World Heritage Status to Benefit Carnivore Survival in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia

Joint Press Release from Sabah Wildlife Department, International Union for Conservation of Nature - IUCN and Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.


Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia 23rd June 2011: The Sabah State Government is taking steps to secure Maliau Basin, Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon in perpetuity by applying for joint World Heritage status for all three Conservation Areas.

“The reason behind this is simple, we want to protect our forests so no future corrupted politician can take it away,” stated Datuk Masidi Manjun, who disclosed the decision of the State Cabinet at the opening of Part II of the 1st Borneo Carnivore Symposium (BCS) held at Shangri-la's Rasa Ria Resort on 23rd June 2011.

Masidi, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Tourism, also stressed that it is crucial to protect Sabah’s forest and wildlife to benefit future generations and ensure its position as a tourism destination.

“Eventually, tourism will be the number one earner for Sabah and people will come from all over the world to see Sabah’s nature and it makes business sense to protect our jungles,” said Masidi.

In his speech, Masidi addressed delegates representing 15 countries and comprising scientists, conservationists and representatives from Government agencies coming together during the one week long Symposium to work towards the future survival of Borneo’s 23 carnivore species.

According to scientists at the BCS, the areas being put forth by the State Government are also home to the very mysterious and endangered species of carnivores such as the Borneo Bay Cat (Pardofelis badia) and Hose’s Civet (Diplogale hosei).

“The Borneo Bay Cat is found only in Borneo and has been recorded by camera traps as being in Danum Valley at relatively high frequency compared to other areas in Sabah,” said Andrew Hearn of Oxford University’s WildCRU.

The first photograph in the wild of the Borneo Bay Cat was taken only in 2002 in Mulu National Park in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, another elusive carnivore, the Hose’s Civet was not found during any camera trap surveys in the lowland of Eastern Sabah including Danum Valley, but was found instead only in Maliau Basin, which is the most “eastern” record of this species.

“This highlights the fact that it is probably found in low densities and supports the notion that it is restricted to the highland forest of Borneo,” added Dr Jerrold L. Belant, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group who presented the introduction to Bornean carnivores during the opening ceremony.

This in turn, points to the fact that it is crucial to protect different types of forest that support different communities of both wildlife and plant life diversity.

“Maliau Basin, Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon are part of the larger contiguous forest concession area belonging to the Sabah Foundation. This area as a whole is vital because it has different types of forest types such as lowland and highland and supports a number of different species,” elaborated Dr. Laurentius Ambu, the Director of the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD).

Ambu said any change of forest landscape within this Sabah Foundation area has to take into account such factors and provide for corridors and setting aside of High Value Forests such as those of Maliau Basin, Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon.

“The extremely high conservation value of this three areas cannot be maintained without thought being put into having buffers and corridors to connect them should the Sabah Foundation clear parts of its concession areas for monoculture such as oil palm,” cautioned Ambu.

The Symposium was organised by the SWD, IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Cat, Small Carnivores & Otter Specialist Groups and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research from Germany.
Funding and support was provided by a dedicated group of partners and sponsors; Benta Wawasan Sdn.Bhd., British Ecological Society, Chester Zoo / North England Zoological Society, The Clouded Leopard Project, Columbus Zoo, Flora Blossom Sdn. Bhd., Houston Zoo, Karl Mayer Foundation, KTS Plantation Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia Airlines, Nashville Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Shared Earth Foundation, The UsitawiNetwork, Wild Cat Club, WWF – Germany, WWF – Malaysia.

Putera William dan Catherine Middleton, riang dan gembira melawat Lembah Danum, Sabah, 15 September 2012

Raut riang kegembiraan jelas terpancar di wajah Prince William dan isterinya Kate Middleton di Danum Valley, Lahad Datu, Sabah, pada Sabtu, 15th September 2012. Kate nampak tidak terjejas dengan kontroversi gambarnya yang disiarkan sebuah majalah Perancis dan disedari pasangan diraja ini semalam, Jumaat 14 September, 2012 ketika masih berada di Kuala Lumpur.


Jika anda berkunjung ke Hutan lembah Danum dekat Lahad Datu, Sabah maka inilah pemandangan terindah yang pasti dikenang sampai bila bila. Anda harus bangun seawal 5 pagi dan naik menara pemerhatian untuk melihat hutan tropika berusia 130 juta tahun ini diselubungi kabus dan awan, bak salju mendakap minda. Hutan Danum lebih tua dari hutan Amazon di Amerika Selatan.

This is the famed view of Danum Valley pristine rainforest, older than Amazon rainforest in Latin America, majestically covered by mist, can be seen early morning from an observation post.







Kate Middleton jika dilihat dari dekat, memang lawa, cantik dan anggun. Namun hatinya hanya boleh dimiliki oleh seorang Putera Raja dan pewaris Tahkta Britain. Kalau setakat lelaki biasa bujang terlajak atau teruna trang tang tang yang mau beli rokok pun susah, enggak bisa mengorat si Kate dong hehehe..... kecuali Kate dari zombie kg Pisang!!!










Duke dan Duchess of Cambridge, Putera William dan isterinya Catherine Middleton yang dalam lawatan empat hari ke Malaysia, siang tadi melawat pusat konservasi hutan simpan lembah Danum dekat Lahad Datu, Sabah pada Sabtu 15 September 2012.

Lawatan ke lembah Danum yang dilakukan sejak pagi hingga ke petang tadi, bagi melihat dengan lebih jelas usaha Malaysia khususnya Sabah, dalam program pemuliharaan hutan hujan tropika.

Pasangan diraja British itu tiba Kota Kinabalu malam tadi, jmumaat 14 September 2012 sebelum diraikan dalam majlis resepsi dihoskan kerajaan negeri bersama ketua menteri Sabah Datuk Seri Musa Aman di hotel penginapan di Tanjung Aru.


Dan awal pagi tadi, Putera William, pewaris tahkta Britain selepas ayahnya Charles dan Catherine atau Kate menaiki helikopter Sabah Air yang dipandu juruterbang berpengalaman, Kapten Naru Kiob (gambar atas yg pakai tie), ke pusat konservasi lembah Danum, yang menempatkan pelbagai spesies flora dan fauna serta diiktiraf antara hutan hujan tropika tertua di dunia.






Inilah canopy walkway yang menakutkan!!!

Untuk rekod, hutan Danum yang berusia 130 juta tahun dikatakan lebih tua daripada hutan Amazon di Amerika Selatan.

Di sebalik kontroversi gambar percutian pasangan di raja ini yang disiarkan sebuah majalah Perancis, sehingga mengundang tindakan saman, mereka kelihatan ceria sepanjang lawatan ini.

Sejurus tiba, pasangan diraja ini diberi taklimat di pusat luar lembah Danum yang menyediakan kemudahan penyelidikan saintifik hutan tropika Asia Tenggara dengan kerjasama Royal Society London.

Lebih 300 penyelidikan sudah dijalankan di sini termasuk oleh pelajar jurusan Sarjana dan Doktor Falsafah dari Universiti terkemuka Britain seperti Cambridge.

Putera William dan Kate kemudiannya meluangkan masa kira kira 45 minit melakukan "jungle walk" selain melawat makmal penyelidikan.

Persinggahan seterusnya ke canopy walkway berupa perjalanan merentasi hutan Danum, melalui titian khas sepanjang 300 meter, mencecah ketinggian 26 meter dari tanah.

Lembah Danum seluas 438 kilometer persegi, terletak 82 kilometer dari Lahad datu, diuruskan Yayasan Sabah, menjadi contoh program pemuliharaan hutan di dunia.

Antara tarikan di sini, keindahan hutan yang diselubungi awan pada awal pagi.

Hutan simpan Lembah Danum dikelaskan hutan terlindung kelas satu, terletak di kawasan hutan yang belum terusik ekosistemnya.

Kawasan ini menjadi habitat 125 spesies mamalia, 72 reptilia, 300 spesies burung dan 56 amphibia.

Termasuk spesies dikategorikan terlindung sepenuhnya iaitu orang utan, badak sumatra, monyet belanda dan gajah pygmy.

Dianggarkan 4,000 orang utan menjadikan hutan lembah danum sebagai habitatnya, menjadikan ia habitat terbesar primate itu di Borneo.

Program pemuliharaan di lembah danum bertujuan memastikan kelangsungan hutan hujan tropika dan hidupan liar, untuk generasi akan datang.

Pasangan diraja itu kembali ke Kota Kinabalu lewat petang tadi dan menginap di sebuah pusat peranginan 5 bintang di Tanjung Aru sebelum meneruskan siri lawatan ke luar negara sempena jubli intan pemerintahan Ratu Elizabeth Kedua ke kepulauan Solomon, awal pagi esok.


Ketibaan William dan Kate di lapangan terbang Kota Kinabalu pada Jumaat 14 Sept 2012, disambut gadis berpakaian tradisi Sabah termasuk kaum Rungus ini.


Ketika di Kuala Lumpur, Kate Middleton sempat bertemu pemenang pingat perak Olimpik London 2012 dan Beijing 2008, Dato Lee Chong Wei dan Pandelela Rinong, gangsa Olimpik London terjun 10 meter platform.

All the best William and Kate, God save the Queen.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, toured Danum Valley, Sabah, East Malaysia, September 15th, 2012 despite furore over topless pictures of the Duchess

The British royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton in Danum Valley, Lahad Datu, Sabah, Saturday, 15th September 2012









This is the famed view of Danum Valley pristine rainforest, older than Amazon rainforest in Latin America, majestically covered by mist, can be seen early morning from an observation post.


The visit as shown on Malaysian TV




The royal couple were greeted warmly by the indigenous people of Sabah upon arrival at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Sabah, East Malaysia on the evening of Friday, 14th September 2012.


Flashback, while in Kuala Lumpur, Kate Middleton chit chatted with 2 Malaysian Olympic medalists, Lee Chong Wei - double Olympics silver medalist, 2008 and 2012 and partially seen here is Pandelela Rinong, Bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, 10 metres paltform.


Prince William and Kate on board a Sabah Air Helicopter piloted by the experienced Kapten Naru Kiob, en route to Danum Valley, Sabah, East Malaysia.


























This is the scary part of Danum Valley, crossing the 300 metres canopy walkway, at 26 metres high from ground level!!


Prince William and his wife toured a forest in eastern Malaysia Saturday amid a tempest and furore over the publication of topless photographs of Kate by a French magazine, Closer.

Shortly after arrival in Danum Valley, about 1,850 kilometres east of Kuala Lumpur, the royal couple was briefed by scientists about efforts to conserve and protect one of the world's few remaining virgin forests.

Throughout the visit, Prince Charming, William and his wife Catherine put on a brave face and smiling all the way.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the pristine Danum Valley rainforest in Malaysia's Sabah state, as part of the Queen's diamond jubilee celebrations.

Ignoring the furore caused by the publication of the pictures by the French magazine Closer, the couple spent 20 minutes trekking through the rainforest wearing long-sleeved safari-style shirts, khaki pants and thick boots to keep out the leeches.

Despite the controversial photos, the humidity and fact she was dressed down, Kate looked unruffled and grinned throughout, clearly enjoying their stroll through the jungle.

Announcing a world exclusive, French Closer magazine invited readers, via its website, to pick up the new edition and enjoy "the photos that the world can't wait to see the Duchess of Cambridge topless on a guesthouse terrace". The pictures were apparently taken while the British royals were on holiday in France last week.



Splashed on the front cover and inside on five pages, many of the grainy photos feature what appears to be Catherine wearing just the bottoms of a black and white bikini and looking so fit that the magazine said "Victoria's Secret angels can stand aside."

In a swift move, St. James Palace fired off a statement condemning the photos:

"Their Royal Highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner. The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to the duke and duchess for being so. Their Royal Highnesses had every expectation of privacy in the remote house. It is unthinkable that anyone should take such photographs, let alone publish them."

Officials aside, the topless paparazzi photos have already provoked outrage from British media, and UK papers will likely refuse to print the pics in the same way that many outlets -- save for the Sun, which eventually relented -- declined to post the Prince Harry nude photos.



Now back to the royal pair visit to Danum Valley. The Duke and Duchess were then winched up a 117-foot (35-metre) tree to a canopy walkway, where they crossed a wobbly Indiana Jones-style bridge to witness up close the jungle paradise in which a new species of frog was discovered two years ago.

They were then fitted with special harnesses and helmets in a private room before being hoisted 138ft up into a giant parashorea tomentella tree using a “counterweight pulley system” which had been set by rope access technicians to their combined weight, believed to be 150kg.

Despite venting their anger in a statement on Friday which spoke of the magazine’s “grotesque and totally unjustifiable actions”, the Duke showed he was determined to maintain a sense of humour.

As they waited in their harnesses at the base of the tree, the Duke looked at his wife and quipped: “Girls don’t have the same wardrobe malfunctions as men do. I hope I don’t have any wardrobe malfunctions.”

The Duchess, appearing somewhat apprehensive as she looked upwards at her route of ascent into the jungle canopy, said: “I’m going to go “whee” and just fly up.”

The Duke then asked the rope technicians at the base of the tree: “Is it ok to squeak as we go up?”

Simon Amos, the rope access technician who oversaw their ascent up the tree, said: “It’s the closest anyone will ever get to time travel. What they are seeing is exactly what it would have looked like 150 million years ago as there has never been an ice age here. It is as if time stood still.”

Suspended in the air, with sweeping views over the top of the jungle canopy, they were greeted up the tree by Kalsum Yusah, 32, from Sabah, who completed a PhD in entomology at Cambridge University two years ago and is now based at the field centre.

Miss Yusah said: “They just said it was such a surreal, totally unique experience up there because they had never been up in the canopy.

“They enjoyed it immensely and they weren’t scared of the heights. They asked about the primates, birds and insects and they were interested in how the forest is sustained.

“They enjoyed it because it gets them into the midst of the canopy, where there’s nothing much else going on.”

After spending around 10 minutes up in the air, they were lowered back down to the ground, with wide smiles, clearly amazed by what they had seen.

“That was rather surreal, wasn’t it?” said the Duchess. “It was amazing, such a treat, really brilliant to be up there. I could have stayed up there for hours, even though there were a lot of ants.”

The Duke wryly joked that even high up in the jungle canopy, he could not escape a photographer who had been positioned high up in an adjacent tree. “We saw a spy in a tree,” he said, before thanking the rope technicians: “Thank you for keeping us safe, that was super.”

The relatively untouched valley is home to endangered orangutans, clouded leopards, elephants, sun bears and sambar deer. The royal couple, however, were not lucky enough to spot any of the rainforest's larger inhabitants.

They had earlier flown by helicopter to the jungle - recommended to them by Prince Charles - from Sabah's capital Kota Kinabalu.

William is a Fellow of the British Royal Society, which runs a research station dedicated to studying the rainforest in the Danum Valley.

During the trip they visited the station, where they were briefed on ongoing conservation activities in the area.

"Their trip to Sabah is focused on rainforest conservation. Going to Danum will provide them with a unique insight into it and also the work of the Royal Society," a British High Commission official told the media.

The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak occupy the northern portion of the island of Borneo, which is shared with Indonesia and Brunei.

Borneo's unique biodiversity is threatened by logging, palm oil cultivation and other development that leads to deforestation. The Sabah rhino is just one species close to extinction, say forestry officials.

The young royals are touring the globe throughout 2012 as part of celebrations marking the 60-year reign of William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.

William and Kate will this weekend move on to the Solomon Islands and later visit the island nation of Tuvalu.

There were no scheduled public functions until they leave for the Solomon Islands early Sunday, 16th September 2012, which coincides with Malaysia Day.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge learned about the topless photos on Friday, 14th September, 2012 while in Kuala Lumpur.

The royal couple immediately launched legal action for breach of privacy against the publishers of Closer magazine in France.

The editor of the French gossip magazine dismissed the suit and said the photographs of Kate sunning herself on a balcony wearing only bikini pants with her husband were "in no way degrading."

The magazine said the images were taken on September 5th, at the castle of Viscount Linley, a nephew of Queen Elizabeth.

The publication came one month after a British tabloid ran photographs of Prince Harry naked in a Las Vegas hotel.

God save the Queen.

Danau Girang Field Centre, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia, welcomes its third batch

Group picture of Cardiff University students and lecturers at the Danau Girang Field Centre recently.



Cardiff University lecturer, Dr. Ian Vaughan shows student Stephanie Johnson how to ring a bird during a recent study visit to Danau Girang Field Centre.



Cardiff students observing elephants from a boat during the field course.



Cardiff students using a big shot to set up butterfly traps in the canopy at Danau Girang Field Centre.

Kinabatangan, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia : 26 July 2010: Sabah Wildlife Department’s (SWD) field centre located in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain welcomed its third batch of Cardiff University’s students since the centre opened its doors in July 2008.

Twenty-one second year biology students embarked in a two-week field course focusing on primate communities, bird ringing, butterfly ecology, amphibian and small mammal diversity, and forest ecology.

“Danau Girang is the first field centre set up by the Sabah Wildlife Department, with support from Cardiff University, and it starts to attract more attention from overseas academic institutions,” said SWD Director Dr Laurentius Ambu.

One of the highlights of the field course was the bird ringing activity led by Dr Ian Vaughan, a lecturer and ornithologist at Cardiff University. Since 2008,167 understorey birds were captured and 131 individuals from 30 different species were ringed.

“The main aim is to reveal the assemblage of bird species that use the forest floor and understorey, and to provide some information about their relative densities and movements within the forest,” said Vaughan.

“During the second week of the field course, the students designed their own project and worked in pairs or trios in the forest, looking at butterfly density, comparing density of small mammals in riparian forest, semi-inundated forest and oil palm plantation, looking at abundance and species richness of lizards and amphibians in riparian and semi-inundated forest, and investigation distribution of primates along the river in relation to the proximity of oil palm plantations,” said Dr Benoit Goossens, director of Danau Girang Field Centre and one of the lecturers involved in the field course.

“A troop of 50-60 elephants which stayed in the vicinity of the field centre for several days were the cherry on the cake for the students”, added Goossens.

“The Cardiff students were so lucky to visit Danau Girang as part of their degree, they loved all the different activities on offer: bird ringing, primate survey, frogging, - even facing their fears on the new canopy viewing platform! They were treated with many incredible wildlife sightings – from tarsiers to elephants – and I thoroughly enjoyed showing off this amazing place to them!,” said Jennifer Shepperson, a Cardiff University student and volunteer at DGFC.


The 21 students went back to Europe with plenty of wonderful souvenirs and their head full of images of the rich biodiversity that Sabah harbors in its forests: “My expectations were massively exceeded... just goes to show how incredible this place really is,”

“Memories that will last a lifetime...amazing place, amazing people,” “The landscape is breathtaking, the experience one-of-a-kind, and the people have been wonderful and extremely friendly,” “From baby elephants to a tarsier I am very lucky to have experienced this wonderful place,” and “A truly inspirational 2 weeks. I have seen so much wildlife and have learnt so many new things and just generally had so much fun!” were the few quotes from the students before they left the Kinabatangan.

“These field courses aim at providing yearly assessment on biodiversity present in the highly degraded forests of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and help the Sabah Wildlife Department to manage it”, concluded Goossens.

World’s Most Endangered Otter “Rediscovered” in Deramakot

The “rediscovered” hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) photograph taken by an automated camera trap set up by the Conservation of Carnivores in Sabah (ConCaSa) project. Photo copyright of Mohamed & Wilting, SWD, SFD.



A close up of the “rediscovered” hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana). Photo copyright of Mohamed & Wilting, SWD, SFD.



A photograph of the otter civet (Cynogale bennettii), note another automated camera trap on the opposite side. Photo copyright of Mohamed & Wilting, SWD, SFD.



A photograph of the banded civet (Hemigalus derbyanus), note another automated camera trap on the opposite side. Photo copyright of Mohamed & Wilting, SWD, SFD.


World’s Most Endangered Otter “Rediscovered” in Deramakot

Photos/text : HUTAN - www.hutan.org.my

Kota Kinabalu, 25th July 2010: The world’s most endangered otter species known as the hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) has been “rediscovered” in Deramakot Forest Reserve in Sabah by a collaboration of German and Malaysian researchers.

“This is great news for Sabah and shows once again how unique and fortunate we are in terms of wildlife and nature. In addition, these findings also boost the conservation of this endangered otter internationally as historically this otter was distributed throughout large parts of southeast Asia,” said an elated Sabah Wildlife Department Director, Dr. Laurentius Ambu.

The last confirmed record of the hairy-nosed otter in Sabah is a museum specimen collected over a hundred years ago.

“Even over the whole island of Borneo the last record – a road-kill from Brunei – was 1997, over ten years ago. Therefore it was unknown to scientists if this species can be still found on Borneo,” stated Andreas Wilting, the project leader of the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW).

In 2008, IZW initiated the Conservation of Carnivores in Sabah (ConCaSa) project with the collaboration of SWD and Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) to study carnivores such as the Sunda clouded leopard, civets and otters in the State.

The ConCaSa project used automated camera traps that were set up in Deramakot and the surrounding forest reserves during the last two years. As the different otter species look very similar the hairy-nosed otter pictures had first to be verified by a number of experts before they were published recently by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission journal.

In addition to capturing camera trap pictures of the endangered hairy-nosed otter, the study also confirmed the presence of all five Bornean cat species, 13 other small carnivores such as the Banded civet and the sun bear.

“These results mean that out of 25 known carnivore species in Borneo, our project, together with a Japanese researcher Hiromitsu Samejima, confirmed 20 in Deramakot. This makes Deramakot outstanding for being extremely rich in its diversity of carnivores,” explained Wilting.

Besides pictures, ConCaSa also obtained the first videos footages ever taken for some species such the otter civet (Cynogale bennettii).

Since 1997, Deramakot Forest Reserve has been managed by the SFD as a sustainable logged forest with the coveted Forest Stewardship Council certification.

“These findings show that long-term sustainable forest management is of great importance for the protection of some of this country’s most threatened species and of the unique biodiversity of the forests of Borneo,” shared Datuk Sam Mannan the Director of the SFD.

One of the next steps in the conservation of Bornean carnivores is planned to be the 1st Borneo Carnivore Symposium [http://www.fwrc.msstate.edu/borneocarnivoresymposium/ ] in Kota Kinabalu, in June 2011.

This symposium organized by the SWD, three IUCN/SSC Specialist Groups and the IZW will be a landmark international meeting bring together scientists, Government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGO) working on the protection of the Bornean carnivores to ensure their survival.


* Source: Andreas Wilting, Hiromitsu Samejima and Azlan Mohamed. 2010. Diversity of Bornean viverrids and other small carnivores in Deramakot Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia. Small Carnivore Conservation. 42. 10-13.

Two videos; Otter Civet, Sunda Stink-badger (http://www.smallcarnivoreconservation.org/scc/Volume42)