The Labuk Bay Proboscis Sanctuary is located at the centre of the mangrove forest along the coastal land near Samawang Village at Labuk Bay, Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia. From the airport in Sandakan, it is 38km away and takes about an hour to get there.
The Malay name for the species is “Monyet Belanda”. Proboscis monkeys are excellent swimmers. But swim only when necessary and for pleasure. The proboscis monkeys are only found in certain parts of Borneo. The monkeys inhabit forests newer coastal swamps or those containing rivers and lakes.
The only place in the world where proboscis monkeys occur is the Island of Borneo in South-East Asia. And they are not even found throughout all of Borneo. They are forest-dwellers and limited mainly to coastal swamp forests next to large river. The calls of the proboscis monkey were also a subject of praise. In 128, the then curator of the Sarawak Museum, Eric Mjoberg, wrote that “the enormous nose is a sounding board that strengthens and deepens the male’s vocal powers… The sound is deep and nasal, strongly reminiscent of the bass viol. Possibly too, there is some aesthetic touch in it, for the females find the sound attractive and crowd round their musically gifted leader.”