There are no wonders in the world! Walking outside all year round, you can always encounter formal things, such as the monkey I am going to talk about today. Proboscis monkey, scientific name: Nasalis larvatus, the world's only Southeast Asian Island of Agarimantan is an animal, its biggest feature is a large and long red nose, the name of the proboscis monkey is derived from its large nose. As an endangered species in the world, there are only a few thousand proboscis monkeys living in the mangroves off the coast of Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia. The trip was a privileged walk into the Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary to photograph this exotic species up close.
Cold Leaves was photographed in Sabah, Malaysia.
Labwan Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary is located in Lab Bay, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia. It is understood that the entire reserve covers an area of more than 600 hectares and is inhabited by nearly 400 wild proboscis monkeys. From downtown Sandakan, it can be reached by car for about 50 minutes. The reserve costs 60 RMB per person, and the staff will feed the proboscis monkeys on time at 11.30 a.m. and 16.30 p.m. every day, which is also the best time to observe the monkeys.
Although it is in the protected area, there is also a simple boardwalk, but this jungle is still quite primitive, do not see the shadow of the monkey, but occasionally you can hear some monkeys hissing, walking on the road is inevitably a little nervous, afraid of one or two from behind you, grab your things.
Finally, after walking for a long time (maybe the road is not that long, but because of my anxiety), I came to the core of the reserve. There are several special feeding tables here, and it is also a restaurant for proboscis monkeys. It is said that the main purpose of feeding is to protect them, for fear that they will not be found in the wild or will not be able to grab food, resulting in a further reduction in the population.
As the meal time approached, there began to move on the branches in the distance. In a tree, I found a legendary proboscis monkey that was very cautious and seemed to be observing something. At first I thought they were afraid of human interference, but after being introduced by the staff, I realized that it was not humans who were wary of other populations, because the struggle between proboscis monkey populations was happening all the time.
The proboscis monkey has a yellow-gray coat, although it is a wild monkey, but it is clean and smooth, and it can be seen that the proboscis monkey loves to be clean. They also have a long tail that feels longer than its body to ensure that they can move freely through the bushes. And, of course, the big, long nose that almost covered its mouth.
The male proboscis monkey's nose grows larger and larger with age, eventually forming a large red nose like an eggplant. They are said to stand up or shake their noses when they are excited. The nose of the female proboscis monkey is relatively positive, so the distinction between male and female proboscis monkeys only needs to look at the nose.
In addition, the larger the nose of the male proboscis monkey, the deeper the sound emitted, which can attract more female monkeys, so the monkey king's nose is particularly large, so the wives and concubines are flocked. On the other hand, if the nose is too small and too ventilated, it is estimated that it will have to be beaten with a single stick.
As a national treasure of Malaysia, locals believe that the proboscis monkey is the most handsome monkey in the world, not only because it has neat hair and a big nose, but more importantly, the male monkey is bright red and has been in a state of excitement. Among them, the most obvious feature is the Monkey King, which is said to be like this for 24 hours, and once he falls, the monkey king's status cannot be saved. Such a scene also made the female tourists present blush when they saw it.
In the reserve live two colonies of proboscis monkeys, one group is led by a monkey king with a group of female monkeys, and it is said that the female monkeys in the whole reserve follow the monkey king. The other group consists of the rest of the male monkeys and is known as the "pure male group". Their members often challenge the Monkey King to compete for the Monkey King's place, so monkey fights have been staged in the reserve.
The newly born males in the Monkey King group are herded into the "pure male group" once they reach adulthood, and these strong male monkeys become the most powerful contenders for the Monkey King. The Monkey King is often replaced throughout the reserve, and it seems that the competition for the throne is also quite fierce.
The Lab Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary has a dedicated viewing area where visitors can get a closer look at the life of the proboscis monkeys. They are not afraid of humans, and sometimes even walk into the viewing area, but you don't have to be afraid, as long as you don't provoke it won't attack you. Overall, it is a very good tourist experience to learn more about this strange and endangered animal, the proboscis monkey.