A Visit To The "Garden Of Eden"

Bob Simon Travels To A Pristine Paradise In Indonesia

(CBS)  It wasn’t just unique birds that we saw: there was a burst of red in a forest of green. "Look at that. I can see the rhododendron over there flowering. This is apparently the largest of any rhododendron in the world," Beehler pointed out.

When it rains in a rain forest everything stops, except for Beehler, who continues taking notes.

And this wasn't even the wet season. It all helps the Foja Mountains in its role as species generator. "The mountain range just happens to be isolated enough, it’s high enough, it’s wet enough, it’s cool enough to be a place where unique species can evolve," Beehler explained.

There aren’t many snakes in this "Garden of Eden." There aren't many mammals either. At least ones known to us.

This is the forest primeval. There are no big cats, monkeys, or elephants here as there are next door on the island of Borneo. The large mammals never made it across the water from Asia. We did find some other interesting creatures. There were bats, and rats.

"That's one of the biggest rats in the world!" Beehler said, examining a very large specimen.

From the big to the small, a pygmy possum, one of the smallest possums in the world, couldn’t get enough camera time, checking out and climbing onto the 60 Minutes cameras.

But for the most part, this place is for the birds. Like Berlepsch’s Six-Wired Bird of Paradise, so called because of the wires protruding like antennas from the back of its head. It was described to science over a hundred years ago, then seemed to disappear until Bruce Beehler and his scientists rediscovered it here in 2005. It's never been found anywhere else. We wanted a better look at it, so Beehler played back a recording of its own voice to draw it closer.

Asked if he thinks this little corner of the earth has changed much over the years, Beehler said, "I don’t think it has. It’s probably basically the way it was five or 10,000 years ago."

It’s a museum piece, Beehler says, a rare opportunity for scientists to study the earth the way it once was. "It doesn’t have any outside species. It has all the original forms here. No extinction presumably. So you have really some very precious part of the ancient Earth that was here before humans began to take over," he explained.

It’s the Garden of Eden, before Adam and Eve. But Adam and Eve eventually did arrive, and there is fear loggers and poachers may one day take over in the Foja Mountains. The area is a wildlife sanctuary but Beehler is hoping Indonesia will give it more prominence by making it a national park.

"What happens to this place when you leave? How does it get conserved?" Simon asked.

"Well, you need to know what you're conserving right? Are there endemic species here? Yes. We know there is the golden-fronted Bower Bird, only found in the Foja Mountains. This Berlepsch’s Six-Wired Bird of Paradise, only found in the Foja Mountains. So when you build up a list of remarkable creatures that only live in this place, you have sort of a dossier of, that you can show to governments to say, 'Look. Here’s a place that’s unique on earth that has these wonderful creatures. Let’s save it,'" he replied.

Our helicopter did return as promised. It was our ride back to civilization. But Bruce Beehler was leaving knowing this might be the last time he ever visits a place he helped put on the map. And that’s just the way he wants it.

"The Foja Mountains don't belong to us," he says. "This is a place apart. And I think it’s good that we go away. And we take our memories but allow this place to be as it is and be a special place for centuries to come."

[travelina-2009]

New Guinea has birds of paradise too, and there''s a photo gallery on National Geographic showing these extravagantly plumed birds doing their thing:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/07/birds-of-paradise/laman-photography

[perusing]

Thank you, Bob Simon. My husband and I have arranged to bequeath a portion of our estate to Conservation International.

[lewiston14]

Morel of the story leave it as you found it.

[lewiston14]

Morel of the story leave it as you found it.

[lewiston14]

I loved that pygmy possum, one of the smallest possums in the world, couldn%u2019t get enough camera time"
That little critter was fun to watch

[proaudubon]

The dance of the bower bird was almost as heartwarming as another exotic bird I caught on a Science channel special - but it''s good to know more species abound in Indonesia.

[saraangelyn]

What a wonderful piece on the "Garden of Eden" tonight. Great job CBS and Bob Simon!!!

[marvelle123]

A beautiful story. Well done CBS. You''re the only US network show spending money to do stories like this. You are to be commended.

[birdseeker]

The New Guinea birds of paradise, including the Sickle Bill from this 60 Minutes segment, were covered in David Attenborough''s video "Attenborough In Paradise" which was finally released in the US this year. I saw the program about 10 years ago on PBS and have waited since then to see it again. People need to see segments like this more often to be reminded of what treasures will be lost with the loss of habitat.

[christinea66]

Thank you so much for this segment. It was a real treat! It was as entertaining and informative as it was captivating. For a while I was in The Garden of Eden. This should win an emmy.
Thanks again.

[ponceb]

What a marvelous visit to the Foja Mountains; Indonesia- in your "visit to the Garden of Eden".
Untouched and unblemished. So powerful-especially after just finishing the new book,
"The World Without Us", Alan Weisman..
Thanks to all of you and especially Bob Simon.

[oleander8]

I hope the travel agents won''t be able to book tours and hotel moguls build resorts now that it''s been exposed to the world.

[brassmannin]

It''s an area of this hectic and congested world that I''ve always fantasized about going to....thanks for the journey, it was truly enjoyable.

[flazney]

I object to the implication that this is what the world was like before mankind spoiled it. You can only belive that if you have no understanding of the natural history of the world. This piece reminds me that the environmentalists are more about new-age religion than they would like to admit.

[brianbwb-2009]

"Only a handful of humans are known to have walked this ground... But it took him 24 years of begging before the Indonesian government would let him set foot there."

Not quite true, I have been there, quite a few times, accompanied by locals. The first time, I was invited by an official, subsequently I didn''t need government permission to go. We set up a radio transceiver in the village, so the people could communicate to the outside. After the radio was up and working, we were taken to the mountains as the people wanted to show us the place as their way of saying "thanks". "Gunung Foha" also has hot springs, one in particular is the Papasena''s favorite, the high sulfur content of the hot water is known for it''s curative and rejuvenating properties for the skin, and the view, whether dawn, noon, sunset, or night can''t be described. The only things to be aware of are dinner plate sized wood spiders with half inch fangs, only mildly venomous but very painful, and a beautiful caterpillar that can sting like a jellyfish if brushed against.

Why it took "24 years of begging"? The government of Indonesia has always operated on a system of bribes, an artifact from Indonesia''s early days, when the government and military collected operating money directly from the people It is still in practice, having mutated, post Soeharto into "mafia" type rackets. Had he, 24 years ago, offered as little as $50 back then, to as much as $500 now to the governor, he''d have been there the next day.

[coolwind1]

Loved the "Garden of Eden" segment, but I was disappointed in Andy''s dissertation. He would spend money on 150-watt bulbs and personal taxis everywhere. He could spend his money more wisely to alleviate global warming. He worked against the beautiful "Eden" segment. He should be a better role model. (We need all the help we can get.)

[seattlady]

I am in awe of new discoveries of wildlife on our planet. I wonder how the Planet Earth people missed out on this one. Perhaps they also had problems getting permission to film on the island. Congratulations on a great job.

[jolener-2009]

I thoroughly enjoyed this report! It was not only educational for me, I got a kick out of the male golden-fronted bower bird. To build all those sticks up, decorate it with fruits, lift his crest and dance for the female bird with a berry in his mouth was truly amazing and a wonderful sight to see. Too bad he got rejected but I''m sure he will eventually be successful. Thanks 60 minutes and I hope you do more reports like this in the future.

[tvgirl5]

I don''t think CBS is the "first" to film that bird''s "batman" mating display. I''m pretty sure I saw that same bird in the BBC series "Planet Earth".
You might want to look into that...