Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Proboscis monkeys are relatively easy to spot as they perform incredible leaps from tree
to tree, often at great heights, and then settle down to dine on choice young leaves, the
males' noses flopping as they chew.
Proboscis monkeys can often be spotted in Sabah at the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey
Sanctuary, and in Sarawak at Bako National Park and along the waterways of Kuching
Wetlands National Park.
Gibbon
Swinging effortlessly from branch to branch, gibbons move with such speed and agility
that it seems as if they are falling sideways. Unfortunately for primate lovers, gibbons are
much easier to hear than see, so like most visitors you'll probably have to make do with
scanning the canopy as their whooping songs echo through the rainforest. National parks
with gibbon populations include Brunei's Ulu Temburong National Park.
Elephant
Of the 2000 Borneo pygmy elephants (a sub-
species of the Asian elephant) estimated to live
in northeastern Borneo, the largest population
is thought to roam the forests around Sungai
Kinabatangan, where they've come into con-
flict with the owners of vast oil-palm planta-
tions.
New genetic evidence puts to rest the theory that humans introduced the creatures to the
island in the mid-1700s. It turns out they've been on the island for at least 18,000 years.
Gibbons swing by their hands, a unique mode of
travel called brachiation that isn't fail-safe; most
gibbons have bone fractures from falling.
Rhinoceros
Very little is known about the elusive and critically endangered Borneo rhinoceros, a sub-
species of the Sumatran rhino. The world's smallest rhinoceros, its global population is es-
timated to be less than 50, all of them in Sabah.
A wild Borneo rhino was briefly caught on film, for the first time ever, by a camera trap
in 2007 - the captivating clip can be found on YouTube. For more information, check out
