Proboscis Monkey is the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 Mascot
This was also officiated at the dinner gala for the World Tourism Conference 2013 in Melaka on the 21st October.
Daruk Seri Nazri had concluded his WTC 2013 speech which led to the
official announcement to over 600 people at the Hattan Hotel Grand
Ballroom in Melaka. Many were caught unaware of this unique primate
which can only be found on the island of Borneo.
Proboscis Monkey Visit Malaysia Year Mascot
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| A juvenile Proboscis Monkey |
Seri Nazri initiated the launch gambit by inserting a special VMY2014
Card into a slot which opened the center stage to reveal three Proboscis
Monkeys who came out to surprise of the audience here.
Specially
tailored costumes of the primates were created for this event where the
monkeys danced on the stage inviting the tourism minister to participate
along.
A video presentation on the highly protected primate was followed
with a brief introduction to the media and audience.
is a very unique monkey due to its habitat where it survives on a very
unique vegetarian diet of leaves from selected mangrove trees.
The large
nosed monkeys are commonly found around Sabah and Sarawak near mangrove
areas and usually in groups.
Where Can You See Proboscis Monkeys?
Sabah, they are spotted at places along the Kinabatangan River, Labuk
Bay in Sandakan and also the Klias River near Kuala Penyu which is about
two hours from Kota Kinabalu city.
There are also other parts of Sabah
where thee monkeys can be spotted. A number of tour operators cater to
tours and trips to see the Proboscis Monkeys.
In the
neighboring state of Sarawak Malaysia Borneo, the Proboscis Monkey can
be easily seen at the Bako National Park which is only two hours from
Kuching.
There are also other coastal areas where the primate can be
seen around the mangrove areas. These monkeys are endemic to the island
of Borneo and you cannot find them in Peninsular Malaysia or anywhere
else in the world which makes seeing them a very unique experience.
They
are also known not to survive in captivity and this also makes viewing
them in the wild more interesting.
Below are various photographs of the actual Proboscis Monkeys taken by me on my various trips around Sabah and Sarawak Borneo in the last two years. There are males, females, families and even a dominant Proboscis Monkey.
Photos of Proboscis Monkeys in Malaysia
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| A fairly large male Proboscis sits and eats along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah |
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| Dominant male Proboscis Monkey |
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| Mother and baby Proboscis Monkey in the wild |
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| Proboscis eating in the wild |
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| Family of Proboscis Monkeys in Labuk, Sabah |
A number of tour operators sell packages to see them in your nature tours and they are best seen in the mornings or evenings. You can book tours from reputable tour operators in either of these states so see you in Malaysia next year.
While some of you may not know, next year is VMY 2014 and you may be asking on Why Visit Malaysia?
Again, this is the first time that the highly endangered Proboscis Monkey is the Visit Malaysia Year Mascot, and I hope that you as a tourist will get to see them in the wild.
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