Wild Bearded Pigs are taking Advantage of Oil Palm Plantations in Sabah

Wild Bearded Pigs are taking Advantage of Oil Palm Plantations in Sabah

The endless stretches of palm oil plantations may please the eye of cultivators but they have been ecological disasters in Sabah. Across much of Malaysia plantations have replaced once thriving thick forests with monotonous ranks of cultivated palms where few wild species can survive. Some species like water monitor lizards,…

Why the Long Nose on Proboscis Monkeys? It’s about Showing Off!

Why the Long Nose on Proboscis Monkeys? It’s about Showing Off!

Proboscis monkeys are most famous, just as their name suggests, for their bulbous noses. The critically endangered primates are endemic to Borneo, where locals have long marveled at their protuberant facial appendages, which can grow to as much as 14cm in some of the males and which make the monkey…

Kudos to Jackie Chan for being Ready to Rumble for Pangolins

Kudos to Jackie Chan for being Ready to Rumble for Pangolins

Critically endangered pangolins now have a new champion in China and Vietnam, the two countries where “the world’s most trafficked mammals” are sought most for their scales and meat. That champion is movie superstar and martial arts master Jackie Chan. In a short video entitled “Kung Fu Pangolin” and recorded…

The “Bridge to Extinction’ in Sabah has been Cancelled. Hallelujah!

The “Bridge to Extinction’ in Sabah has been Cancelled. Hallelujah!

Ladies and gentlemen, chalk one up for conservationism in Malaysia. And a big one too: The government of Sabah has decided to scrap the construction of a controversial bridge over the Kinabatangan River inside the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary. Many locals had been campaigning for the new 250m bridge, insisting it would…

Save Sabah from losing its Biodiversity

Save Sabah from losing its Biodiversity

Sabah is a hotspot of biodiversity, but the state is losing much of that very biodiversity, and fast. In fact, Sabah’s wildlife is already a mere shadow of its former self because of destructive human activities. Many local politicians openly acknowledge that much. Among them is Pang Nyuk Ming, assistant…

Conservationist Decries planned ‘Bridge to Extinction’ in Sabah

Conservationist Decries planned ‘Bridge to Extinction’ in Sabah

A new bridge and a new road. They might be a boon in most places, but not in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, where any new infrastructure will likely pose a clear and present danger to resident animals. And so conservationists have duly raised the alarm about the prospect of a controversial new bridge and…

Lower Kinabatangan fire raises Alarms

Lower Kinabatangan fire raises Alarms

The cloud of smoke billowing over the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Sabah in mid-July looked plenty ominous. For hours on end “blinding smoke enveloped long stretches of the Lower Kinabatangan, which is meant to be Sabah’s prime wildlife watching eco-tourism destination,” reported The Daily Express. It remained uncertain how…