A Visit to Sukau

In the sweep of an eye, a storm stork glides across the sky, few dozens pigeons roost nearby, like tiny sparks off the sunset and just ahead of us a heard of massive elephants charmed us with their social display. From a distance, loud bellowing calls of the proboscis monkeys can be heard. We sat completely still in our wooden boat, masticating all the wonders that nature has to offer. Abang Man, one of the 5 field assistants in the botanical team, noted that we were quite lucky to have seen them on our first day of visit. Indeed it was a rare and spectacular sight to behold! To me, it was a captivating display of affection, a welcoming gesture to Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

It was a bumpy ride to Sukau and it took us altogether around 7 to 8 hours of journey. Upon reaching KOCP (Kinabatangan Orang-Utan Conservation Project) station, Hassan, also a botanist, made a friendly remark by saying "I thought you guys were plantation workers coming!" glancing at the old rackety pickup we rode. Isabelle, the director of KOCP led us to her cozy home. Little did we know that our one-month stay would lead us to the road of discoveries and acquisition.

Waking up at 5.30 in the morning was a bit hard for us at first, but it was something to look forward to. I guess one thing that made our trip memorable was the immense equanimity you get here. Think of Sukau and what image conjures? Our stay gave us a tiny peek to that question. Apart from being a sanctuary, one picture that simply define the Kinabatangan region is the idyllic setting it gives, particularly during the cruise down the mighty river. The Kinabatangan river, stretching to 560 km in length, sets a juxtapose to its guests; being wild and serene at the same time.

Everything seems silently still in the morning except for the humming of the boat propeller. From afar, beyond the horizon of the river, the sun sat majestically on his throne, painting the sky with a pale opalescent crimson. The thud of the craft anchored at the river bank draws us back to consciousness. Then, not far ahead, appear a refuge - a refuge in every sense of the word. We sat foot to the home of the red apes. It's very important to be in the study site before they wake up. Through experience, we came to know how tiring it is to search for lost orang-utans. It's a strenuous job to do: trudging in knee deep mud then hiking up hills with long heavy boots - a daily routine. The greatest reward one can gain at the end of it all, is the personal satisfaction to have a glimpse of that remarkable creature Isabelle and her allies are fighting to save. The sight of Jenny embracing Etin in her arms simply gave a profound feeling on the beholders. That alone, is enough to convince that they have atavistic feelings just as we humans do. Hugues, a visiting friend of Isabelle's correlates a belief that the French have on orang-utans. They believe that the red apes were once humans which went to live in the forest to escape the jostling and disturbing way of life. To me, that summed up the reason why the six of us decided to come here in the first place.

Being the largest district in Sabah, Kinabatangan comprises 288 sq. km stretch of land whereby 70% of it, like other places in Sabah, has been dictated to oil palm plantations, as Wildlife Ranger Syedy Sunjin put it. Most of the forests are extremely degraded. But it is these fragmented forests that many endangered wild creatures and their generations depend their survival upon; thus, giving more the reason why intensive measures are needed to protect it. According to Isabelle's study, the density of orang-utans in her 4-5 sq. km study site is much higher, 3-5 individuals per sq. km compared to undisturbed habitats which is 0.5 - 2 individuals per sq. km. Her findings discredit the idea that orang-utans are only confined to primary forests. Apart from that, the Kinabatangan region is also special in the sense that it is home to 10 primate species. Fresh water sharks and rays have recently been discovered here. No other part of the world bear such uniqueness. The last species of water shark in China has been extinct 120 years ago.

We were trekking for wild elephants when William Joseph, a WWF employee goes by saying that the forest is like a big, compendious book. It congregates all tiny fabric which create the very beautiful tapestry of life. We are sincerely indebted to Dr. Isabelle Lackman Ancrenaz, Dr. Marc Ancrenaz and all friends whom had given us an opportunity to have a look on that fascinating book, an intriguing adventure that gave us a deep comprehension to the vast marvelous richness of nature, hence life.