Endangered EXOTICA!

The author takes us on an exotic ride into the forests of Malaysia, allowing us glimpses of the beauties of its wildlife!

- JAN FLEISCHMANN

A proboscis monkey throws itself between the trees of Borneo at the Kinabatanga River in Sabah, Malaysia. This magnificent monkey is subject to large-scale poaching. The noses and penises of the males are used in traditional East Asian medicine.

Those who hunt proboscis monkeys often come from poor families. If they are caught, they can be fined 10,000 Ringgit (about 1,74,240.60 INR) and can be imprisoned for three to four years. “The Government is trying to get the hunters to work for nature conservation instead of serving prison terms,” says the camp manager and guide Jai.

The fate of these colourful monkeys touches me deeply. During the safari there, with Malcolm Petrie, an experienced Australian traveller, I also encountered Borneo´s other elusiv species such as the orangutan, a baby python, during a jungle walk in the night, Borneo´s mini elephants, monitor lizards, the estuarine water crocodile, a green flying frog, hornbills, and three species of the civet.

I stay five nights in a large guest house in the forestry area of Deramakot and two nights in a jungle camp at the Kinabatanga river, where we meet the Australian couple Amy Jackson and Paul Whittock.

In Deramakot, the wildlife are tracked on jeeps, and on foot, while on the Kinabatanga river there are short boat safaris.