Page 81 - World of Animals - Issue #31

Wild Borneo

Travel expert

Catherine Capon is an environmentalist and wildlife filmmaker at
the eco-friendly holiday provider, Responsible Travel
“One thing most rated in Borneo is its weird wildlife. It’s
worth heading into Indonesian Kalimantan, whose jungles
must be navigated by river. Long-limbed orangutans are
the huge draw, but proboscis monkeys – only found here –
are the perpetual crowd pleasers.
The Malaysian state of Sabah is one of only two places on Earth where
ten primate species are found. Dawn and nocturnal tours along the
Kinabatangan River are among Borneo’s most tranquil experiences and
they allow you to cruise through a forest filled with monkeys, elephants, Horsfield's tarsier

rhinoceros hornbills and orangutans – kick back and watch it all float by.”
2 A night safari offers the
Paradise flying snake best odds of witnessing

More 'falling with style' than flying, the paradise this tiny, otherworldly-

looking primate's lethal
flying snake navigates the forest by slithering to the 3 hunting technique. It uses

end of a branch and propelling itself off, whereupon sound to locate prey such
it flattens its body out, allowing it to glide distances as birds and insects in

of up to 100 metres (328 feet).
the dark, before springing
Bornean orangutan as far as two metres (6.5
Orangutans are the Malaysia feet) to catch its dinner.
largest tree-dwelling apes Sumatran rhinoceros
in the world, and are 1 Sadly, this small, dual-
found exclusively in Asia. horned rhinoceros seems
Bornean orangutans have doomed to extinction;
darker, shorter hair than Indonesia 4 threatened by poachers
their Sumatran relatives, and habitat loss, less than
and are less sociable.
100 wild individuals remain
on neighbouring Sumatra,
Map key and there are just a
1 Bako National Park, Sarawak handful of survivors found
2 Mount Kinabalu National Park, Sabah in east Kalimantan.
3 Danum Valley Conservation Area, Sabah 5
4 Kutai National Park, Kalimantan Sunda clouded leopard
5 Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan
There are no tigers on Borneo, so
in their absence this agile leopard,
What you need to know equally at home on the ground
or in the trees, is the island's
When to go largest predator. Until 2006 it was
The dry season (April to November) is considered a subspecies of the
the best time to visit if you want to see mainland clouded leopard.
orangutans, while July to September offers
the best visibility for diving.
How to get there
Malaysian Borneo has several international
airports. Change at Kuala Lumpur or Hong
Kong to reach Kuching or Kota Kinabalu.
For Kalimantan, travel onward to Pontianak.

What the weather will do
November to March is the ‘wet’ season, but
the tropical monsoon climate means you
should prepare for rain at any time. Expect
sweltering temperatures all year round too.
What to take
Borneo is in a malarial zone and the risk
increases in rural areas, so take a course
of anti-malarial tablets. Sunscreen and
mosquito repellent are essential, too.

What you’ll see
Although much of Borneo’s rainforest has
been destroyed, what remains continues to
amaze; all kinds of life can be found within,
from tiny frogs to great apes.

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