Tourists are answering the call of the wild as they head over to Sandakan for its sanctuaries dedicated to preserving nature’s denizens.
Tourists in Sandakan attracted to animals in their natural habitat
SANDAKAN: Wildlife tourism has become the latest crowd-puller in the Sandakan district.
One of the main attractions is the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary located in a private oil palm plantation in the Semawang mangrove forest, about 48km from the Sandakan city centre.
Droves of foreign and domestic tourists visit the sanctuary to take a closer look at the unique animal with an unusually large nose.
The conservation centre was built by the plantation owner, who found the monkeys living in the mangroves by the sea. He built the centre after getting advice from the relevant authorities.
Two wooden platforms, A and B, have been built in the area to serve food such as cucumber slices and “pancakes” to the animals.
The platforms are two kilometres apart to avoid a clash between different groups of monkeys.
Travel guide Mohamad Jonathan, 35, said monkeys eat the leaves of the mangrove trees in the area, and the food on the platform is only given to supplement their diet.
There was no guarantee that visitors would see the animals during the prescribed feeding times, he said. But he said visitors who came to see the monkeys were usually not disappointed.
“I am happy to see the monkeys, my duty is to give them food and the tourists who come to the sanctuary get to see them,” said Mohamad, who has worked in the sanctuary since 2008.
Visitors, he added, were not allowed to touch the wild animals, even if they were approached by them. Another wildlife tourism attractions synonymous with Sandakan is the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC) situated about 18km from the city.
Here, visitors can take a closer look at orang utans during their feeding times at 10am and 3pm every day.
Workers at the conservation centre operated by the Sabah Wildlife Department place vegetables and bananas on a platform during those times.
Efforts to conserve the endangered species are at the forefront of the centre and billboards educating the public on the importance of safeguarding the national treasure can be seen all around the district.
Situated next to the SORC is the Borneo Sun Bear Conservation Centre set up in 2008, which allows visitors to take a closer look at the species listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the World Conservation Union’s Red List.
The 2.5ha centre houses more than 40 sun bears, and provides various facilities to the animals along with nutrition and rehabilitation to help bears return to their natural habitat.