The Kinabatangan River is the second longest river in Malaysia (the longest being the Rajang in neighbouring Sarawak) at 560 km. The flood plains of the Kinabatangan offer the visitor a rare glimpse of the mangrove forests that cloak the shoreline with their population of Proboscis Monkeys and crested egrets. The Proboscis Monkey is one of nature's jokes. It is a specialised leaf eating primate whose prominent nose and "sunburnt" appearance probably inspired the local name which translates to Dutch monkey. Much of the lower Kinabatangan River is gazetted under the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and it meanders through a flood plain creating numerous ox-bow lakes and making it an ideal environment for some of the best wildlife and birdlife found in Malaysia.
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is one of two known places in the world to be inhabited by ten species of primates, four of which are endemic to Borneo. It is also one of two places in the world where four colobines inhabit the same place - namely proboscis monkey, silvered langur, maroon langur and Hose's or grey langur. It has the highest concentration of proboscis monkeys and orang-utans in Malaysia.
Other wildlife on the Kinabatangan includes long-tailed macaque, pig-tailed macaque, silver, red and grey-leaf monkeys, Bornean gibbon, two nocturnal primates namely western tarsier and slow loris and other mammals including the Sumatran rhinoceros. It is home to Borneo's largest population of elephants, which are occasionally seen on the afternoon jungle river cruises.
Hoofed mammals which are mainly active at night include wild cattle or Tembadau, bearded pig and four species of deer namely sambar, greater mouse-deer, barking deer and lesser mouse-deer which is also the world's smallest hoofed mammal.
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary is one of two known places in the world to be inhabited by ten species of primates, four of which are endemic to Borneo. It is also one of two places in the world where four colobines inhabit the same place - namely proboscis monkey, silvered langur, maroon langur and Hose's or grey langur. It has the highest concentration of proboscis monkeys and orang-utans in Malaysia.
Other wildlife on the Kinabatangan includes long-tailed macaque, pig-tailed macaque, silver, red and grey-leaf monkeys, Bornean gibbon, two nocturnal primates namely western tarsier and slow loris and other mammals including the Sumatran rhinoceros. It is home to Borneo's largest population of elephants, which are occasionally seen on the afternoon jungle river cruises.
Hoofed mammals which are mainly active at night include wild cattle or Tembadau, bearded pig and four species of deer namely sambar, greater mouse-deer, barking deer and lesser mouse-deer which is also the world's smallest hoofed mammal.
Carnivores include the Malayan sun bear, the world's smallest bear, four species of wild cat namely clouded leopard, which is the largest wild cat in Borneo, the leopard cat, marbled cat and flat-headed cat. Other small mammals include hairy-nosed otter, oriental small-clawed otter, smooth otter, Malay civet, common palm, small toothed palm, banded palm and moon rat.
From Sukau, cruising by village boats on Kinabatagan and it's tributaries offers one the best opportunity to observe wildlife. The Menanggol River, a tributary of Kinabatangan is a prime area for river cruises for wildlife viewing, here one may find a high concentration of Proboscis monkeys. The trees along the Menanggol are slightly lower than those along the Kinabatangan, making the sighting of wildlife much easier.
In areas so fragile and so effected by human activity such as the lower kinabatangan river, it is crucial to look into responsible tourism and each individual who has the privilege to visit and be part of this ecosystem even for a day has a responsibility to retain a piece of it not only in memory and pictures but also in participation. With help and recognition from all sides, then will life at kinabatangan be preserved.
In areas so fragile and so effected by human activity such as the lower kinabatangan river, it is crucial to look into responsible tourism and each individual who has the privilege to visit and be part of this ecosystem even for a day has a responsibility to retain a piece of it not only in memory and pictures but also in participation. With help and recognition from all sides, then will life at kinabatangan be preserved.
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