Malaysia: Part trois
Another Birthday week spent looking for wildlife in southern Malaysia. 4 days spent in Taman Negara searching for the elusive wild tapir and 5 nights spent in the highlands looking for a variety of herps and mammals.
At Taman Negara, we arranged to take the boat for 45 mins to the start of a jungle trail, we then spent over an hour trekking through rough terrain to the Kumbang Hide, famed for its Tapir sightings. There have been several sightings over the last decade and it did not disappoint.
We managed to see both a male and female Tapir, several times throughout the night, we took turns sleeping in shifts. We then were lucky enough to see both animals courting by the clay lick.
When looking for the tapirs, remember to keep noise and light levels to a minimum. We used a spotlight to scan the open field every 10 minutes or so, but if you are looking specifically for the Tapir, you will definitely hear them before seeing them. They make a loud slurping when using the clay lick that can be heard very clearly from the hide. Here are some other photos from Taman Negara.
As always the highlands did not disappoint as we saw reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and mammals galore! Most of the time, when we visit this area we are lucky enough to see Siamang. This time I got to spend my birthday listening to their majestic calls whilst tracking them through the forest. Siamang are reasonably easy to locate once you hear them calling, your best bet is to go out before sunrise to areas that they have often frequented, wait for them to start calling, then narrow down your search area before they go silent and move off to get their early morning meals. We also had a really good view of the white- thighed surillis (langurs), they often forage along some of the main roads leading to villages.
Here are a selection of photos....