After years of having the common Orangutan, Hornbill and Leatherback Turtle as the official mascot for the Visit Malaysia Year events, it was a very nice surprise to see a Proboscis Monkey being selected as the official mascot for the coming Visit Malaysia Year 2014.
This was also officiated at the dinner gala for the World Tourism Conference 2013 in Melaka on the 21st October.
The Malaysian Tourism Minister - Daruk Seri Nazri had concluded his WTC 2013 speech which led to the official announcement to over 600 people at the Hattan Hotel Grand Ballroom in Melaka.
Many were caught unaware of this unique primate which can only be found on the island of Borneo.
Datuk Seri Nazri initiated the launch gambit by inserting a special VMY2014 Card into a slot which opened the center stage to reveal three Proboscis Monkeys who came out to surprise of the audience here.
Specially tailored costumes of the primates were created for this event where the monkeys danced on the stage inviting the tourism minister to participate along.
A video presentation on the highly protected primate was followed with a brief introduction to the media and audience.
The Proboscis Monkey or scientifically known as Nasalis larvatus is a very unique monkey due to its habitat where it survives on a very unique vegetarian diet of leaves from selected mangrove trees.
The large nosed monkeys are commonly found around Sabah and Sarawak near mangrove areas and usually in groups.
In Sabah, they are spotted at places along the Kinabatangan River, Labuk Bay in Sandakan and also the Klias River near Kuala Penyu which is about two hours from Kota Kinabalu city.
There are also other parts of Sabah where thee monkeys can be spotted.
A number of tour operators cater to tours and trips to see the Proboscis Monkeys.
Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Proboscis Monkey is the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 Mascot
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