Although it is possible to drive from Sandakan to Sakau, we travelled by boat instead. We crossed the Sandakan Bay and then travelled through a channel though the mangrove forests until we reached the Kinabatangan River. We then travelled up the river until we reached Sukau.
The boat.
Travelling through the mangroves.
Fishing village in the mangroves.
Headed up the Kinabatangan River. The Kinabatangan River is the second longest river in Malaysia. Most of the forest along the river is secondary forest, meaning that it has been cut sometime in the past.
Wait, what's that along the shore??!!??
Holy cow!! It's a Borneo Pygmy Elephant!! By this time I was so excited I could barely work my camera. Luckily, the elephant was quite happy to feed along the river bank which gave me lots of chances to try to take its picture.
Borneo Pygmy Elephants are now thought to be a sub-species of the Asian Elephant. You can learn more about them by looking at the website from WWF at the bottom of the page.
Heading back into the forest. Silly elephant! Doesn't he know that elephants belong in the savannah?!?
Not too long after we saw the elephant it started to rain so hard that they had to lower the "blinds" on the side of the boat so that we could no longer see too much. It really didn't matter to me becuase I was still happy thinking about the elephant!
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/elephants/asian_elephants/borneo_pygmy_elephant/
Hey, really glad that you had a good time with Borneo Eco Tours in Sukau, Sandakan.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed very lucky to spot on a BPE enjoying her elephant grass along the river bank. This endemic species left only less then 1500 in North Borneo.
Nice blog !