So says Mohammad Sabri Laleling, 28, a ranger at the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary, whose duties include “communicating” with the “bayau” – the affectionate nickname given to the monkeys by locals.
Sabri recalled that a colleague had told him that a week of practice would be enough for the monkeys to recognise his voice. “But after learning the calling technique from the former ranger, not a single monkey showed up!” Sabri said with a laugh.
“I continued practising into the second week, and that’s when – much to my excitement – the monkeys finally began to appear when I called to them,” he told Bernama.
Situated in the middle of a 300-ha oil palm plantation, Labuk Bay is one of Sandakan’s nature tourism attractions that offer unique wildlife experiences.
Sabri, who has worked at Labuk Bay for eight years, said there were times when the animals did not emerge at all despite repeated calls, forcing the sanctuary to refund ticket fees to visitors.
On occasion, he has even had to venture into the mangrove swamp surrounding the plantation to draw the attention of the monkeys and guide them to the viewing platform before tourists arrive.
The sanctuary’s assistant manager, Ahmad Dinsa Sasang, said the idea to establish the centre came about when his former employer noticed that proboscis monkeys would frequently return to the plantation after being fed.
The sanctuary was thus established in 2000, before being opened to the public the following year.
Ahmad Dinsa stressed that the monkeys live freely around the plantation and are not captive animals. Therefore, to ensure the bayau group arrives on time, rangers begin calling to them at least two hours before each feeding session.
Sometimes, other species also make their appearance at the two viewing platforms, including silvered leaf monkeys as well as long- and pig-tailed macaques.
So far, about 200 individual bayau have been observed at the feeding sessions, although only 30 to 40 appear at one time on any given day.
Ahmad Dinsa said the proboscis monkeys are usually fed sugar-free pancakes specially prepared by the staff, along with cucumbers, with the cost of preparing the food amounting to about RM2,000 a month.
Learn more about the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary here.