Big noses and hairy backs

The trip to Bako National Park started with a 45 minute bus ride out of town at 7 AM, followed by a 20 minute boat ride on the Sarawak River. It was already really hot (34 C) and humid by the time we arrived for day of hiking. Bako contains seven different habitat types with each trail traversing several of them. Barney was keen to do the longest of these hikes but I was a little doubtful about my ability to do it in the heat. We decided to start off by trying a short hike (only 800 m) through the jungle and were joined by Petra and another Australian woman named Amina. It was steep, steamy, slippery, and slow and took an hour to complete. We saw no wildlife because we were too busy clinging to vines and climbing over roots to look around. We were soaked with sweat by the time we were done but thankfully emerged on a beach. Barney talked to a local boatman and arranged for a ride along the coast for a bit where we could get onto another trail. This trail was quite a bit easier but still a challenge in the heat. We saw several species of the carnivorous pitcher plants but no wildlife.

After 5 hours of hiking we conceded that we’d had enough and headed back to the little restaurant at the park headquarters. We’d been warned about the long-tailed macaques but it wasn’t long before one of them pounced onto our table and stole our lunch. We at least got some reward by being able to watch him trying to work his way into the plastic bag and extract the buns. And just as we were getting ready to leave we caught a glimpse of a Bornean bearded pig.

We spent our last hour searching for the proboscis monkeys that the park is known for. We were very lucky to find several within viewing range and got a clear look at their very unusual large noses. Quite delightful but decidedly odd. We were also incredibly fortunate to have one of the local men point out a gliding lemur that was extremely well camouflaged as it clung to the side of a tree. They are nocturnal so the chances of seeing one are very low. It was about 30 cm in length and had lovely big black eyes. Overall it was a great day and well worth all the sweating.

Pictures from Bako...

Bako

Sounds of the jungle....




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The next morning Henry drove Barney, Petra and I out of town to visit the Semenggoh Wildlife Park which is an orangutan “rehabilitation” centre. See the link below for more information. The park is set up so that visitors can spend an hour there while the orangutans are being fed. Apparently they eat and then make beds in the trees (a new one every time) where they spend the rest of the day. Feeding time is the best opportunity to see them at close range. They are wonderful animals to watch – especially the young ones with their moms. Their hair is a rich red-brown and surprisingly long. The sunlight added a warm glow to their backs as their large muscular hands and big agile feet worked together to rip apart the coconuts.

Link: http://www.sarawakforestry.com/htm/snp-nr-semenggoh.html

Pictures of the orangutans...

orangutans