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Klong Yar Substation, Klong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary

I have made several shortish trips in Thailand in June 2003 (4 nights), January 2004 (1 week), September 2004 (1 week), September 2006 (a weekend during a work trip), November 2007 (again for a weekend) and August 2008 (4 nights). While not up there with the likes of Borneo in the S.E Asian mammal watching stakes, there is a decent network of national parks (though many are very crowded), with some nice mammals to see. The food is spectacular and the Thai people are great, unless you want to watch wildlife – staying quiet for more than 10 seconds is not a national strength.

See also the Thailand 2004 trip report , the Thailand 2007 trip report, a report of a weekend in Khao Yai National Park in September 06 and a report on 4 days in Hala Bala in August 2008.

Wild Bird Eco is the nature tour operator I used on my first trips. One of their guides, Rattapon Kaichid, aka "Tu", now has his own company - check out his website www.naturefocusthailand.com . Tu is a fabulous all round naturalist and knows a lot about Thailand's mammals and is great at finding them plus he is a really nice guy. I highly recommend him.

Bangkok, January 2004 – There’s a large colony of Lyle’s Flying Foxes at the Wat Pho temple on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Hala Bala National Park, September 2004 and August 2008 – Black-striped Squirrel, Slender Squirrel, Red Giant Flying Squirrel, Polynesian Rat, Black Rat, Lesser False Vampire Bat, Malayan Horseshoe Bat, Bicolored Roundleaf Bat, Dusky Leaf Monkey, Agile Gibbon (heard), Siamang (heard only and seldom seen by anyone). See the Thailand 2004 trip report . I returned in August 2008 and saw most of those species again plus Agile Gibbon, Banded Langur, Masked and Common Palm Civet, Binturong, Long-tailed Macaque, Malayan Porcupine, Slow Loris, Black and Cream-coloured Giant Squirrel, Horse-tailed Squirrel, Low's Squirrel and we trapped some bats including Horsfield's Fruit Bat, Naked Bat, and Sunda Free-tailed Bat (Mops mops). A great place, if the rain stops. See the 2008 report.

Naked Bats in mist net, Hala Bala

Hui Kha Kaeng, January 2004 and November 2007 – This park was a major disappointment first time around. I had to apply for a permit to visit the park, but – when I arrived – they had decided to close the main road through the park to traffic. The (reputedly healthy populations of) cats, bears etc are deep inside the park. The official line was that no vehicles were allowed because of the dangers posed by wild Elephants. We were however allowed to walk along the road. Go figure. Burmese Hare, Pallas’s Squirrel, Asian Palm Civet, Indian Muntjac, Sambar. I returned in 2007 and, through Tu's connections, had a better time and saw a Banteng, Elephants, Golden Jackals, Dholes, White-bellied (Temminck's) Flying Squirrels, Variable Squirrels, a Burmese Striped Tree Squirrel, Grey-bellied Squirrels, Long-tailed Macaques and a Northern Tree Shrew as well as most of the species I had seen there in 2004. See the Thailand 2007 trip report.

Khao Kapruk Wildlife Sanctuary, January 2004 – Burmese Hare, Stump-tailed Macaque (common and hard to see elsewhere in the country).

Khao Sok National Park, January 2004 & September 2004 – Grey-bellied Squirrel, Himalayan Striped Tree Squirrel, Indochinese Ground Squirrel, Whitehead’s Spiny Rat (trapped), Asian Palm Civet, Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat, Black-beared Tomb Bat, Intermediate Horseshoe Bat, Intermediate Roundleaf Bat (all in the bat cave that adjoins the Buddhist temple in the village), Dusky Leaf Monkey, White-handed Gibbon, Pygmy Tree Shrew. See the Thailand 2004 trip report.

Khao Yai National Park, June 2003, January 2004 and September 2006 – Black Giant Squirrel, Grey-bellied Squirrel, Finlayson’s Squirrel, Red-cheeked Flying Squirrel (outside my cabin at the nature lodge), Small Indian Civet, Dhole (pretty uncommon here - in the grasslands near the viewing hide), Black-bearded Tomb Bat, Theobald’s Tomb Bat, Wrinkle-lipped Freetail Bat, Long-tailed Macaque, Northern Pig-tailed Macaque, White-handed Gibbon, Pileated Gibbon (rare but findable), Wild Boar, Sambar, Barking Deer, Common Palm Civet, Malayan Porcupine, and Yellow-throated Martens (which at that time were guaranteed near the sentry point). See the September 06 trip report.

Klong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary, September 2004 – what a fabulous place! Leopard Cat, Smooth-coated Otter, Yellow-throated Marten, Large Flying Fox, Sunda Slow Loris, Dusky Leaf Monkey, Long-tailed Macaque, White-handed Gibbon, Lesser Mouse Deer, Indian Muntjac, Sambar. See the Thailand 2004 trip report .

Mae Wong National Park, January 2004 – a nice park and pretty quiet too, with a long road that leads right down to the base of the mountain and is good for spotlighting. Asian Red-cheeked Squirrel, Pallas’s Squirrel, Himalayan Striped Tree Squirrel, Bowers’ White-toothed Rat (huge!), Chestnut White-bellied Rat, Malayan Porcupine, Yellow-throated Marten, Temminck’s Tailless Fruit Bat, Bengal Slow Loris, Northern Tree Shrew. I returned for a night in November 2007 and saw another Slow Loris, my first Binturong, a Common Palm Civet and a couple of small flying squirrels one of which was probably a White-bellied (Temminck's) Flying Squirrel. See the Thailand 2007 trip report. The temple at nearby Khao No is good for bats.

Pang Sida National Park, June 2003 – quieter than Khao Yai with some good mammals, especially Gaur, Grey-bellied Squirrel, Finlayson’s Squirrel, Temminck’s Flying Squirrel (in the trees behind the restaurant), Malayan Porcupine (again behind the restaurant), Large Indian Civet, Asian Palm Civet, Leopard Cat, Lesser Dawn Bat, Wrinkle-lipped Freetail Bat, Bengal Slow Loris, Long-tailed Macaque, Indian Muntjac, Gaur.

Saekerat Research Centre, January 2004 – Finlayson’s Squirrel, Indochinese Ground Squirrel, trapped a Red Spiny Rat (Maxomys surifer).

Sai Yok National Park, January 2004  - some great bats in the caves here. Grey-bellied Squirrel, Indochinese Ground Squirrel, Large Indian Civet, Bumble Bee Bat ( only known from here), Least Horseshoe Bat, Great Roundleaf Bat.

My more Detailed Trip Reports
Thailand (Hala Bala) 2008: 4 nights and 21 species including Agile Gibbons, Small-clawed Otters and Naked Bats.

Thailand (Hui Kha Kaeng & Mae Wong) 2007: 4 nights and 21 species including a Banteng and a Binturong.

Thailand (Khao Yai) 2006: 1 night and a Pileated Gibbon.

Thailand (The South), 2004: 1 week and 30 mammals .

Other People's Trip Reports
Thailand, 2006: Richard Webb, 1 week and 22 mammals

Nepal and Thailand, 2000: Steve Anyon-Smith, 2 weeks & 19 mammals.

Thailand, 1998: Steve Anyon-Smith, 2 weeks & 27 mammals.

Thailand, 1998: Susan Myers, 3 weeks & 21 mammals.