As soon as night falls, photographer Tan Yong Lin likes to venture around his hometown in Singapore, hoping to capture someone elusive on film. He loves to photograph the wildlife in and around his city, but one of his favorite muses can hardly be seen during the day.
With the camera strapped around his neck, Lin walks around gazing at the trees, hoping to find a distinct pair of giant, round eyes staring at him.
Finally, he sees him: a common palm civet scurrying between houses, cloaked in darkness.
Lin points the camera at the civet, but he has a different approach when photographing them than he does with other wildlife.
“The civets are largely nocturnal, and I do not use any artificial lights to photograph them, relying on the ambient light of the housing estates for my photos,” Lin told The Dodo.
Illuminated solely by the dim house lights surrounding him, the palm civet looks at Lin and seemingly poses for a shot before dashing away.
Since they’re nocturnal, most Singaporean residents miss the opportunity to see these little creatures, like Facebook user Hei Mao Mao, who commented on Lin’s photos in surprise.
“[I] live in [Singapore] for 50 [years and] never seen one,” Mao Mao commented.
Palm civet sightings may be uncommon for some, but Lin is constantly on the lookout for them. He’s encountered countless wildlife sightings throughout his career, but seeing a palm civet running around always feels special.
“Prowling in the shadows, our urban common palm civets use the cover of nightfall to hunt and search for food, both on the trees and on the ground,” Lin wrote on Facebook. “Making use of urban features, such as fences and railings, they navigate our sleeping city with ease. With the abundance of tall trees in our neighborhoods, they are also able to easily seek refuge in them should they feel threatened at any time.”
There’s no question that palm civets feel safest when they can roam around the city at night without being seen. And thankfully, even when they come across adoring spectators like Lin, the civets in Singapore receive the respect and space they require to thrive.
“These civets can be extremely shy as well, so I will keep my movement minimal and give them space by keeping a distance,” Lin said.
