The Proboscis Monkey - A Hidden Treasure

The proboscis monkey above is a rare and endangered species of primates found exclusively in Borneo. They primarily live in mangroves, because of their specialized diet of mangrove leaves. Brunei Bay has an extensive network of mangrove habitat, and most of Brunei's proboscis monkey population live in the mangroves of Brunei's capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan, and its surrounding mangrove islands.

Locals call them 'Benkatan' and 'Orang Belanda' (literal meaning, Dutch man). They are very shy and very elusive, and are not easily detectable by humans, and therefore, many regard seeing one a special moment since the chance comes rarely.

For the ecotourists who wishes to observe these monkeys quietly, one can take a boat ride from the jetty near the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex, and ask the water taxi driver if he knows a good place to observe proboscis monkeys.

Here are some DOs and DON'Ts of monkeysighting.

DO

• Do choose a water taxi which make the least noise as possible, as to avoid scaring them.
• Do be in a small group when observing them, with two people per boat ride only.
• Do be as silent as possible when you reach there.
• Do bring a pair of binoculars, just in case you cannot observe the monkeys using the naked eye.

DON'Ts

• Don't choose a fast water taxi. The noise it make will alert the monkeys to human presence.
• Don't bring a large group. Proboscis monkeys are shy to humans and a large group can stress them.
• Don't make noises when observing the monkeys. (This rule applies when watching any wild animal)