The Star 24 Jul 11;
SANDAKAN: The Sabah Wildlife Department and Danau Girang Field Centre have fitted a satellite tag on a proboscis monkey in the Kinabatangan region as part of its conservation initiative for the primate endemic in Borneo.
The department's director Dr Laurentius Ambu said this was the first time in Borneo that a proboscis monkey was tagged with a satellite device.
"It is the start of a long-term research and conservation programme initiated by our department and the Danau Girang Field Centre and funded by Sime Darby Foundation," he said in a statement here Sunday.
Ambu said the programme was extremely important for the conservation of the proboscis monkey, an endangered species in Borneo.
He said one of the outputs would be the presentation of results at an international workshop on the conservation of proboscis monkeys in Borneo that would be organised in Kota Kinabalu at the end of the programme.
"We fully appreciate the support of Sime Darby Foundation for this programme as well as the Malaysian Palm Oil Council and Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort which support our Wildlife Rescue Unit involved in fieldwork," added Ambu.
The department's Chief Wildlife Veterinarian Dr Senthilvel Nathan said the 24kg male was caught by members of the Wildlife Rescue Unit and Danau Girang Field Centre personnel during the course of a proboscis monkey programme last week.
The programme was a collaboration between the department, the field centre and Cardiff University.
"We will catch proboscis monkeys in the whole state to collect blood for genetic analyses and parasite identification, saliva for viruses and bacteria, ectoparasites and morphometric data.
"We will also fit 10 individuals with satellite tags in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary," added Nathan.
Meanwhile, the field centre's director, Dr Benoit Goossens, said the satellite tagging was to fully understand the ranging patterns of proboscis monkeys and the "stressors impacting their movements and density."
This was to determine the adequate amount of habitat available in order to sustain a continuous viable population in the Kinabatangan region, he added.
One of the objectives is to identify the effectiveness of conservation corridors versus simple river buffer and to produce a model that can be used in conjunction with other projects.
It is also to report on the effective conservation development of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. - Bernama
Monkey gets a satellite collar
Roy Goh New Straits Times 24 Jul 11;
KINABATANGAN: Sabah's wildlife preservation programme marked another milestone when a proboscis monkey was the first of its species to be tagged with a satellite device.
It was the eighth animal tagged, either with a satellite device or a radio collar this year in the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary here and the Danum Valley Research Centre in Lahad Datu.
A state Wildlife Department team coordinated the operation, which was jointly carried out with the Danau Girang Field Centre with funding from Sime Darby Foundation, in an effort to learn more about the species and find better ways to preserve it in the wild.
The other species tagged were a slow loris, a tarsier, a crocodile, a clouded leopard, a sun bear and an elephant.
Department director Dr Laurentius Ambu said it was the first time a proboscis monkey was tagged on the island of Borneo, the only place where the species is found.
"This programme is vital for the conservation of the proboscis monkey in Sabah, an endemic and endangered species in Borneo."
Its chief veterinarian Dr Senthilvel Nathan said the tagged monkey was a healthy 24kg male.
"We will catch more proboscis monkeys to collect samples of blood for genetic analysis and parasite identification, saliva for viruses and bacteria, ectoparasites and morphometric data.
"We plan to tag 10 animals in the sanctuary."
Danau Girang director Dr Benoit Goosens said the satellite tagging would allow them to track the ranging patterns of the wildlife and its movements.
"This could help determine the adequate size of the habitat available to sustain a continuous viable population in the Kinabatangan region.
"We also want to identify the effectiveness of conservation corridors versus a simple river buffer and to produce a model which can be used in conjunction with other projects."
