My trip around Malaysian Borneo could not be complete without visiting monkeys who live in Labuk Bay. The place where they are staying is quite specific, because it is not a reserve and it is not a shelter or a zoo. Located several kilometers from the main road. We got there by hitchhiking - and here I must admit that the Malaysians are very polite. Have stopped cars 3 times and smoothly each time. Animals live there in the wild, in a piece of natural jungle. As you know, almost all of Borneo is already eradicated for the cultivation of oil palms - horror!
These white regions are palm oil plantations - Don't buy palm oil products, you are contributing to the death of orangutans, proboscis monkeys and anything that stands in the way of the fire - yes, this is the favorite way of clearing the jungle.
Proboscis Animals are an endangered species!
But there was one good Malaysian, the owner of a large area, who decided to help the monkeys, and at the same time earn money from the monkeys. 2 times a day for the so-called The platforms built on his farm come to the Nersons with whole families, attracted of course by free food and goodies. Unfortunately, it is not certain whether the tourist will see this show, because the animals are quite independent, and if they have a whim, they will not come for feeding. Fortunately, we hit their good day and thanks to that we didn't throw around 60USD down the drain;)
Some dry facts
Proboscis monkey (Nasalis larvatus) - a species of monkeys from the family talapidae (Cercopithecidae). It stands out from other monkeys with its characteristic nose.
The male has a prominent, cucumber-shaped nose at the end, in old males it is up to 10 cm and hangs down. The female's nose is smaller and directed upwards. Of medium build, an adult male weighs 16-22 kg, a female weighs 7-12 kg. The male body is up to 72 cm long, the female - up to 60 cm. The length of the tail slightly exceeds the length of the body. The color of the back and shoulders is pink, red to brown. The limbs and tail are gray.
lifestyle
They lead mainly an arboreal lifestyle. They are most active from late afternoon to dusk. They feed on leaves, fruits and seeds. They also eat small invertebrates. They live in small, permanent groups of males and several females. Such groups form a loose herd of up to 30 individuals. They do not show territorial features. They swim and dive well.
After 166 days of pregnancy, the female gives birth to one monkey, which she stays with her for about a year. Males reach sexual maturity at the age of seven.
It's definitely a female
And it's definitely a male;)
They are very sympathetic animals, calm and gentle, it is worth getting to know them closely, which we did too :)
short movie - what are the proboscis babies talking about? :D (please watch with sound)
I invite you to my YT channel for the full movie from the stay at the Borneo sanctuary in Labuk Bay, subscriptions are welcome :)
Have fun reading and watching :)
