The Lanjak Entimau Salt Lick (Part One)

Dato Professor Haji Mohammad Majid and I went back to the 70's where we met for the first time over the then new product Cornetto icecream.

I was a freshie and he had come over to visit our residential college famed for beauties. Our college had a boy-girl ratio of 1:4. No he was only looking for friends from Sarawak and in particular Tanjong Lobang School students. Then my friends and I made a return visit to meet up with other Sarawakian students in his First Residential College. My first impression of him as a focussed and intense scholar remains to this day. I am terribly proud of being his friend all these years.

The Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary is definitely a great place to visit once it is more open to ordinary tourists.

A salt lick is a salt deposit that animals regularly lick. In an ecosystem, salt/mineral licks often occur naturally, providing the sodium, calcium, iron, phosphorus and zinc required in the springtime for bone, muscle and other growth in deer and other wildlife, such as moose, elephants, cattle, woodchucks, domestic sheep, fox squirrels, mountain goats and porcupines. Harsh weather exposes salty mineral deposits that draw animals from miles away for a taste of needed nutrients.(Source : Wikipeadia)

Bernama news regularly publish articles about Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Santuary. Recently there was an article about Prof Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid (the leader of last year's June Expedition to the sanctuary) quoting him about a new discovery.

Professor Haji said today the Rhizanthes, a parasitic plant that could be found growing on other plants, has eco-tourism potential.

"We have other rare Rhizanthes in the Peninsula and Sabah but this is a new species," he told reporters after the launch of 'Seminar of Biodiversity of Eastern Lanjak Entimau - Hidden Jewel of Sarawak' by state assistant minister of planning and resources management Mohamad Naroden Majais here.

The expedition attracted 175 scientists from local and foreign institutions, including those from Brunei, Indonesia, Germany and Japan, who were involved in carrying out research on five main aspects of the area situated in the Heart of Borneo Project.

(Source: Bernama)

Most of Lanjak-Entimau remains inaccessible, and the means of entry is limited to difficult longboat journeys up various rivers such as the Lubang Baya, Engkari, Skrang, Ngemah, Poi and Katibas. Entry to the Sanctuary is controlled and limited to several access points only.

Recently I asked Professor Haji for permission to use his photos for my blog. I am really humbled by his generosity.



Professor Haji now a new Dato of the Sarawak State with his Cikgu from Tanjong Lobang School Miri- Datuk Yusuf Hanifah.



Deer having a lick of the salt.



A tangalong




A Mongoose

We have such wonderful resources like these in Sarawak. And I hope that private businesses will not destroy our nature ruthlessly for the sake of huge and easy profits.

Modern Man and wildlife must live a well integrated and balanced life to conserve the earth before it is too late. You and I are all part of that ecosystem. We cannot afford to ignore the rules of nature.

(Thank you Haji!!)

(part two coming up)