Lok Kawi Wildlife Park has some new additions to the family, which introduces more animals from borders beyond and Borneo to curious visitors.

Through an exchange programme with Melaka Zoo, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park introduced five new animals to the park last month. The animals arrived late in January and promises to make a new trip to the park well worthwhile.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park’s new residents include 2 zebras, four ankole cattle, four nilgai, two ring-tailed lemurs and two capuchin monkies.

Although the zebras and ankole cattle are African in origin, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park’s particular residents are Malaysian citizens, as they were born in Melaka Zoo. In their first travel adventure, they visit the shores of Borneo, to add to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park’s other residents of African origin, most notably the ostriches.

Ankole Cattle

Ankole Cattle have large, distinctive, almost over-sized horns. The cattle have for centuries been an intricate part of African culture and were used as a source of food, currency for trading and status. The king of each tribe would often own the cattle with the longest horns, and these were considered sacred.

Able to thrive in the excruciating heat of Africa, the cattle have adapted to survive. Part of their ability to withstand great temperature in arid environments, lies in the big horns, which are honey-combed with blood vessels. The blood flows into the horns where it’s cooled by moving air, before flowing back into the animal’s body thus reducing body temperature. The horns can grow up to 12 feet, measured from tip to tip.

Nilgai

The Nilgai at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park is from the family of Asia’s largest antelope and is commonly seen in the wild in northern India and eastern Pakistan. The animal is also referred to as the Blue Bull, as the adult male’s coat often has a blueish appearance.

The female and young Nilgai, however, have short, yellow-brown coats. The males will gradually darken as they reach maturity and can also be distinguished by white spots on their cheeks and white colouring on their lips. See if you can spot the differences between the males and females on your visit to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.

Ring-tailed Lemurs

If the animated movie Madagascar was an educational tool, it would have served it’s purpose by introducing previously lesser known animals to the public at large. As such, you might recognise Lok Kawi Wildlife Park’s Ring-tailed Lemurs as those fuzzy, upright-walking, monkey-like creatures, which partied the night away on Madagascar. Like all other lemurs, the Ring-tailed Lemur is found only on Madagascar.

Readily identified by the long bushy tail, interesting facts about the Ring-tailed Lemur are that the tail contains 26 black-and-white rings, and that the tail always starts with a white ring and ends with a black ring. Although listed as a vulnerable species, the Ring-tailed Lemur is the most populous Lemur in captivity, partly due to the fact that they easily reproduce in captive conditions.

Capuchin Monkey

You may recognise this new resident of Lok Kawi Wildlife Park from several Hollywood movies. The Capuchin Monkey is a South American native with a white upper torso and head, with distinctive black arms and a black cap on the head. Considered one of the most intelligent monkeys, they are highly trainable and hence their frequent silver-screen appearances.

As daytime animals who, unlike most other monkeys, sleep during the night, they are sure to be a star attraction at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park. They are arboreal animals, which means they spend most of their time in trees. During the day they forage for food, which, in the wild, would include nuts, fruits, berries and leaves, but also insects, bird eggs and small vertebrates. Capuchin monkeys living near water can also feed on crabs, often cracking shells with rocks.

Zebra

Needing no introduction, zebras are the black-and-white striped animals we all know from school as representing the letter Z. Interesting to note is that the stripes of a zebra is as unique as a human fingerprint and that no two zebras have exactly the same stripes. Compare the two visiting Lok Kawi Wildlife Park and see for yourself. Another interesting fact is that in the UK, zebra is pronounced ZEB-ra, and in North America, it’s pronounced ZEE-bra.

With the interesting new additions to Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, complementing the park’s established residents, a visit to the park makes for a good day out. A mere 25km from the city centre, the trip takes less than 25 minutes and is easily accessible by road.

Entrance fees are RM20 for adults and RM10 child for overseas visitors, and RM10 and RM5 respectively for local visitors. The park is open daily from 9:30am and the last entry is allowed at 4:30pm, before the park closes at 5:30pm.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, also sometimes called Lok Kawi Zoo, is a 70 hectare park jointly developed by Sabah Wildlife and Forestry Departments.

Said to have cost over RM30 million to develop, the park is located on the old road from Penampang to Papar in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The wildlife park’s main aim is to educate the public about the endangered animals of Borneo, by giving those who might otherwise never see them, an opportunity to get a glimpse of Borneo’s wildlife up close.

Showcasing endangered animals such as Borneo Pigmy Elephants and Sumatran Rhinos, Lok Kawi Wildlife Park hopes to bring the exotic animals of Borneo to those who are either on a short stay in Sabah, or who perhaps have had no luck finding these animals in the wild.

The Lok Kawi Wildlife Park features a primate zone where Borneo’s popular animals can be found. The orang utang pen features several of Borneo’s best known icon at play, whilst their neighbours, Proboscis Monkeys, are to be seen next door. The Proboscis Monkeys with their trademark bulbous noses consists of a large male with a harem of 4 or 5 smaller females. Their holding area is glass enclosed and therefore provides an excellent vantage point from where to observe these unique creatures.

Adjacent to the Proboscis Monkey area is a series of smaller enclosures featuring a variety of hard-to-spot nocturnal and other forest creatures. Although the enclosures are relatively small, it remains difficult to spot their residents, leaving you to realize how hard it must be to sight these critters in the wild.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park’s other interesting exhibits include the elephant pen, were several elephants can be seen going about the business of being an elephant. There are also sun bears and tigers, and these fascinating animals can be observed from the safety of a raised area.

A very impressive aviary, at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, is home to a variety of Borneo and foreign birds as well as some small animals. The aviary is a large, untouched area of jungle, enclosed inside a giant netted dome. A small river runs through the middle, recreating a very real piece of Borneo jungle. Although the birds can fly freely, the aviary ensures that they are never far away. When you remain in one place long enough and things quiet down a bit, the residents of the aviary start to appear from the shrubs and branches, making the aviary come alive.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park also has an interesting overseas visitors, who you’d hardly associate with Borneo wildlife. From the southern hemisphere ostriches as well as emus have their individual pens.

A botanical garden, run by the Sabah Forestry Department, occupies the one end of the wildlife park and provides and opportunity to get to know the plant life of Borneo. A 1.4km walkway stretches up into the low-lying hills and winds along the contours before circling back to the entrance gate.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park is located less than 30 minutes drive from Kota Kinabalu and is a worthwhile destination for both young and old, locals and foreign visitors alike.

A mere RM10 for locals and RM20 for foreigners, and half price for children respectively, will get you in the gate at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.