Kota Kinabalu's Unduk Ngadau 2012 (Part 2)

Unduk Ngadau owes its origin from the part of the KadazanDusun genesis story which pertains to the sacrifice of Huminodun, Kinoingan's only daughter. The Unduk Ngadau which derives its name from Tunduk do Tadau which means "Zenith of the Sun" crowned in the 'afternoon' completed the meaning of the Kaamatan (Harvest) Festival as the Unduk Ngadau is indeed the Tunduk which can grow and be the new shoot. To this day, the KadazanDusun people have included the Unduk Ngadau Pageant as a grand part of their Kaamatan Festivals. It is a manifestation to the deep sense of respect...

Kota Kinabalu's Unduk Ngadau 2012 (Part 1)

The KadazanDusunMurut (KDM) Kaamatan festival (also called Harvest Festival) is perhaps the most indigenous and grandest festival in Sabah. Merry celebrations are held at all levels commencing from the kampong (village), then the district and climaxing at the state level. To the KDM, the Kaamatan festival is particularly significant as it marks the occasion to thank God for their bountiful harvest and for His generosity in prolonging life on  earth. It is also an occasion where the promise of friendship and brotherhood is renewed through mutual forgiveness as manifested in the open-to-all sharing-caring Kaamatan festival. In every Kaamatan...

Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIFF) 2012

Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival (KKIFF) is an annual event in KK and this year, 2012, is its 4th year. KKIFF states that this year it will be organizing an even more exciting and memorable event. The event, to be held from 08 to 14 June, will provide to the people of Kota Kinabalu exciting opportunities and be able to enjoy various international and local movies while increasing their knowledge on film-making. Firstly, it will be showing several foreign films from countries such as France, Japan, Germany and the Philippines. Secondly, a filmmakers’ competition called ‘Links5’ (which it...

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...

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....