Malaysia: Proboscis monkeys fitted with satellite tags released

STEPHANIE LEE The Star 26 Oct 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Two male proboscis monkeys were released after being fitted with satellite tags in a bid to understand the movements and living condition of the species.

The project was conducted by the Sabah Wildlife Department’s (SWD) Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) and Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) at the Tempasuk River area of Kota Belud, some 65km from the state capital.

The effort was to ensure a sustainable and viable proboscis monkey population in Sabah, said director of DGFC Dr Benoit Goossens.

“Therefore, it is vital to understand the ranging patterns of the species and the factors impacting their movements, as well as the density in the main habitats used by these highly endangered primates,” he said.

He added that they had previously collared 11 proboscis monkeys in the Kinabatangan between 2011 and 2014, and it was time to set up satellite collars in an area domina­ted by dense and high-quality ripa­rian forest in Kota Belud on the west coast of Sabah.

“Proboscis monkeys live mostly in mangroves and along large ri­ver habitats that are under huge anthropogenic pressure (example, shrimp farming, housing, etc) and require total protection if we want the species to strive in our state,” said Goossens.

Most of the tourism activities around proboscis monkeys are concentrated in the Kinabatangan, with the exception of Klias Bay.

“It is therefore important that we also concentrate our conservation efforts on the west coast, and increase mangrove protection along the coast, especially around Kota Belud and Pitas,” added Goossens.

Likewise, SWD director William Baya said the project was extremely important for the conservation of the proboscis monkey in Sabah.

The project is funded by Sime Darby Foundation (Malaysia) and Margot Marsh Biodiversity Founda­tion (United States).