seemingly impossible.
Shotgun
That morning we had snorkelled and dived this narrow passage between two islands. The passage is called ‘shotgun’ for a reason. Swimmers are sucked in one end and shot out of the other like a canyon. Here the currents are very strong and there is nothing we can do to swim against them. Beneath a raging sea, they scour the seafloor to bare rock. Nothing but the most agile fish like mobula rays can make it against the flow. Barrelling Jackfish twenty metres below the surface are further testament to the high energyEnergy and nutrients are the same thing. Plants capture energy from the Sun and store it in chemicals, via the process of photosynthesis. The excess greenery and waste that plants create, contain chemicals that animals can eat, in order to build their own bodies and reproduce. When a chemical is used this way, we call it a nutrient. As we More environment.
Nonetheless, this deer stumbled into the shallows, head held high. Then it plotted a course across the strait, a distance of about 600m. We watched nervously from afar through binoculars and telescope. We were convinced it was going to be swept out to sea.
An ambitious attempt
At first it didn’t look like it would succeed. Its head and antlers were momentarily turned east as it entered the rip, surrounded by standing waves and white water. Its hooved feet seemed ill-adapted to such an expeditious attempt. Soon, however, it was back on course and as deftly as it might leap rocks in the surrounding hills, it seemed to stroll the last hundred metres before climbing onto the sand on Gili Lawa Darat. Whereupon it shook itself dry and lifted a small bush onto its antlers and began rutting. Perhaps it was just as impressed with its own achievement as we were as onlookers!
What drove it to make this ambitious crossing, who knows. Maybe it was seeking fresh pasture or the company of lady deer? But against all odds (we thought) it made it across quite easily.
Timor Deer
These deer are renowned for their agility and ability to swim. We constantly underestimate animals, their adaptability and, therefore, the role they play in shaping world. Not only have these deer modified these hillsides and vegetation for thousands of years, they are truly remarkable survivors.
Komodo is desolate. The hillsides are rugged, dry and barren through much of the year. The harsh climate is even more so during the dry season. There are few waterholes and much of the deers’ water needs come from the food they eat. Then there are dragons waiting – not on these outer islands, but no doubt this deer will easily reach Komodo Island at some point. From Gili Lawa Darat its merely a hop and a skip (and a brief swim) to get there.
I love watching animals toil away in the daily grind doing things that seem impossible. It makes me realise how much we take for granted. We think humanity is all powerful but here, beyond the limits of our imagination, suburbs and cities, are deer that can swim across wild waters. They were doing it long before we were here. It’s such a privilege to see these moments as they offer a window into a extraordinary resilienceReferring to an ecosystem’s ability to maintain a steady stable-state. The need to build resilience is entirely anthropocentric and symptomatic of ecosystems that are damaged or declining, leading to loss of ecosystem services on which humans depend. More of wild animals that we tend to ignore most of the time.
Read more about our Komodo trips here.
