A lot of people ask me questions about my encounters with wildlife, about the adventures and dangers. On this trip I’ve blogged about this a lot. But traveling abroad and working in the jungle, the creatures that cause us the most problems aren’t the big, beautiful animals—it’s the microscopic ones you don’t see that really get you.

A few days back, I woke up with “Delhi belly”, throwing up at 2 AM, stomach pains, legs and arms aching, fever. Luckily, this scourge coincided with three days of intense, thundering downpours, so we were only able to work part of each day—and I could rest up and hope to get better.

The next day, Gabe woke up in the middle of the night shivering uncontrollably, so cold that he put on a hat, gloves, layered himself in blankets. Even so, he couldn’t stop shaking for an hour. 102 fever.

We have no idea what we have.

Gabe in bed with fleece, hat and 2 pairs of gloves. It is hot tropical climate but he has the chills—bad. He has been up with fever and chills for 2 nights.

Photograph by Steve Winter

Up at 4 AM, into the park by 5:00. The cloudy, wet weather has persisted long beyond what is normal: a climatologist told us that this is the rainiest it’s been this time of year in a century. Today, an anemic sun barely broke through the haze and mist as we drove into the park. So we decided to go to check a trap we’d on a small island in the middle of a beel—a spot where otters sometimes pull out to eat a fish meal.

As we approached we saw that an animal had hit the trap—and had bent a ¾ inch bolt. When we checked the camera we found that a drooling water buffalo had come to investigate the alien box. So had an elephant, making good and unusual pictures. We repaired the damage, and headed off into the western part of the park where the largest animal groups sometimes congregate.

In the distance, we spotted a tiger laying in the road, and a herd of 15 elephants feeding upwind. After 20 minutes, the tiger rose, slinking towards the herd, and disappeared into the grass. The elephants drew into a tight circle around the young ones, trumpeting and stomping. The tiger returned to his resting spot briefly, then slipped back into a crouch, muscles tense, stalked back, and ran at them. The elephants held their ground, and the tiger gave up. End of excitement, but it was great to be in the right place at the right time. It can be frustrating shooting here, especially trying to document animal behavior other than feeding because you can’t be on foot, or wait in a blind—it’s too dangerous. My photos all have to come from camera traps, shot from the Jeep, or very occasionally—from elephant back. But we’ve identified the most promising areas, and circle through them day, after day—and sometimes our persistence pays off!

A tiger slinks through the grass near a herd of elephants.

Photograph by Steve Winter

For the past several days I have been in Tokyo, having left Hokkaido and the frozen north behind. My next underwater location is Toyama Bay where I will try to photograph the strange Firefly Squid, however my research indicates that the optimum time for these animals is during a new moon, which begins in a few days. So since I had to wait for the squid, I decided Tokyo was the best place to be between locations. 

I have used my time here to catch up on business with NGM, work on some equipment and get a very much needed haircut. It is cherry blossom time in Tokyo and the city is beautifully in bloom. Being in this second largest city in the world is quite a change from rural Rausu, where I could walk the streets and only sometimes see a car. Unlike that sleepy, quaint fishing village up north, Tokyo is bustling at a fever pace, with subways, Shinkansen trains and lighted elevators flying up through transparent, glass skyscrapers. For a photographer, Tokyo is also a great place to be should you need a few odds and ends. There are camera stores four city blocks long, with every imaginable gadget on the shelves. A very dangerous place to be with a credit card indeed!

Photographer Brian Skerry (at right) and Mac get "much needed" haircuts in Tokyo. 

Photograph by Steve Drogin