KUALA LUMPUR – The emergence of a “mystery monkey” species in Sabah has spurred interest in animal conservation efforts in the country, as keen observers and the scientific community call for extensive research on the animal.
However, experts on animal conservation said the situation is indicative of a larger problem stemming from habitat loss spurred by development or over-exploration.
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) president Prof Ahmad Ismail said while the emergence of a possible new species is exciting from a taxonomy perspective, it may not necessarily be a positive outcome for the animals involved.
When animals face a loss of habitat, there is a huge chance that their roaming area will overlap with one another. This can lead to a collision of sorts between these animals in the same area,” he said.
“There are cases where animals of the same species would mate and then there are cases where they would kidnap the babies to increase their chance of mating.”
“So, these are the sort of issues that the scientific community are looking into.’’
Ahmad then gave an example of cross-breeding between painted storks and milky storks as an example of the dangers of hybridisation.
“There are cases where the hybrids are born sterile. Again, there are many unknown factors and researchers are still looking into it, but this is among the many issues that could endanger the native species,” he said.
Ahmad’s brief explanation is similar to research findings from the National University of Singapore and Wildlife Reserves Singapore in 2019, where they indicated that apart from habitat loss and fragmentation, extinction through hybridisation is one of the major threats to endangered species.
Milky storks are found predominantly in coastal mangroves in parts of Southeast Asia with fewer than 1,500 reportedly existing in the wild.
Natives desperately need experts’ help to protect riparian areas
In terms of the mystery monkey in Sabah, it is speculated that it could be a hybrid between a proboscis monkey and the silvery langur.
It was mostly spotted along the riparian areas (the interface between land and a river or stream) along Sg Kinabatangan.
Ahmad, who is familiar with animal conservation efforts along the river, said there is a great passion among the locals, especially plantation workers, to protect and preserve these areas.
“They often support government policies on animal conservation but lack the necessary knowledge to do so. This is where expert help can come in to assist them.
For example, the locals are protecting the roaming areas of elephants, which requires a large area. At the same time, they can help protect monkeys, hornbills and even proboscis monkeys within the same area.
“They (experts) can provide better insight on animal conservation and the locals who often patrol the roaming areas of these animals can help with research,’’ he said.
Animal conservation, he pointed out, requires a huge commitment and the communities who live on the fringes of wildlife roaming areas are often engaged by scientists and even government agencies to help with their research, among others.
The concept of ecotourism is often used by local authorities to provide economic opportunity for local communities and in turn, they can help with preserving wildlife and nature.
However, Ahmad cautioned that ecotourism should be implemented in a sustainable nature.
“For example, there could be a situation where you are ferrying dozens of people on a boat downstream of a river, but with huge traffic that could scare away crocodiles from their natural habitat. Huge traffic of visitors could also threaten nature or other wildlife further.
“So instances such as this need to be looked into. Ecotourism has huge benefits but should be done with conservation and preservation in mind,’’ he said.
Forest fragmentation remains a key threat
Nadine Ruppert, a primatologist and senior lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia also opined that the possible emergence of the mystery monkey indicates some “disturbance” in the habitat connectivity within their roaming area.
This is because the adult males of both species would usually disperse away from their birth groups to find new mating partners or establish a group of their own species.
“It seems that the male proboscis monkeys here cannot do this, thus, they are mating with females of the other species.
So, in my opinion, it is necessary to address the issue of habitat fragmentation and degradation in the Kinabatangan by establishing wildlife corridors for arboreal and terrestrial animals.
“Such efforts have already been started by several local agencies and non-governmental organisations here, who constructed rope canopy bridges between forest fragments across the river and work on reforestation projects for elephant corridors,’’ she said in an email response to The Vibes.
Ruppert, who co-authored a paper on the mystery monkey in the International Journal of Primatology back in April, listed habitat loss and fragmentation due to oil palm plantation expansion in the state as major reasons the two species are confined to a narrow riparian area along the Kinabatangan river.
While the subject has garnered international attention, Ruppert pointed out that there are many other charismatic and endangered species in Malaysia that require more public attention.
“The Malayan tiger population is still declining, with an estimated less than 200 individuals left in Peninsular Malaysia’s forest, and we have already lost the Sumatran rhino in the wild.
“But even less-known species, like all five species of gibbons (small apes) in Malaysia, are listed as endangered by the International Union of Conservation for Nature, and also the proboscis monkey and orangutan who are iconic to the Kinabatangan are endangered.
“The list is getting longer as we speak, with more and more species being classified as threatened,’’ she said.
Ruppert said the way forward is for the country to adopt more sustainable development and environmental protection practices, with proper collaboration from relevant stakeholders. – The Vibes, June 19, 2022
