As Shawn Henry Baybutt
enters Bako National Park, he recalls the park is the oldest and one of
the smallest national parks in Sarawak on the island of Borneo. Since
the Bako Park has been protected since 1957, Shawn knows he will
encounter wildlife in abundance. Arriving around dawn, Shawn immediately
begins to make his way through the trails remaining as quiet as
possible in order to leave the wildlife undisturbed.
Coming around a bend in the trail, Shawn
hears the unmistakable grunt of a pig. As he moves the leaves of a
nearby plant, he sees the Bornean bearded pig. This pig is Bako’s
largest mammal characterized by the prominent bristles on both sides of
its snout. Shawn laughs to himself as he sees the pig roll around in the
mud. He almost wishes he could join him as the temperature is rising
quite quickly.
Moving
along down the Telok Paku trail, Shawn encounters another group of
unusual animals. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees the odd-looking
proboscis monkeys known to exist only in Borneo. The males are
pot-bellied, have huge noses and weigh around 20 kilograms. Both males
and female proboscis have reddish-brown fur. The family of monkeys is
eating seeds as Shawn quietly observes. Eventually, the family climbs
atop the trees and out of view. Shawn knows from his studies that
capturing a glimpse of these rare monkeys is often the highlight of a
trip to Bako.
As
Shawn continues walking the trail, he sees a long-tailed macaque monkey
run out and sit a short distance away from him. He has heard that these
monkeys are the most fearless of all the monkeys in Bako. The unruly
macaques have been known to steal food and unguarded bags. Shawn checks
to make sure all his provisions are still present and moves along.
Eventually,
he comes across another type of monkey. This time, he observes a very
attractive and docile monkey with silver-gray fur and spiky hair. He
knows from his studies that these monkeys are called the silvered
leaf-monkey or the silvered langur. Shawn notices one of the adult
monkeys holding a small infant covered in bright orange fur. He cannot
help but draw a comparison between all the monkeys he has observed, and
he feels the silvered leaf-monkeys are the calmest of the bunch and the
most attractive.
The
day has become uncomfortably hot, and Shawn decides it is time for a
rest. He heads for the river in the Sungai Assam area. He sits in the
cool beside the water and notices the sounds surrounding him made up of
animal and bird conversations. He catches a glimpse of something moving
in the water and realizes with delight that it is one of Bako’s two
otter species, the oriental small-clawed otter. He is delighted he has
had the pleasure of the seeing the creature and happily sits and watches
as the otter plays carelessly in the water.
Eventually, evening approaches signaling to Shawn Henry Baybutt it is time to leave Bako Park. This adventure is different from many of Shawn’s other escapades. On this trip, he has observed animals instead of land formations or man-made marvels. However, Shawn has thoroughly enjoyed his trip and knows he did not see all the animals, birds, frogs and snakes the park had to offer. Therefore, he decides Bako merits another visit in the near future.
