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Tabin Wildlife Reserve
Tabin, located in east Sabah, Malaysia, has grown to become a green pocket of primary and secondary lowland dipterocarp rainforest, its huge canopy sheltering some of the world’s endangered animals. With an area of 120,500 hectares, it is a veritable oasis for man and beast alike. Here, one can escape the noises of the concrete jungle for the natural din of the tropical variety. Yes, contrary to popular belief, the jungle isn’t at all a quiet place.
Day and night, Tabin rings out with a million sounds of its local residents. It echoes with a chaotic opera accompanied by the haunting calls of gibbons, the buzz of unseen insects, the chorus of singing birds, and more. In the early mornings, late afternoons, and especially after a particularly torrential shower, a musical performance is staged by the colourful winged residents of the reserve.
There are some 220 species of birds here, including at least seven of Sabah’s eight Hornbill species, blue-headed pittas, wren-babblers, Borneon Blue Flycatchers, Scarlet Sunbirds, and Everett’s White-eyes.
Tabin’s “Big Three” – Sabah’s largest land mammals – are the Borneo Pygmy elephants, the Sumatran Rhinoceros and the tembadau (wild cattle). Orangutans, honey bears, the rare clouded leopard, sambar deer, wild boar, red leaf monkeys and macaques also call Tabin their home.
Besides the wildlife, Tabin is also unique for its mud volcanoes. The seven mud volcanoes found in Tabin (some as large as a football field) are important watering holes for the wildlife in the area due to its high mineral content. Wild animals often visit the mud volcanoes in the early mornings, leaving evidence of their stopovers in the form of paw prints on the soft grey mud.