26Jan

Astro to broadcast duo’s unique Sabah adventure

Bio Channel (Astro 731) will be broadcasting a new documentary titled "Shoot for the Sky" featuring the journey of two photographers, Jonathan Tan and Cede Prudente, to photograph the world's oldest tropical rainforest from the air in Borneo. Cede, 47, is an award-winning local professional photographer, author and conservationist, while Jonathan, 27 is the other photographer noted for his landscape photography.   They will attempt to photograph Sabah from the air and attempt to capture never before documented visuals from the air.   The locations they have chosen include mangroves on the Sandakan coastline, Semporna islands, reefs and home of the sea gypsy and Mount Kinabalu.   To do this, they first have to learn how to fly. See how they master the skill of flying their paramotor. Then follow them on their breathtaking adventure.   As Cede and Jonathan travel via the paramotor, they will offer viewers and extraordinary vantage point to appreciate the beauty of Borneo's tropical rainforest.   With limited flying experience, their journey has been a bumpy one.   Will they succeed against constantly changing weather patterns, mechanical failures and tricky terrain, will they succeed in flying to the peak?   All of this is combined with as much danger and excitement you would expect from an adventurer flying off into the unknown.   Join Cede and Jonathan on a journey of a lifetime.   The encore for the documentary will be on Feb 26 at 11am, Feb 27 at 10pm and March 4 at 7pm.   Source: Daily Express
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26Jan

New Lahad Datu tourism attraction soon

The Lahad Datu Tower of Heaven (Menara Kayangan Lahad Datu), standing 33 metres on Mount Silam, 10km from the township, will be opened to the public next month or March. The observation tower overlooking the picturesque Darvel Bay is set to be a new attraction for the district, which is already serving as the gateway to key natural attractions like Tabin and Danum Valley.   At 880m above sea level, Mt Silam is the highest point in Lahad Datu and forms part of the Sepagaya Forest Reserve. The observation tower was built by the State Forestry Department.   Its Director, Datuk Sam Mannan, also announced the recent publication of a pamphlet that will serve as a quick guide to the natural wonders of Mt Silam.   "The guide provides an overview of the different forest types found in Silam and the rich and unique plants and animals that they support.   In the pipeline is an interpretation centre as well as a two-kilometre nature trail to the summit of Mt SilamÉthis facility will further enhance the role and the capacity of the Forestry Department in catering to nature education," he said.   The tower construction was funded by the Federal Government at a cost of RM1.8 million, under the RM1 billion economic stimulation allocation to Sabah.   Mannan also showed a pocket booklet recently published by the department entitled Birds of the Heritage Amenity Forest Reserve.   It is a photo compilation of 48 bird species commonly observed within the 7-hectare man-made forest surrounding the Forestry Department headquarters in Sandakan.   "When greening work began in 2002 to convert this former rubber plantation to a forest patch of mixed species, birds were far from mind.   As this planted forest grew in stature, the increasingly active bird life caught my attention," he said.   Today, the seven-hectare Heritage Forest comprises 137 largely native tree species.   "As more and more natural habitats disappear, such small patches of forest are becoming increasingly important oases for birds to nest, breed, take shelter, and feed," he said.   Source: Daily Express
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26Jan

Gaya Street to hold City Day heritage exhibition

Reminisce and learn more about Gaya Street, known as Bond Street in the past, with ‘Bonding with Gaya Street’ programme will be held at Lintasan Deasoka and Gaya Street on February 11 and 12. Bonding with Gaya Street is a community heritage exhibition co-organized by City Hall and North Borneo History Enthusiasts (NBHE) in conjunction with Kota Kinabalu City Day celebration.   NBHE is a group on Facebook that was created by Beaufort entrepreneur Justin Sunam Wong on May 7 last year, whereby its members comprise history enthusiasts dedicated to discovering, preserving and sharing the rich heritage of Sabah.   Organizing chairperson of the programme, Datin Fazar Datuk Arif, said it is Gaya Street’s 61st anniversary this year. Many might not know that the first 17 shophouses built along an area called Bond Street are what we know as Gaya Street now.   On the communal level, the organizers will be collaborating with Gaya Street shop owners to host mini exhibits which include stories, photographs and artifacts contributed by the public for Gaya Street’s community heritage and history.   The exhibition will encompass the Gaya Street area, including an ‘A Go Go’ inspired concert called ‘Together Again’ to celebrate our veteran musicians and musical heritage.   “NBHE’s creative team intends to set Gaya Street abuzz from February 2 with the community heritage exhibition.   “The launch of the event and soft launching of a coffee table book will be on February 11, with the ‘Together Again’ music concert charting the popular musical journey of Sabah circa the 50s, and 60s in the evening,” said Fazar.   NBHE encourages members of the public to participate in the event by contributing their personal stories and photographs of Gaya Street. Stories and photographs can be emailed to bergaya2012@gmail.com, with full name and contact details included for accreditation purposes.   A collection dropbox with an on-location photocopier machine will be set up specifically for public contribution purposes at Kedai Kopi Sen Chong Wah on Gaya Street. The dropbox will be open from 11.30am to 6pm, Monday to Sunday.   NBHE needs old photographs depicting a variety of subjects from weddings and babies, to fashionable youngsters, at the cinema, music band photos, depictions of banking, shipping and commerce, architectural details of old shops and life around Gaya Street in general.   For more information, visit NBHE.blogspot.com or email to bergaya2012@gmail.com.   Apart from ‘Bonding with Gaya Street’, the Ctiy Day celebration includes the launching of City Carnival by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai on Feb 3, at 7pm at City Square. The carnival will begin every Friday and Saturday from January 20 onwards with the aim to liven up KK Waterfront and to promote the City Square as a popular nightspot. Stalls selling local products will start operating from 5.30pm to 2am while entertainment performances will start from 7.30pm to 10.30pm.   In a press conference yesterday, Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir said a total of 12 events have been organized to celebrate the 12th City Day anniversary.   Abidin added that all the events will be litter free.   There will also be free movie shows ‘Sammy’s Adventures’ on Feb 12 and ‘Spy Kids 4′ on Feb 19, 10.30am at GSC Suria. To obtain free tickets, please contact Elizabeth Borubui at 088-521800.   Meanwhile, the 11th KK Tourism Treasure Hunt 2012 will be held on June 10. The event is jointly organized by City Hall and Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, Sabah, and around 150 teams nationwide are expected to take part in the activity.   Other activities include Mount Kinabalu Climbing Expedition by City Hall Enforcement Department in January, Bacaan Surah Yasin, Tahlil and Doa Kesyukuran ceremony on Jan 31, a parade and flag-raising ceremony on Feb 2, 7.30am, at Padang Merdeka, KK City Day Karate Open 2012 from Feb 24 to 26 at Kota Kinabalu Community Hall, Seventh International Sabah Open Dart Tournament 2012 from March 2 to 4 at City Hall, City Run 2012 on April 1 at Padang Merdeka at 7am, and Open Bowling Championship from May 25-27 at CPS Bowl, Centre Point Sabah.   Also present at the press conference were deputy director-general (corporate) of City Hall, Bahari Haji Hassan, director of Corporate Affairs Department of City Hall, Faradillah Hj Abdul Rani, and Kapitan Chin Tek Ming.   Source: Borneo Post
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26Jan

Baby elephant rescued in plantation

Sabah Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU) has rescued a male baby elephant estimated to be merely a few weeks old in a plantation 40 km from the town. The abandoned baby elephant found in a deep moat was unable to come out of it at the plantation, Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) director Dr Laurentius Ambu in a statement.   “The SWD team was informed of the trapped baby elephant by plantation workers who asked for assistance,” he said.   He added rescue members caring for the baby elephant reported that the calf was suffering from severe dehydration.   It also suffered a lot of cuts and abrasion on its body.   “Our WRU veterinarian, Dr Diana Ramirez and rangers have given it massive amounts of fluids and treated the wounds.   Even though its condition seems to have improved, it still needs critical and constant care to improve and survive.   “Presently, we have a veterinarian and four staff caring for the baby elephant in the 24-hour intensive care.   We are hoping it can survive for the next 72 hours as this will increase its chances of survival.” Dr Ambu said the rescue of the baby elephant was very special as it occurred near the Chinese New Year.   “The rescue came just weeks after the rescue and helicopter airlift of a very rare Sumatran rhino on Christmas day.” The female rhino, Puntung, now resides at an interim facility at the Tabin Wildlife Rescue.   Dr Ambu also commented that in the recent Sabah Wildlife Conservation Colloquium, the conservation status of the Bornean Pygmy elephant was promoted to totally protected.   With the status upgrade, anyone caught killing and hunting the animal faces a mandatory jail sentence of six months and a fine of RM50,000.   Aside from that, SWD will be establishing Sabah first Bornean Elephant Sanctuary (BES) in Kinabatangan with her conservation partners — Malaysian Oil Palm Council and Borneo Conservation Trust Japan (BCT).   “The elephant situation in Sabah is quite critical as there are only 2,000 individuals left in the wild.   Their habitat is also severely fragmented by agricultural and human activities.   There is also an increase in human-elephant conflicts resulting in more elephants being killed and orphaned elephants rescued.   BES was established primarily to help the species and the rescued baby elephants.”   He also explained that it was very uncommon for elephants to abandon their calf due to their strong maternal instincts.   “The baby elephants are not only cared by the mother but also their older siblings and other adult females in the herd.”   Source： Borneo Post
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26Jan

Capturing the beauty of Borneo

HE MAY have spent some 20 years in Malaysia but travel writer David Bowden is still able to appreciate the beauty of this country. His 80-page book Enchanting Borneo captures the beauty of Sabah and Sarawak, and also Brunei and the Indonesian state of Kalimantan.   He has also added some text to describe the people and places, imparting just enough useful information for readers.   Bowden wrote his first book, My Backyard, 25 years ago. It was set in Australia and was aimed at encouraging children to be environmentally-conscious.   “My background is in environmental studies. I wrote My Backyard to encourage kids to look at their own backyards and look out for plants, animals and insects.”   Bowden was then a specialist teacher who taught environmental studies and geography Sydney. His job was to take children into the Australian bush for camping and hunting so that they can learn all about the environment.   When he joined national conservation trust, WWF, 20 years ago, one of his first jobs involved some work in Sabah where he visited places like Turtle Island and Mount Kinabalu.   “It was fantastic. My connection to Borneo goes back about 20 years. Not that I’m an expert on Borneo but I go there regularly.”   Bowden has since been based in Malaysia and lives here with his Malaysian wife and their daughter.   He said whenever he went travelling, he would take pictures, and previously as a teacher he would use his pictures to illustrate the lessons he taught.   “For example, when teaching geography, I would show my pupils pictures such as farmers growing rice.”   He said there was an occasion when a publisher wanted to print a geography textbook and needed pictures of rice farmers. Bowden offered his pictures and was paid for them.   “I thought that was cool. After a while, I was selling my photographs.”   Bowden later realised that he had a collection of photographs that he had taken during his travels and decided to use them for his travel stories.   Enchanting Borneo joins four other titles published by John Beaufoy - Enchanting Cambodia, Enchanting Laos, Enchanting Philippines and Enchanting Thailand.   The photographs in Enchanting Borneo were taken two or three years ago. Some of the pictures are also credited to other photographers.   John Beaufoy, who now has his own publishing house, used to work with New Holland Publishers which specialises in picture books on Malaysia.   It was at meeting with Bowden that the enchanting series idea was born. Bowden is currently working on Enchanting Malaysia and Enchanting Singapore.   He has written travel books before but it looks like Enchanting Borneo is the most popular.   Asked if it was the colourful pictures or simple text that people found appealing, he said: “When you go to a bookshop, what’s the first thing you look at? The pictures,of course. Then you look at the captions and make a quick glance through the text. If you like the sequence, you’ll buy the book.”   Bowden believes that this book is for people who wish to go to Borneo on a holiday and want to show their kids or grandkids where they went.   Essentially, he writes a generalised view about the people, places, culture, flora and fauna.   “It’s easier to write a book with 100,000 words than a book with 8,000 words which is what this is.”   On why the book only devotes four pages to Kalimantan, Bowden said: “This book is for tourists and people usually don’t travel to Kalimantan. People usually go to Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei, and then go to central Kalimantan.”   Bowden also feels it is a shame many Malaysians do not visit Sabah and Sarawak because there are some fabulous places there. “The people there and their cultures are distinctly different ... Borneo has this incredible mystery about it.”   He said tourists come to Sabah and Sarawak to see their natural treasures.   “You don’t have to build anything in Sabah and Sarawak for tourism. You don’t have to create things. They are already there. Look at Singapore, they have to create attractions because there’s nothing there.”   Enchanting Borneo is available at all major bookstores.   Source: Sun Daily (by S. Indra Sathiabalan)
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