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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), August 2008 (4 nights) and October 2010 (3 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 and with help it can be very rewarding. 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 2006, and reports on 4 day trips to Hala Bala in August 2008 and October 2010.

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, 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, August 2008 & October 2010 – is rapidly becoming one of my favourite parks in Asia.  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). See the 2008 report. In October 2010 I went back to catch bats in their new harp trap and look (successfully) for Hairy-nosed Otters. In the harp trap were Clear-Winged & Least Wooly Bats, Acuminate & Trefoil Horseshoe Bats, plus Intermediate, Diadem & Bicoloured Roundleaf Bats. We didn't look a lot for other mammals but saw a few species I had seen here before plus Small-toothed Palm Civets and a Leopard Cat. See the 2010 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 that 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, and 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) 2010: 4 nights & 15 species Hairy-Nosed Otters and Clear-winged Wooly Bats.

Thailand (Hala Bala) 2008: 4 nights & 21 species including Agile Gibbons, Small-clawed Otters and Naked Bats.

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

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

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

Other People's Trip Reports
Southern Thailand & Laos, 2012: Hugh Buck, 1 week in Thailand and 11 mammals including a Leopard.

Thailand (Tenasserim), 2011: Coke Smith, 31 species including Tenasserim Langurs, Fea's Muntjac and a Golden Cat.

South East Asia, 2010: Matt and Maureen Steer, 8 weeks & 31 species including Hairy-nosed Otters, Gaur and Pangolin (Thailand), Short-clawed Otters (Malaysia) and Smooth-coated Otters (Singapore).

Thailand and Cambodia, 2010: Stefan Lithner, 3 weeks & 39 species including Eld's Deer, Asiatic Black Bear and Irrawaddy Dolphin.

Thailand, 2010: Richard Webb, 1 week & 23 species including an Asiatic Black Bear, Phayre's Langurs, Pileated Gibbons, a Tiger (heard) and a Masked Palm Civet.

Central and Northern Thailand, 2009: Birding2Asia, 2 weeks & 19 mammals.

Thailand, December 2008: Coke Smith, 2 weeks & 17 species including a Southern Serow. See more photos and the report on his site too.

Thailand and Borneo, 2008: Coke Smith, 2 weeks & 34 species in Thailand including Banteng, a Pangolin and a Clouded Leopard. See more photos and the report on his site too.

Thailand, 2006: Richard Webb, 1 week & 22 mammals.

Thailand, 2001: Steve Anyon-Smith, 1 month & 30 mammals including a Banded Linsang.

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

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

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