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Welcome To
KINABATANGAN
FLOODPLAIN
PAGE-SUKAU
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Logging has become an important source of income in the
1900’s and clearing of Kinabatangan River bank creates
another great place for agriculture such as palm oil
plantation. But it was a threat to the habitat for many
rainforest species. In that period itself, forest fires
occurred during the dry weather resulted unhealthy air
conditions, which further stressed the biota and rainforest
habitats. The local Governments are now monitoring and
enforcing laws more strictly in order to prevent the
rainforest destruction.
The lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary was announced as a
“Gift to the Earth” by the Chief Minister of Sabah on
November 16, 1999 and also giving its commitment to fully
gazette and protect the 26,000 hectares of wetlands as
wildlife sanctuary. On January 15, 2002, Sabah’s Chief
Minister launched “Kinabatangan - A Corridor of Life”. The
Lower Kinabatangan wildlife Sanctuary is gazetted as a Bird
Sanctuary under the State Land Ordinance. A second
gazettement under the Wildlife Conservation enactment is
under way to turn it into a permanent wildlife sanctuary to
be managed by the Sabah Wildlife Department.
Flora and
Fauna
The Kinabatangan is one of only two known places on earth
where 10 primate species can be found. These include the
orang utan, long tail macaques, pigtail macaques, silver
leaf monkey and several species that are endemic to Borneo,
such as the Proboscis Monkey, the Maroon Langur and Bornean
Gibbon. It is believe that the hunted Estuarine Crocodile -
the largest crocodile species in the world - has become
extremely rare, but can still be seen along the riverbanks.
The area is inhabited by at least 50 mammal species, and
also serves as home to rare and endangered animals such as
the wild Asian Elephant and possibly the Sumatran Rhino,
which is on the verge of extinction and was last recorded in
the area in 1993. Others that recorded are Bearded Pigs,
rare oriental small-clawed otter, moon rats, Island flying
fox, small bats, lesser mouse deer, prevost’s squirrel,
Malay badger, binturong and civet cat.
Much of the Kinabatangan remains a mystery. Sharks and rays,
usually thought of as sea creatures, live in freshwater in
the Kinabatangan but little is known about them. The plant
and animal life along the river has yet to be fully studied.
Patient visitors will be rewarded with the sight of
hornbills and orangutan, and occasionally with glimpses of
crocodiles or herds of elephant.
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