Tarakan and the Nose Monkeys
Tarakan, Indonesia, 2014-03-14 12:00 by Laerke and Martin
On the way back from Derawan we had another stopover in Tarakan and with time to kill we tried to find something interesting to do. Someone had mentioned that Tarakan actually had a small mangrove conservation area, where a troop of proboscis monkeys live. Only 5 minutes from the city center with a bemo and we were there. A network of elevated wooden pathways winds their way through the humid mangrove forest; we caught sight of a bright blue kingfisher scanning the water for breakfast.

Below us mudskippers crawled through the wet mangrove floor and one couldn’t help but think how this fish is the perfect example on the link between true sea creatures and land dwellers. Nature and how it adapts and evolves is truly remarkable.




Further in the forest, we hear some rustling in the trees as shadows ahead are moving gracefully through the canopy. The kingfisher isn’t the only one on the hunt for breakfast! Around a bent we see what has caused the excitement; a big pile of bananas and some other greens have been laid out on a feeding platform. Now the group of proboscis monkeys are munching happily on the fruits. A large male with his characteristically and somewhat funny looking nose is the center of the group, with smaller individuals playing or munching away – their noses considerably smaller, yet still very distinctive. During colonial times, when the Dutch controlled the Indonesian archipelago, proboscis monkeys where called Monyet Belanda, which translates into “the Dutch monkey”, because the Indonesians where amused by the resemblance between these monkeys and the Dutch; both sporting large noses and reddish hair.




After watching the troop for some time they suddenly seem alarmed and the mothers pick up their babies and by the time we see the threat, all the proboscis have already retreated into the forest and up the tall trees. It’s a group of macaque that have sent the proboscis running; while the macaque are much smaller and are even carrying infants, they are perhaps stronger built and do sport some quite impressive fangs – we have learned to have respect for them during our time in SEA, as they are some quite aggressive and opportunistic animals. But still, the way a macaque mother handles her baby does tug at our heartstrings, monkeys really are so like us.