THE PROBOSCIS MONKEY
They have huge noses that garner attention. They also have big bellies and live in groups. They are not your ordinary tree swinging monkeys. They don’t eat ripe bananas. And they have webbed feet and swim incredibly! Yes, we are talking about the proboscis monkey, a rare and endangered animal found primarily in Borneo and predominantly in Sabah.
As Malaysia prepares for the hosting of its grandest tourism celebration - Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) in 2014, the country’s commitment to the protection of its ecological treasures and in particular, the conservation of its many indigenous animals provide a platform of opportunity to share with the world its many fascinating creatures that are so often hidden from the general public.
Given also Malaysia’s regional prominence as the guardian of some of Asia’s rarest and most endangered species, the selection of such an animal mascot to symbolically represent the VMY 2014 campaign weighs of utmost importance.
For this, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia has decided upon one of the most endangered of animals listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List of Threatened Species - the Proboscis Monkey as the official mascot for Visit Malaysia Year 2014.
A native to the heartland of Borneo (East Malaysia), this very distinctive species of mammal has some of the most unique qualities that set its biological and physical features apart from other primates.
