Wild time on the Sandakan floodplain

ONCE an important waterway for traders from far away China who sailed up the mighty Kinabatangan River in heavy junks that they would load with edible birds’ nests, two centuries later, Sabah’s longest river is still a hotspot.

But instead of sailing in junks from where the river flows into the Sulu Sea, travellers are now whizzing along in speed boats and vans so that they can catch a glimpse of diverse wildlife found at this eastern region of Sabah.

While the Kinabatangan floodplain is still home to the Gomantong Caves — where birds’ nests are today collected under strict monitoring by the Sabah Wildlife Department — it also shelters primates, birds, reptiles and rare mammals.

It is one of the very few places on earth that harbours 10 primate species, the most notable being the proboscis monkey which commonly lives in a large family led by a dominant male.

Male proboscis monkeys, which have large protruding noses, mingle freely with females and young off-springs in trees on the banks of the Kinabatangan and its tributaries.

The Long-tailed Macaque is another primate commonly found here and can be spotted swinging from tree to tree or playing on wire and rubber hose bridges built across the tributaries by Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Project (KOCP), a local non-governmental organisation.

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Bako keeps luring visitors

THE proboscis monkey or orang belanda, Borneo’s internationally-renowned protected animal, is not the only reason why tourists return in droves for more. Bako National Park is the other.

Borneo’s first and oldest national park has long been the popular choice of repeat visitors.

Located on Muara Tebas Peninsula and gazetted as a national park five decades ago, not much of its natural ambience and wildlife have been disturbed.

Only accessible by sea from the Bako fishing village, about a 20-minute drive from Kuching, foreigners account for 70% of the 30,000 annual visitors.

Park manager Siali Aban attributes the 2,727ha park’s popularity to its privacy and quietness.

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KK-BSB-Miri inter-state commercial bus service will be launched in Sept

PUTRAJAYA: A maiden inter-state commercial bus service involving the Miri, Bandar Seri Begawan and Kota Kinabalu routes will be launched in September to facilitate easier movement of people and goods in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat said the launch of the service was under the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cross-Border Movement of Commercial Buses and Coaches which was signed last year.

He said the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the operation of commercial buses and coaches in that route were being finalised.

“We are confident that this initiative would further stimulate cross-border movement of people in the BIMP-EAGA,” he told reporters after chairing the Third BIMP-EAGA Transport Ministers Meeting here yesterday.

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Brooke ‘returns’ to Sarawak

KUCHING: Jason Brooke has always been fascinated by Sarawak, having grown up hearing stories about the place from his father and grandfather.

Now, the great-great-grandson of Sarawak’s second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, is here to see the place for himself.

“I used to approach my grandfather, Anthony Brooke, for his memories of Sarawak when I was young. I always bothered him for more and more stories,” he said when visiting the Sarakraf Pavilion here yesterday.

“They were mainly old stories about travelling upcountry and meeting people and, on one occasion, how he gave toys to small children.”

He added that his father, who lived in Sarawak as a baby in 1940, also maintained a great interest in the state.

“He told me stories when I was very young, and showed me the old flags and bits and pieces from Sarawak that he still possessed. So, it’s always been a great fascination for me.”

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Borneo needs to protect rich heritage, natural resources

Kota Kinabalu: In welcoming development and change in Borneo, governments and its people must work together to strike a balance between economic growth and the need to protect its rich heritage and abundance of natural resources.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said Borneo, especially Sabah, had become a magnet for large populations of transient and displaced immigrants from neighbouring countries.

In turn, it has created many issues for local communities, as well as governments, he said, adding that in many cities, the move towards industrialisation and 'rural-urban drift' of interior populations had created sprawling urban areas that have adversely affected local societies and the natural environment.

"While we continue to welcome development and change in Borneo, we must work together to strike a balance between economic growth and the need to protect our rich heritage and abundance of natural resources," he said.

He was speaking at the launching of the Borneo Research Council (BRC) Ninth Biennial International Conference at the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here, Tuesday.

His text of speech was delivered by Deputy Chief Minister cum Infrastructure Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan.

According to him, the Conference theme, "Borneo on the Move: Continuity and Change" reflected that in recent times, populations in Borneo had experienced many changes in tandem with regional and global developments.

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