Tag Archives: Chile

My year 2015

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2015 was the International Snow Leopard Year and we tried out best to promote the cat and the book.

2015 was the International Snow Leopard Year and we tried our best to promote the cat and the book.

2015 was a great year with many adventures in many countries, including Brazil, Chile, Croatia, United Kingdom and The Netherlands. I did field work, writing, lecturing and a lot more. Many species are going to go extinct soon and it is time that we start thinking of how to save our planet. My work primarily revolved around this issue. Here is an attempt to round up the year of 2015.

We (myself and Jan Fleischmann) released the snow leopard book in Swedish in October of 2014.  At the same time, 2015 was named the International Snow Leopard Year by the Bishkek Declaration, with the idea of bringing extra attention to the needs of this cat. We spent a large part of 2015 promoting the cat and the book. I appeared on Sweden’s national television programme “En bok, en författare”, talking about snow leopards. We held several lectures about snow leopards across the country and also had two photo exhibitions, in Rovdjurscentret De 5 Stora and Naturum Värmland. It was also great seeing the snow leopard book so well received with many positive reviews appearing throughout the year.

Looking at how much moose forage on trees in April, May and June.

I investigated how much moose forage on trees in April, May and June.

The big field season commenced on 30 March and I did field work with moose for nearly three months. This work spanned most of Sweden, from Halland in the south to Västerbotten in the north. I saw roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), moose (Alces alces), capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), black grouse (Tetrao tetrix), wild boar (Sus scrofa), European viper (Vipera berus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), brown bear (Ursus arctos) and much more. It was a very cold census with temperatures between 3-7 degrees Celsius in May. I had one field day in the coldest place in Sweden, Börtnan, although by then it was already warmer. Working near Sweden’s alpine mountains (Skanderna), I climbed one of them late one night in June. Going up on an alpine mountain always give me such a feeling of freedom.

In between field work I went to London in the United Kingdom with my snow leopard co-author Jan. We attended the London Book Fair to discuss international publication of the snow leopard book. It was nice being back in London since I had not been there since 2009. Just as the last time I went there, I did not have much time exploring the city, though.

The medieval wall of Visby is for the most part intact.

The medieval wall of Visby is for the most part intact.

Following this intense period of field work I had two days off and then headed to Sweden’s largest island, Gotland. I was there to study rhetoric for two weeks. The main (and only) city in Gotland, Visby, is an ancient city with a medieval wall that was starting to be constructed more than 900 years ago. It is still surprisingly intact and the inner city is a UNESCO World Heritage.

Coming home from Gotland I had six days off until the next trip. This time I flew to Croatia to attend the symposium Animal Populations – World Resources and Animal Welfare by UFAW. It was well organized, highly interesting and I can recommend anyone going to this symposium.

Visiting my friends' animal shelter in western Croatia I befriended many of their dogs. Luna (pictured) is one of the most amazing dogs that I have met.

Visiting my friends’ animal shelter in western Croatia I befriended many of their dogs. Luna (pictured) is one of the loveliest dogs that I have met.

After the symposium was over I went to Istria in western Croatia to visit my friend Mae who runs a shelter for homeless animals. The situation for animals is not good in Croatia and Mae, together with her husband Benny, help save dogs and cats on a daily basis with very limited resources. All in all, Croatia is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly. I hope that I can return there.

As a treat I had scheduled a full day in Amsterdam in The Netherlands on the way home. I spent the day strolling the various canals of the city and trying out a good vegetarian restaurant with international theme. Amsterdam is a beautiful city, although I was a bit tired from all the long travels.

Rio de Janeiro is a spectarular city. In the background is Ipanema beach, which is around the corner to Copacobana.

Vania showed me around in Rio de Janeiro, which is a spectacular city.

Coming home by the end of July I had been out almost contiuously for nearly four months. I was in dire need of doing nothing for a while and it was good to disconnect. I lead a group of nature students doing an otter census in Värmland in September. This census, which we have done annually since 2002, is a nice treat. Me and Jan Fleischmann also participated in the Gothenburg Book Fair which is the largest in Sweden, holding several talks there. Meanwhile, I was preparing for the next expedition: South America.

I arrived in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on 7 October. It is a beautiful city with high hills and a big nature reserve inside the actual city. The beaches are internationally famous (Ipanema and Copacabana) and the Jesus statue is another symbol of the city which is widely recognized. I enjoyed Rio a lot and together with newfound friends attended the first vegan fair of the city, out by the beach in Niteroi. There were a lot of good things to try there there. I only wish I had been hungrier.

The jaguar is one of the most amzing animals in the world.

The jaguar is one of the most amazing animals in the world.

Next up was the Pantanal – the world’s biggest floodland – where I stayed for several weeks. I visited a jaguar project there and met several interesting people. I also saw jaguar, ocelot and puma in the wild. In between visits to the Pantanal I also visited a jaguar conservation project in north-eastern Brazil, run by Claudia Campos and her team. She was kind enough to show me the whole area for almost a week, which was really interesting and a very  nice experience. The people living in this region are among the poorest in Brazil but also some of the nicest people that I have ever met. You can read the full story on my Brazil experience here.

Towers of the Paine, along with lake Nordenskjöld, in Torres del Paine National Park.

Towers of the Paine, along with lake Nordenskjöld, in Torres del Paine National Park.

Onwards from Brazil I traveled to Santiago in Chile. I met with my friends Patricia, Christian and Sandra who work in Chile. Santiago is a busy city and the amazing Andes are visible just beyond the cityscape. Me and Sandra soon flew down to Punta Arenas in southernmost Chile. Sandra would start working with whales there a week after. Punta Arenas is the furthest south that I have ever been in the world and it was really a nice experience. One day I went to the Torres del Paine national park. Although the guide I had with me was a bit peculiar, the trip offered beautiful sights of the grand landscape. The park should definitely be experienced by foot, though, and not by minibus with a few stops here and there.

As a finale to the trip, I went back up to Santiago and together with Patricia, Christian and their friend Filip trekked up on some very nice peaks in the Andes just outside of Santiago. Feeling the fresh air and seeing the larger mountains further away was a very nice feeling. As always, being on top of a mountain is a special feeling. Read the full story on Chile here.

Hiking up to the peak of La Carpa in the Andes by the end of November.

Hiking up to the peak of La Carpa in the Andes by the end of November.

After a 32 hour journey from Santiago, I arrived home in Uppsala on 4 December. Mostly preparing for future projects in the remainder of December, the year came to a perfect close after a year that was filled with adventures, breathtaking animals and amazing people.

Thank you for making 2015 such an awesome year!

Expedition South America – Part 2 – Chile

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Approaching the Andes from Brazil.

Approaching the Andes from Brazil.

Through the window of the airplane I see hills approaching as I fly westwards. The hills soon turn into mountains and at one point I think that I am seeing whitish clouds far off in the distance. They are at the same altitude as the airplane I am traveling in. As we approach them further it turns out that they are not clouds. It is the snow-clad peaks of the Andes!

Chile, on the South American west coast, is perhaps the slimmest country in the world. In most places it is only 100 or 200 kilometers from one end to another, east-west. A large part of the country is also made up of the Andes.

I arrive in Santiago on 9 November for part two of the South America expedition. While part one was dedicated to search for and learn about jaguars, part two will be dedicated to Chile and mountains.

From mid November, Sandra works with whale tourism in southernmost Chile.

A cetacean expert in the making, Sandra specializes on these large mammals in the oceans.

The day after, I am kindly shown around the Museum of Natural History in Santiago. The museum has several colocolos (Leopardus colocolo) and kodkods (Leopardus guigna) – two species of cat native to Chile. The kodkod, which is also known as güiña, is the smallest cat of the Americas. The museum also has puma (Puma concolor).

The visit to Santiago is brief as I on 11 November fly to Punta Arenas in southernmost Chile. I fly together with Sandra, who will start working with whales there in a few days. To give you an idea of how far south Punta Arenas is, bear in mind that the city of is located at 54 degrees South. Mainland Antarctica starts at 64 degrees South. Punta Arenas is one of the southernmost cities in the world (in South America only the Argentinian city of Ushuaia is further south).

The crazy cat mob - a Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) and a colocolo (Leopardus colocolo) at a museum in Punta Arenas.

A Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) and a colocolo (Leopardus colocolo) at a museum in Punta Arenas. The art of stuffing animals has progressed slightly over the past century (also please notice the faulty names on the signs).

The climate in Punta Arenas is rainy, windy and chilly, even though it is approaching summer. It is around 8-11 degrees Celsius in daytime and the temperature drops to 0-3 at night. The weather also shifts quickly. People I meet say that it is colder than usual due to a strong El Niño phenomenon this year. The climate reminds me of Sweden in many ways which is a nice contrast to the high temperatures that I experienced in Brazil.

We spend the next few days exploring the city of Punta Arenas. The people living in the city are very friendly and helpful. Hitchhiking is no problem, as usually no more than one or two cars pass by before you are offered a ride.

Large parts of Parque Nacional de Magellanes is covered in forests.

Large parts of Parque Nacional de Magellanes are covered in forests.

On 15 November we go to Parque Nacional de Magellanes which is a nature reserve just west of the city. The environment there is great and I am amazed to learn that there are pumas living inside the reserve. It is only 70 kilometers from the southern tip of mainland South America. The view from the reserve is outstanding as we see the whole city of Punta Arenas and the Strait of Magellan from there. Many famous explorers have sailed past this strait, including Charles Darwin and Ferdinand Magellan.

The house in which we are staying has been used as storage space for quite some time. After spending a few days cleaning it, it turns out to be a quite cozy place. It is situated just by the Strait of Magellan.

The red dots in Chile are Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine, while the places I have visited in South Africa are Kimberley and Port Elisabeth.

The red dots in Chile are Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine, while the places I have visited in South Africa are Kimberley and Port Elisabeth.

Visiting the Museo Naval y Martimo, which is essentially a naval war museum, reminds me that this is as far south that I have ever been in the world. Punta Arenas is only 1 350 kilometers from mainland Antarctica. As a child I used to dream of going to Antarctica. It is the last wilderness in the world. Antarctica is not an island, like one might think, but a continent of its own. It is nearly the same size as Russia. Imagine how vast this place is, and with almost not a single human. And it is not only ice and snow, but there are vast mountains underneath, which pierce through the lonely vistas in some places.

This search for true wilderness is something that comes from deep inside me, as we have colonized almost the entire world and changed its environments. I am sure that setting foot on this continent would spark a bit of hope, in that we can maybe not conquer everything.

But, oh well, seeing the last great wilderness will have to come another time for me.

This southern region of Chile is perhaps most famous for its Torres del Paine national park. Torres del Paine has been voted the 8th wonder of the world on a website after five million votes. Thinking that I would not want to miss this opportunity, I go to have a look one day.

Towers of the Paine, along with lake Nordenskjöld, in Torres del Paine National Park.

The Towers of the Paine, along with lake Nordenskjöld, in Torres del Paine National Park.

Torres del Paine is spectacular. The landscape is really beautiful and there are both high peaks, rivers with waterfalls and glaciers in the park. It is a very picturesque area. I highly recommend seeing it by foot, hiking on one (or more) of its trails, as going on a tourist bus as I did sorely spoils the experience. In fact, I would go so far as to say that is like putting ketchup on an excellent truffle.

My days in Punta Arenas are winding up and I fly back to Santiago on 28 November, where I will spend the last few days of my expedition.

Together with my friends Patricia, Christian and their friend Filip, I climb the peak of La Carpa just east of Santiago, in the Andes. The weather is on our side and the whole day is sunny. The 2 700 meter peak has a great view and I can see the entire city of Santiago to the west, and many higher peaks in the Andes to the east.

I have one last day to relax in Santiago before embarking on a 33 hour journey home. The flight goes from Santiago to Saõ Paulo, onward to London and finally Stockholm. Seeing Stockholm from air is joyful.

The peak of La Carpa after 3-4 hours of hiking.

The peak of La Carpa after 3-4 hours of hiking.

These eight weeks in these two vast countries have been highlighted by sightings of puma, ocelot, jaguars, caimans, anteaters, monkeys, tapir, march deer, high mountains, warm deserts, humid forests, wet rivers, all between freezing temperatures and 42 degrees Celsius, and, of course, amazing people!

This marks the end of Expedition South America 2015. It is time to finally come home and rest. But you never know what the future will bring…