[Leica] Borneo - Wildlife

Jayanand Govindaraj jayanand at gmail.com
Mon Apr 30 08:18:50 PDT 2018


When we landed in Sandakan, we were whisked off to our lodge, which was
right next to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. The facility is
contiguous with the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, so orangutans being
rehabilitated, those that are completely rehabilitated and wild orangutans
visit the place at mealtime (morning and afternoon). Some of these
photographs are of orangutans that were rehabilitated here, and some are of
wild ones that dropped in for some bananas....

Upside Down:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180410-014.jpg.html

Banana:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180410-074.jpg.html

Backlit:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180410-082.jpg.html

Profile:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180410-047.jpg.html

Suspicion:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180411-371.jpg.html

Veil:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180411-350.jpg.html

Hanging Out:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180411-379.jpg.html

Next to Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is the Bornean Sun Bear
Conservation Centre, which has been set up in 2008 due to the vision and
drive of Wong Siew Te, a young and highly articulate man, who is the
perfect cheerleader for this endangered bear. It is called a "Sun Bear"
because of the white markings on its chest, which supposedly resemble the
Sun. These two bears are being readied for reintroduction to the wild:

Chest Marking:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180411-195.jpg.html

Bornean Sun Bear:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180411-178.jpg.html

I think it is important to pay a visit to these two centres, as you will
never see Orangutans so close in the wild, and probably, unless very, very
lucky, never see a Bornean Sun Bear at all! Unlike a zoo, you pretty much
see them in their natural habitat within a forest reserve.

Another distinctive species endemic to the island of Borneo is the
Proboscis Monkey. Like all fauna here, it has been hit very badly due to
deforestation due to logging and plantations. They hang out at river edges
with flowing water - these are at the Kinabatangan River:

Proboscis Monkey:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180412-2148.jpg.html

The Crossing:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180412-3262.jpg.html

Silhouette:
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Sabah/wildlife/Malaysia-20180412-2168.jpg.html

Please see LARGE

Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome

Cheers
Jayanand


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