‘Take a look at their noses wobbling, Mum!’ My 11-year-old daughter giggled as we watched a troop of proboscis monkeys tucking into their meals.
Our go to to Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Borneo was the ultimate cease of our incredible whistle-stop go to to Sabah in Malaysian Borneo with Intrepid, however simply one of many excessive factors throughout every week recognizing some unforgettable Borneo wildlife and their furry little ones.
We anticipated to be wowed by the orangutans (and we have been) however that was just one spotlight from a visit which left my animal-loving daughter open-mouthed, grinning and decided to do her half to assist Borneo’s endangered wildlife.
Listed here are our highlights from all of the wildlife encounters we had alongside the way in which.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and Bornean Solar Bear Conservation Centre
Early within the week, we obtained to look at the orangutans at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, the place you cannot solely see these nice apes however study extra about how they’re being protected.
In a single nook of the out of doors enclosure, a one-year-old gorilla was practising ahead rolls, legs flying with every roly-poly, grin seen on the opposite facet of the play space. Elsewhere on the ropes, one other toddler was hanging off a much bigger buddy, the pair of them having enormous enjoyable dangling and climbing.
In case you ignored the orange fur, you may have been in any playground on the planet. However these have been a few of the rescued and orphaned orangutans that the centre takes in to assist them study the abilities they should survive within the wild. For infants, meaning pairing them with an older orangutan ‘buddy’ as they play within the nursery, watched by guests behind one-way glass in order that they’re unaware of any scrutiny.
As they become old, they’re step by step moved to totally different areas, which open onto the rainforest in order that they’re free to depart – an unchanging menu of meals day by day encourages them to move out and forage for themselves.
Some by no means return to the sanctuary, whereas others head again each few days, so there are not any ensures you’ll see the adults. However you would possibly get rather a lot nearer than you count on! Strolling alongside the wood walkways to the feeding platform, we noticed two full-grown orangutans making their method alongside the handrail.
Throughout the highway on the Solar Bear Conservation Centre, which helps defend the world’s smallest bear, a mom orangutan together with her child sat resting on the junction of three paths. I edged previous cautiously with my very own daughter, who’d been chattering away about which orangutan she wished to undertake. She was immediately silenced, eyes large on the thrill of being so close to.
Since then, she’s put an adopted orangutan and solar bear on her birthday want checklist, and she or he steered the orangutan rehabilitation centre as a charity for her faculty to help – proof of simply how massive an impression journey like this could have for little ones (human and furry).
Sandakan Rainforest Discovery Centre
My daughter gasped because the squirrel leapt into the air. Its ‘wings’ opening because it glided simply to the following tree. Watching large flying squirrels excessive up within the tree cover, on a walkway 620 metres above floor degree, was a world away from spying their on a regular basis gray cousins in our native park.
Within the background, the soundtrack of giant Pomponia merula. Higher referred to as the six o’clock cicada, because it begins its mixture of croaking and high-pitched chirrups round sundown, a few of the bugs clock extra decibels than the typical motorcycle.
As evening fell, we wandered the paths to the sunshine of our torches feeling miles from civilisation. Having Intrepid care for the sensible facet of this household journey, particularly as I used to be travelling alone with my daughter, was an enormous benefit while you’re heading off the overwhelmed observe. Fortunately our information not solely stored us from getting solely misplaced, but in addition had a powerful potential to identify a few of the forest’s shyest and rarest nocturnal creatures.
The spotlight? Seeing a western tarsier – one of many oldest mammals on the planet, relationship again an astonishing 55 million years. They’ve enormous eyes and unusual elongated fingers, which wouldn’t look misplaced on ET (nice for gripping timber) and are simply startled.
The primary two we encountered had clearly heard us coming and leapt off into the undergrowth. However our persistence was rewarded with the sight of 1 clinging to a department, its eyes gleaming at the hours of darkness.
Rising from the knee-high bushes, we have been silently thrilled to have seen one for ourselves – and in my case, additionally happy that we hadn’t encountered one other native forest-dweller… the leech.
Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary
If the macaques gained the title of cheekiest monkeys noticed throughout our Borneo household vacation, the proboscis monkeys gained my daughter’s coronary heart for his or her distinctive seems.
To make it within the proboscis monkey world, the larger your nostril and stomach, the higher. Having seen them from a distance clambering within the timber alongside the Kinabatangan River, harems in tow, or a few of the bachelor teams settling down at evening, we couldn’t wait to see them up shut at the sanctuary.
We needed to move by the silvered leaf monkeys first, together with some vivid orange infants with their silver-grey moms. One of many infants was being sorted by a well-meaning however barely ineffectual massive sister whereas its personal mom snacked close by.
However for leisure, you couldn’t beat the proboscis monkeys: lounging casually in a department as if it have been an armchair, paws on knees and noses very wobbling up and down with every chunk they took.
One enterprising mom was even giving her child a fast wash within the bowl of water overlooked to drink from – and we discovered that proboscis monkeys can use these massive noses as snorkels once they swim.
They shortly grew to become my daughter’s agency favorite. We’ve now obtained a much-cuddled fluffy proboscis monkey toy as a everlasting reminder of our unforgettable Borneo household journey.
Kinabatangan River
Ten minutes after climbing into our boat and dashing off down the Kinabatangan River, we noticed them – a household of three pygmy elephants within the water.
Trunks entwined, the newborn was busily play-fighting with considered one of its dad and mom, whereas the opposite splashed by means of the water searching for meals on the other financial institution. They’re round eight to 10 ft tall when absolutely grown, which can be small for elephants however to the human eye nonetheless fairly sizeable.
How may we presumably prime that type of wildlife recognizing? Nonetheless, the ecosystems alongside Kinabatangan River are so wealthy and diverse that every of our a number of boat cruises to identify Borneo’s wildlife in its pure habitat had numerous moments to recollect.
Throughout two afternoon boat journeys, we noticed monkeys splashing about by the water’s edge earlier than settling down within the timber to sleep, their backs to the river as night-time predators would come from the forest – proboscis monkeys, silvered leaf monkeys, long-tailed macaques and short-tailed macaques all leaping, climbing after which curling up collectively because the solar sank within the horizon.
Elsewhere crocodiles basked on the banks, whereas birds flew overhead – an iridescent flash of blue from a kingfisher, dramatic black and purple broadbills with their eye-catching inexperienced beans, a number of species of hornbill, gleaming white herons and extra.
Venturing down a small tributary, we obtained totally over-excited on the sight of a ‘crocodile’ swimming close by, which turned out to be only a floating log. We ducked beneath the branches of a fallen tree to achieve an oxbow lake, a peaceable stretch of water carved out by the river. The lake is coated in purple hyacinths.
At evening, the river has its personal story. We glimpsed an owl ready to hunt, whereas a uncommon sluggish loris clung to a department throughout its nocturnal outing, all beneath extra stars than we’ve ever seen, solely the splash of our wake disturbing the silence.
We obtained to play a small half in serving to defend the animals too, becoming a member of RESPonsible Elephant Conservation Belief (RESPECT), an area conservation challenge, to plant elephant grass. Seeing the pygmy elephants within the river may need been a vacation spotlight for us, however it’s really a scarcity of meals that forces them to forage extra broadly.
Supported by The Intrepid Basis, RESPECT gives a chance for tourism to make a optimistic impression and provides households an opportunity to get palms on. Whereas my city-dwelling daughter isn’t often eager on getting her palms soiled, she jumped on the probability to assist the elephants, feeling a specific connection after seeing them first-hand.