A Sanctuary for the Proboscis of Borneo

Proboscis Feeding time

The Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Sandakan is a place where you don’t need to walk like the fictional pink panther in the forest to sight these arboreal creatures. You can see them almost everywhere; some sitting quietly on a branch, others jumping from branch to branch nonchalantly while some others watch you as you pass by. This is not surprising as there are more than 300 of these primates in the 260 hectares of land.

Actually, the land was supposed to be a part of a plantation, Michael Lee Hing Huat, the owner shared.

In 1997, after they acquired the land, they set about clearing it. They had engaged several workers to do the job for them. The workers went to work very early but before they left, they kneaded flour to make into pancakes when they returned for their coffee break.

However, they had a shock one day to find out that their dough was missing. They looked high and low for it but couldn’t find the dough and they surmised that somebody had stolen it. A few days of monitoring and they found out that Proboscis Monkeys had entered the house and stolen the dough.

Michael Lee

So, they set up a trap for the primates, which was a success, as they saw the red-haired creature staring at them when next they looked into their trap. They showed the monkey to their boss, Lee’s late brother, who was quite amazed with the catch. It was later confirmed that the primate was a Proboscis monkey.

 “We realised that the Monkeys encroached into human dwelling as they were finding it hard to find food. The severe drought brought about by El Nino had impacted on their food source badly. To boot it all we had encroached into their natural habitat. They had no choice but to steal food,” Lee said adding that this prompt their next decision that resulted into the sanctuary they have today.

“We decided to leave that area alone for the proboscis monkeys to ensure that they still have their dwelling place even as we developed the land adjacent to this area.”

The two workers who caught the monkey was later assigned to specifically look after the primates.

“They went inside the jungle to survey their population and also to construct a five-feet-high platform to feed the monkeys. However, as time goes by, the raised platform was gradually lowered for the convenience of the monkeys and the workers. Soon, the monkeys felt safe and began to come out in numbers.”

By that time, Lee had constructed a building and observation balcony there as well as low feeding platforms for the primates to dine on.

Silver Langur eating his vegetables

And on that note, the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary came into being where more than 300 of these primates’ roam on 260-hectare land earmarked for their protection and mangrove forest conservation.

“We are still feeding the primates, although it is more like a supplement for them. Not everyone come to feed at the platform. We may see about 40 or so coming to the platform and eat. Sometimes more, but not all of them come. So, it’s more of a supplement for their natural food. There are four feeding hours for them and for visitors to see. Feeding time are 9.30am and 2.30pm at platform A, and 11.30am and 4.30pm at platform B. Both the platforms are located 1.1-kilometre apart.”

Lee believed that there may be an additional 10 to 20 monkeys a year and to ensure that the primates have ample space an additional 17-hectare land was purchased for this purpose, from a neighbouring landowner, recently.

The proboscis monkeys are not the only group to enjoy the sanctuary though; there are dozens of silver langur famously known as ‘David Beckham’ (England football player) due to its spiky hairstyle.

“The silver langurs actually follow the proboscis monkeys to the feeding platform so we give them long beans, a supplement to keep them healthy,” Lee said.

In fact, during my visit they were languishing on the floor of the look out area, sitting on tables and shelves as well as on the balustrades. They were not shy at all. A baby was seen running from one adult to the other.

Other primates spotted include the pig-tailed macaque and long-tailed macaque.

The orang utans saunter by sometimes to look for ripe fruits, he added.

One of the chalets

For those who wish to visit Labuk to watch the primates, they can also stay overnight as there are six units of timber chalets with air-conditioning that can fit between 20 and 30 persons, two dormitories that can cater for up to 40-60 people.

To get there, travel to Samawang Village at Labuk Bay, Sandakan; it is 38km away from the airport and takes about an hour to get there. More information can be acquired from 089 672 133.-AV/MSN

Relax with Nature at Kinabatangan

Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

Reaching the banks of Kinabatangan River late in the evening when the sun had set and flickers of electricity lights were the only illumination could be quite daunting. This was more so with the knowledge that the river was home to hordes of crocodiles, who bear no reverence to mammon, man or beasts.

A fellow journalist and I travelled the long drive from Kota Kinabalu, the State Capital to Kinabatangan River, in Kinabatangan district, Sandakan Division.  Our travel was dotted by pit stops, some quite unintended as we ventured into roads other than towards Kampung Bilit, our actual destination.

A cosy bed

When we did reach the river banks where the boat from Nature Lodge Kinabatangan, our host, waited, we had travelled some 350 kilometres in ten hours of driving. It was indeed a long journey and all we wanted to do was check in, eat and sleep.

Checking in was absolutely heavenly, for the cabin was cosy, the bed pristine and inviting and of course, there was hot water in our shower. Nothing could be more important to the weary traveller.

A crocodile languishing in the mud

The Nature lodge have 13 units of these wooden chalets and fitted with air-conditioning, ceiling fan and bathroom. They could accommodate two people and an extra mattress upon request. I thought the room sized chalet well-appointed and quite comfortable.

Dormitory units equipped with double bunk beds cater for large group especially students, Front Office Supervisor, Sahnita Bani informed us later adding that guests could also choose to set up their tent at a camping site nearby.

Dinner at Café Haji Awang was filling, where lots of local food were served with a choice of coffee and tea as well orange juice and water.

Tourists on a boat

Sleep was a spiral into a comfortable dreamless state that was only interrupted with the muezzin call the faithful to prayers.

Malaysian style breakfast was our fare. We had fried noodles, eggs and baked beans among others. There was also pancakes and bread. A filling breakfast to start the new day.

After breakfast we were scheduled for a morning river cruise to get a glimpse of wildlife along the river. I was excited to get on this cruise, as my last sojourn in this area was about six over years ago. The one and a half hour of cruising was very fruitful, thanks to our boatman Mohamad Juri. He did have a very keen eye and could spot macaques walking around the bank, birds flitting by and yes, crocodiles. We saw a huge one which he said was about four metres long. I thought it looked quite wide too. We also saw two smaller ones, about two metres long each and a baby croc, floating by. We clicked away of course.

After the cruise, there was a nature walk lasting 45 minutes. For those who love nature, a slow meander should be taken on the trail. Just don’t forget to spray on mosquito repellent. Later we took a walk on the trail without anybody else. It was a surreal walk. Quiet except for the periodic bird call, I enjoyed the walk under the coolness of the shade, with the sunlight filtered through the tree tops. Lunch was served at 12noon where we gratefully walked towards the restaurant to have our fill of delicious filling food. There was chicken curry and mixed vegetables for lunch.

Sahtina Bani

After lunch, we had a quick rest and then joined in the afternoon river cruise with our boatman Mohamad and a tour guide Zulayqah Roderick, who was born in Kg Bilit. A true local who knew everything about that area.

This afternoon was very interesting indeed as we went into another side of the river, and saw a lot of wildlife including birds such as kingfishers and darters. We also saw proboscis monkeys. They were all over the trees, and seemed to put up a show. They jumped from one tree branch to the other and crashing and hurtling from one branch to the other like boisterous boys. Some of them would pause on a branch as if to pose for our furiously clicking camera and phone camera. Some walked on the ground for a few seconds before running up the tree again.

Zulaygah Roderick

We moved on to another area and watched a congregation of pig-tailed macaque just chilling around on branches and watching us. Some little ones were running around on the ground, playing roll-over and jump. The older one, the parents perhaps, sat on some logs watching their young. Other adults just kept a look out, watching us. We were watching them as much as they were watching us. I wondered how we looked like in their eyes.

We went back to the restaurant, had our tea and relaxed. Other guests went for the walks or siesta.

Pig Tailed Monkeys 

We had a brief chat with the staff there where we found out that they offered a lot of interesting activities for guests.

For instance, they hold a cooking class for the guests. The fare was usually traditional Ubian food. I thought that was interesting as I had never learned to cook their traditional food. The tourists would go home with such knowledge. Besides that they would also be able to try their hand in batik painting.  

The Proboscis Monkeys

“Other than that, we also have tree planting and river cleaning activities by visitors especially groups of students. We had been visited by British student groups. They usually stay between two and five nights,” she said. 

People from all over the world had visited the area and stayed at Nature Lodge, she said, and they come from countries such as South Korea, Australia, America, Argentina, Estonia, China, Spain and Hungary among others.

She shared that an additional five chalets will be constructed soon, thereby augmenting the present number of rooms.

We checked out a day afterwards, bidding fond farewell to the friendly staff. I looked at the chalets among the trees for a while and once again marvelled at the beauty of nature; and how with a little effort, human formations can be incorporated into the environment without compromising it.

For those who wish to visit this area, you are advised to call 0133516263 for more information.-AV/MSN