Borneo Pygmy Elephant

Borneon Pygmy Elephant

When the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) carried out a DNA analysis in the year 2003 on the pygmy elephants, it was proven that pygmy elephants are distinct from elephants in other parts of Asia and therefore was recognized as a subspecies. However, scientists are still doubting if the Borneo Pygmy elephant is an animal endemic to Borneo island. They made a speculation that these elephants could originate from Java which they believed was abandoned by the Sultan Sulu in the seventeen century. The Javan elephants has long been extinct on the island of Java.

Borneo pygmy elephants are smaller and are significantly less hostile than other Asian elephants. The males may grow no more than 8.2 feet, while other elephants grow up to 9.8 feet. They have rounder faces, bigger ears, and tails that reach nearly to the ground and are more rotund.

Before WWF came to Borneo, no one had ever carried out a study on the pygmy elephant. When their habitat becomes smaller, they get into more recurrent confrontations with people over land and food.

In June and July 2005, Dr. Christy Williams and Raymond Alfred led a study on this elephant, a joint venture study carried out by Asian Rhino and Elephant Action Strategy proggramme and WWF Malaysia. They succeeded in attaching satellite collars to five pygmy elephants in different herds in Sabah. This was a ground-breaking challenge to understand more about the elephants and their habitat.

The collaring is part of the first scientific study ever made on this little-understood population. The preliminary data has already given information about the activity of these elephants and their use of the forests in Sabah. The information is critical in helping officials in Malaysia make land-use decisions.

Just last month (March 12), a corridor project to connect fragmented forests in Sabah to help in the survival of the elephants was announced by the state government. The 50 meter forest corridor strip, also called the Melapi Elephant Corridor in Sukau is making a huge difference in the survival of the Bornean pygmy elephants.

The elephants can now pass through the land using this corridor to travel from one key habitat to another. Before, it was a very narrow bottleneck and the elephant suffered a lot. This introduction of the corridor will also be able to greatly reduce the potential human-and-elephant conflict which happens mainly in villages and plantation.

Tarsier, the Unique Nocturnal Primate

Lad, seen here eating insects - picture via Bernama

A palm sized male tarsier (Tarsius Syrichta), a nocturnal primate, was rescued early last month, (March 7). It was found in a new oil palm plantation, on the land owned by villagers who live in the Gomantong (Sandakan district) area.

Saroto Payar, who is the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) field research assistant brought the tarsier to the centre. In order to learn about its home range, it was fitted with a radio collar.

Cardiff University student Alice Miles, who is the head of a project on the ecology of tarsier and slow loris at the DGFC, said the rescued animal was placed in a cage for a day and was given insects before it was set free into the jungle.

“We fitted him with a radio-collar and put him back into the wild. We call him Lad which is short for “ladang” or plantation in Bahasa Melayu, and which also means male in English."

“The next night, we returned to the forest and searched for him with the help of our telemetry equipment."

“Lad was seen at about 150 to 200 metres from where he was freed, looking for food on the ground”, Miles said."

Dr Benoit Goossens, the director of DGFC, said knowing the habitat needs, diet and social organisation of tarsiers is critical to developing conservation policies for tarsiers.

“We have so far, besides Lad, collared another four tarsiers in the area of the field centre in Lot 6 of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary."

“A short while ago, two females were fitted with radio collars allowing us to discover their sleeping sites and map their home range. We hope that Lad will meet one of these two females in the near future,” Goossens said.

He said the nocturnal primate project at DGFC is funded by three American zoos — Columbus, Cleveland and Phoenix.

Source: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/03/12/rescued-tarsier-to-provide-info-on-home-range/#ixzz1sMdynITQ

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Try Deep Sea Fishing in Sabah

 

Third Place in the Sabah International Fishing Tournament

There are many fishing spots in Sabah but one that is near to Kota Kinabalu and is a favourite spot for many anglers here is the sea near Pulau Mengalum, also called the "Mysterious Island". It is called a mysterious island because not many locals have been to that place and the sea there is said to be always calm.

I have interviewed one of the KK anglers. His name is Liborius Kasun and currently works full time helping his family supervise their family-owned rubber plantation at Kimanis, Papar. Fishing is his favourite hobby and together with some friends who themselves are 'part-time' anglers will plan for their fishing outing whenever they can afford to take a few days off from their work.

Second Place in the Discovery Anglers Tournament

The conversation below is based on Liborius's fishing experience in the deep sea off the coast of Sabah.

One of the big catches

KKTCom: Where is the fishing spot? (referring to the video posted here)

Lib: I'm not sure of the exact location but we went past Pulau Mengalum (Mengalum Island). So, I would say maybe a few miles away from that island. Pulau Mengalum is on the northwest of Kota Kinabalu.

KKTCom: How many days is the fishing trip?

Lib: We spent 3 days and 2 nights enjoying our fishing adventure.

KKTCom: Where do you hire your boat?

Lib: We have a friend who has a boat. He charges between RM2,800.00 to RM4,000.00 depending on the size of the boat and number of days of the trip.

KKTCom: When is the best time of the year to go for fishing?

Lib: It is usually between May - July when the sea is calm and less rainy. But it is difficult to say now because the weather is becoming very unpredictable. So I advise it is best to check the weather forecast first.

KKTCom: Can you recommend the best fishing spot in Sabah?

Lib: I am planning to go fishing at Pulau Layang-Layang with my friends. I heard there's an abundant of fish in that part of the sea. Other places I've heard are Pulau Mantanani near Kota Belud, and Pulau Tiga (the Survivors Island). There are also other many good fishing spots in Sabah but are less known.

Another big catch - a Red Snapper

KKTCom: Can you share with us some of your best fishing experiences?

Lib: In one of my deep sea fishing trips, I used a small live Baraccuda fish as a bait. We were fishing at night and to my surprise I caught one big Garouper weighing 13kg (shown in the video in this posting). It was very exciting and I had to struggle for more than 10 minutes to pull a fish of that size out of the sea. It was awesome and a very fulfilling experience.


KKTCom: Did you ever participated in any of the local fishing tournaments?

Lib: Oh yes! many from kampung (country) to state level, I have done that. The biggest win I and my angler friends have achieved so far was our participation in the Sabah International Fishing Tournament, which was held in 2010. We were placed third and we received RM5,000.00 cash reward.

The King's Enthronement

Malaysia's New King Installation

Last Wednesday, 11 April 2012 was declared a public holiday for Malaysia. On that historical day, the country celebrated the enthronement of its new king. The ceremony was done lavishly, rich in centuries-old royal traditions.

Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah who is now 84, was also the King in the 1970s. He is the first King to hold the position twice under the country's rotating monarchy.

The "Yang di-Pertuan Agong" (meaning "He Who Is Made Lord") a name given based on his rank, is the normal and respectful way  to address the king in this country. 

The King officially took his oath in a public ceremony in the yellow carpet throne room of the National Palace at the hilltop in Kuala Lumpur.

The King who studied at Oxford University, is a great fan of jazz, football, polo and golf.

He was proclaimed as the fourteenth King by Malaysia's Prime Minister and before an audience of other sultans, ministers and foreign dignitaries.

For the ceremony, the monarch was dressed in black and yellow royal regalia, made of wool and embroidered with gold threads. He was presented with a Koran and then with "Keris Panjang Diraja", the royal long dagger.

It is known that in the Malay history and among the Malay rulers, these two things signify symbols of power and authority. The King drew out the dagger and kissed it. The country's sultan lineage can be traced back to the 15th century, since Parameswara's settlement in Malacca.

Government offices in the country must show respect to their king and queen by hanging potraits of them both on the wall where it can be easily seen by the public. The king is also the symbolic head of Islam in the nation, as well as the nominal chief of the military.

The country has had an elected monarchy since independence from Britain in 1957. In a unique arrangement, the throne rotates every five years among the rulers of the nine Malaysian states still headed by royalty.

Visit Kinabalu National Park, A World Heritage Site

Mt Kinabalu

In December 2000, at the World Heritage Conference in Cairn Australia, an announcement was made that Kinabalu Park had been chosen as one of the World Heritage Sites in the natural site category. It is also Malaysia’s very first world heritage site.

Kinabalu had attained two criteria which warranted for inscription Criteria (ix) and (x): The site has a various biota and substantial endemism. The altitudinal and climatic gradient from tropical forest to alpine conditions  blend together with precipitous topography, diverse geology and frequent climate oscillations to give conditions suitable for the growth of the rare varieties of plants.

Beautiful Valley

The Park features high biodiversity with representatives from more than half the families of all flowering plants. The majority of Borneo’s animals, birds, amphibians and invertebrates, many endangered and vulnerable, can be found in the dense forest of the Park.

Mt Kinabalu at 4095m is the highest mountain in South-East Asia and is located in the Kinabalu National Park in the province of Sabah in Malaysian Borneo. Countless numbers of tourists visit Kinabalu National Park each year and most come here determined to conquer Mt Kinabalu.

Results of Climbathon 2011

The Climbathon, an international sport event which has attracted participants from all over the world, is being held here every two years.

There is good news for the not so confident climbers! Mt Kinabalu is one of the least difficult peaks in the world to overcome. It requires just two days and climbers don't need any previous experience at mountain climbing. At sunrise, the views from Mt Kinabalu's summit at Low's Peak are spectacular, a sweet reward for all of the  hard work.

Frequently, climbers take two days to climb up and descend Mt Kinabalu. The eight-kilometre climb starts from the Timpohon Gate near park headquarters at 1800m, with an over night stay at one of the visitor houses at Laban Rata which is at 3273m high. Early next morning, climbers will proceed to the summit which takes about 2- 3 hours to arrive. If the weather is fine, Mt Kinabalu's summit will be reached in time to view the sunrise, before going back to Laban Rata for morning meal. Climbers then descend the mountain, generally reaching the park headquarters by late-afternoon.

Timpohon Gate, the Starting Point of  Mt Climbing

Anyone with a fair level of fitness and the determination to persevere through fatigue and discomfort can climb to the peak of Mt Kinabalu. It is achievable and extremely fulfilling.

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Copyright@2012 Kota Kinabalu Tourism.Com. All Rights Reserved.

Kipandi Butterly Park, A Great Place For the Nature Lovers

Kipandi Butterfly Park

The Kipandi Butterfly Park is located in the Crocker Range which is a complex of high altitude hills, up to 1500m, extending southward from this summit. These hills are mostly covered with primary forest in which at least 8000 species of  plants including 2500 species of trees have been recorded and this area is one of the most important sanctuary for the biodiversity in the world. The entomological fauna of this area is one of the richest in the world.

Kipandi Butterfly Park is situated in Moyog, in the district of Penampang and lies at 700 meter altitude in the heart of the Crocker Range. It  is a very beautiful place, great for relaxing and enjoying the cool mountain air. It is also a favourite place for photographers who enjoy taking nature photographs especially gorgeous butterflies and exotic flowering plants. The park is surrounded with forest and taking a walk in it will bring you back to a lost paradise with the song of cicadas and birds and fluttering butterflies sipping the nectar of rare flowers. Many butterflies come into the garden to suck nectar from the many flower shrubs. Over 100 species have been recorded and they can be easily photographed inside the enclosure.

A Rare Butterfly

Some of the rarest species of butterflies that can be seen at the park are the Rajah Brooks' and Golden Birdwings. The breeding of these species is carried out through a joint venture project with Sabah's Wildlife Department. This joint work aims to repopulate the forest with the threatened species and since its inception, have several times released hundreds of birdwings butterflies into the wild.

First Insect Museum in Sabah

You will also be able to visit the very first Insect Museum of Sabah at the Park. There, you will see a great diversity of butterflies in various shapes and colours. The museum has over 500 butterflies and over 3000 beetles. It also showcases some very rare endemic species recently discovered by scientists.

Butterfly Enclosure

Special enclosures have been constructed to house some of the rare and endangered orchids and pitcher plants in Sabah.

Native Orchids

These botanical collections allow specialists to study the more than 500 species of native orchids, which are known to be extremely rare and therefore, difficult to find in the forest.

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Copyright@2012 Kota Kinabalu Tourism.Com.
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