The “blessed” Dutchmen of the mangroves
The Creators finishing touch? Visi ng Borneo a while ago was something I had been looking forward to all my life. As one of two islands that host the iconic Orangutan Borneo had always been a marked spot on the globe in my mind. But besides the great ape of Asia the island hosts many other amazing and appealing mammals, like clouded leopards, pigmy elephants, sun bears and the very rare Sumatran rhino and Borneo bay cat to name a view. The biodiversity is so high that it almost feels like the Creator saved His “best for last” in a final masterpiece.
“You will see the magnitude of the Palm Oil Plantation running up the hill in the back change the Bornean landscape has undergone due to Palm Oil Planta ons”
The “greasy” reality
Unfortunately, many of the astonishing animals of the island are threatened due to habitat loss, as a result of palm oil planta ons or poaching. I haven’t been able to see all the animals above unfortunately and as a Wildlife fana c I really hope I won’t be too late when I come back in the future. This will be a posi ve story, about using the forest as a business model while s ll standing. But I do have to say that it is very hard to avoid the sadness of lost paradise when you visit Borneo. Once you take a bus and drive across the Island you will see the magnitude of the change the Bornean landscape has undergone due to Palm Oil Planta ons. Funny enough I didn’t find any good pictures of the planta ons once back home. But I did take some from the bus and I do want to share one. Just a regular glance through the window results in the view above. Rows and rows of palm trees as far as you can see. And knowing that most of it is The Oriental Pied Hornbill former primary rain forest does at least give you an idea of what has been lost. The “blessed” Dutchmen of the mangroves
A special warm up To see one of the beau ful animals that is completely unique to the Island I had to go and find visit a sanctuary in a mangrove area called “Labuk Bay”. A place on the edge of the palm oil planta ons. As soon as you arrive there you are first welcomed by several other very interes ng locals. A very beau ful coloured animal is the Oriental Pied Hornbill. A large bird with, as the name suggest, a very large striking beak and a very nice call. A bird that fits perfectly in your average fantasy of paradise! A second land lord here is the silvered leaf monkey or Silvery Lutung. With it’s beau ful grey, silvery fur and it’s A Silvery Lutung up close intriguing facial expression with a mix of affec on and cau ousness, it’s a beau ful animal to watch And a great warm up before the arrival of the star of the show.
“As I closed my eyes I heard screaming monkeys fleeing into the trees trying to escape a clouded leopard”
A flirt with the past Having all the animals and insects around me in a man made sanctuary really made me start to fantasise about what the place must have looked like before man marched in. As I closed my eyes I heard screaming monkeys fleeing into the trees trying to escape a clouded leopard. A group of Pigmy Elephants moves in from through the bushes to share a drinking place with a Sumatran rhino while a few infant Orangutans play in the trees screaming and shou ng just like kids would as they chase each other over the river. An Orangutan mum throws out a warning to behave a li le and the li le ones run off. Could this image come back in the future?
Dutch Monkey Business I wake up from my day dream by the sounds a scream. And it’s not alone. I turn my head to the direc on the sound is coming from. And as I watch the bushes I get a Jurassic Park
A Proboscis family
The “blessed” Dutchmen of the mangroves
flashback. The part where the bushes start moving first before the big shocker comes. Except this is not a big man ea ng prehistoric rep le but a big group of small leaf eaters luckily. A er about a minute I get my first glimpse of the reason I’m here. The Proboscis or Long Nosed Monkey. A bizarre looking monkey species with a very dis nct large nose. Where other monkey and ape species all have a rather round face with a modest nose. The Proboscis has a very different look. It wears it’s nose like a crown. It does not want you to look around it. It wants you (or at least the sexy females or hot boys of the group) no ce it! Especially The dominant male showing off the adults and not surprisingly most of all the adult and dominant male.
Not coincidently the locals named the species Orang Belanda, or “Dutch Monkey”.
Proboscis monkeys belong to the sub family of Colobine Monkeys. And for a Colobine monkey their diges ve system is a lot larger than for their cousins. It exists of different compartments and uses specific bacteria to digest and neutralise (toxic) leaves. Making them able to survive on a menu of only plants. This fact makes their bellies very large and round giving them a Burgundian look. Not coincidently the locals named the species Orang Belanda, or “Dutch Monkey”. Referring to the shapes of noses and (beer) bellies of the Dutch colonisers some centuries ago. I’m pre y A female adult screaming out to the group sure the Dutch hoped that other features would have led to an
The “blessed” Dutchmen of the mangroves
animal being named a er them. The proboscis monkey has an orangey brown fur and a long tale. You can pick out the dominant male easily. It has the biggest belly and nose of the whole group. I have to say it’s a very impressive large monkey in general. One of the evolu onary tales about their noses is that a larger nose creates a larger and more impressive call. And which female doesn’t want to be seen next to the guy that completely blows the jury away when he opens his mouth? As you can see in the picture those are not the only two features that stand out constantly.
A Good Samaritan In the sanctuary at Labuk Bay with the guarantee of seeing the monkeys it is easy to forget how rare it is to see these animals. Only na ve to Borneo and seriously under pressure due to habitat loss for palm oil planta on hun ng for tradi onal medicine. Like many of us the Proboscis monkeys of Labuk Bay needed a lucky brake and they found it in the blessing of a Good Samaritan. Ironicaly it was the local planta on owner that saved this group by sparing the area and crea ng a sanctuary like this for people to watch them. The fragmenta on of their land makes a place like this necessary for their survival. But it is very important they have done so and it is a good thing that as many people as possible see the Orangutans less known but just as beau ful neighbours. My hope is that strong efforts will be made in the future to secure not only their survival but also the expansion of their territory so that they can roam somewhat freely again through what is factually their home just as much ours. So go see them and spread the word and share their story! And dive into the topic of palm oil to see how you ca make a change. Below you can find some links to start with:
More informa on:
On Palm Oil: h p://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/agriculture/ palm_oil/ h ps://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/ng- interac ve/2014/nov/10/palm-oil-rainforest-cupboard- interac ve Conserva on: h p://www.worldlandtrust.org/projects/malaysia Labuk Bay: h p://www.proboscis.cc Status: h p://www.iucnredlist.org/details/14352/0
Resignation or confidence?