Short
Tour Ex-Kuala Lumpur for Kuala Selangor Fire Flies
Introduction
Kuala Selangor lies just 75
kilometres north-west of Kuala Lumpur, near the
mouth of the Selangor River. In addition to it’s
small-town charms there are many nearby attractions to suit the nature lover, including
the Kuala Selangor Nature Park and the colonies of
fireflies living along tributaries of the Selangor
River.
Kuala Selangor
Nature Park
The Kuala
Selangor Nature Park is managed bythe Malaysian
Nature Society, under a co-operative arrangement
with the Selangor State Government. This coastal
area was once dominated bymangroves, but since
the construction of coastal bunds it now comprises
a strip of remnant mangrove forests, mainly
Avicennia sp., behind which are brackish lakes
and ponds and a large area of secondary forest. In
many respects the ecological history of the area
is similar to Singapore’s own Sungei Buloh Wetland
Reserve. Thus, familiar vertebrates such as mud
skippers, mud lobsters and the Malayan Water
Monitor can be seen from the bund and the mangrove
boardwalks.
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During the migration season,
between September and March, the lakes and ponds
teem with shorebirds such as plovers, Greenshank,
Redshank and various species of sandpiper
travelling the migration route of the East-Asian
Flyway. These very same birds may well stop at
Sungei Buloh for a final meal of worms and
molluscs before heading south to winter in the
warmth of Australia.
One bird deserves a special
mention – the Milky Stork. In conjunction with Zoo
Negara, an active breeding program of this
globally endangered species - less than 100
specimens are thought to exist - is being
conducted in a specially constructed aviary next
to the main lake. Visitors are not allowed inside
the aviary, however the birds can clearly be seen
nesting in the enclosure. It is hoped, upon
release, these captive-bred storks will choose to
make Kuala Selangor their permanent home.
Kuala Selangor Nature Park has
over 200-hectares of immature secondary forest.
Easy walks are possible along the well worn
trails; where the sun streams through breaks in
the canopy keep an eye open for lizards and skinks
warming themselves, especially the Common Sun
Skink. Familiar forest birds such as Woodpeckers,
Bulbuls, Sunbirds and Malkohas can also be seen.
Silvered Leaf
Monkeys
One highly vocal
species the visitor is likely to hear, if not see,
in the secondary forest is the Silvered Leaf
Monkey, also called the Silvered Langur. Troops of these
large, grey-black, long-tailed monkeys can
be heard crashing through the trees, scaring away
the more timid bird species. In the same manner as
trendy young people, the baby langurs appear to
have died their fur a startling bright orange
colour; one wonders how the adult monkeys cope
with being the parents of such outrageous
offspring ! In the early morning the langurs raid
the gardens of people living at the base of Bukit
Melawati, at the northern edge of the park,
searching for ripened fruits.
The mischievous Long-tailed
Macaque, which is common all over Malaysia and
Singapore, appears to be less common here.
Presumably, there is competition for food and
territory between the macaques and the langurs;
the smaller macaques must content themselves with
living on the park’s boundaries.
Kelip-kelip
Away from the
Nature Park, branching off the Selangor River are
a series of narrower tributaries lined with
healthy stands of Beremban or Sonneratia
Caseolaris. This tall mangrove species is
characterised bysimple symmetric leaves, and
cone-like aerial roots. During the day this tree
species might seem unremarkable, however as dusk
falls beautiful flowers open up, each with an
array of up to 100 reddish-white stamens. In these
quiet, ulu backwaters survive Pteroptyx
tener, the firefly species which makes S.
Caseolaris their home.
At twilight, the
kingfishers and bee-eaters give way to nightjars
and owls, and the fireflies, or "kelip-kelip" as
they are locally known, put on a dazzling light
show. Thousands of these insects commence their
fluorescent display, flashing on and off two or
three times a second, some stationary, others
circling around. In some trees a whole colony of
fireflies will flash in absolute unison, hour
after hour, in the manner of the lights on a
Christmas tree. Male and female fireflies are both
able to flash, but only the males flash in unison;
the synchronised display serves to attract a mate,
but how does the female choose her mate amongst
the thousands of "switched-on" males !
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The dense
colonies of fireflies was, in olden times, used as
a navigation aid in some rivers in Malaysia. As
you view this wonderful sight, lulled bythe
gently rocking boat and the quiet putter of the
engine, you fancy that thousands of years ago when
the world was less polluted, many rivers supported
these wondrous insects. Imagine the awe of
primitive humans as they migrated down the Malay
Peninsula thousands of years ago and their eyes
saw these flashing lights for the first time.
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Now the fireflies can be easily
viewed bymodern humans at Kampung Kuantan and
Kampung Bukit Belimbing, both a short taxi ride
from Kuala Selangor town. At both locations
tourist facilities have grown in the last few
years, so there are new jetties, reliable boatmen
and restaurant and toilet facilities. If you think
that the commercialisation of firefly viewing
could in some way be a threat to their survival,
think again. Consider that a huge dam is proposed
for the Selangor River. Conservationists fear that
the dam may affect water flow, river level and
salinity downstream, spelling doom for the
fireflies. Opposition to the dam is being loudly
voiced, not only byenvironmentalists but also bythose kampung folk whose livelihood depends upon
the tourist dollar. Thus, it may be that the
fireflies need the tourists in order to survive.
Next Christmas, instead of
following the hordes of people to view the annual
light-up of Singapore's Orchard Road, why not take
a quiet trip up-country to view the unique,
world-renowned fireflies of Kuala Selangor. It
will be an experience of a lifetime.
VISITOR
INFORMATION
How to get there : To reach Kuala Selangor take Route 54 from
Kuala Lumpur, or Route 5 from Klang. Allow one
hour travel time. The Kuala Selangor Nature Park
is walking distance from the town centre. Kampung
Kuantan and Kampung Bukit Belimbing firefly
colonies can be reached bya 15-minute taxi ride
from Kuala Selangor town.
Entrance Fees : Nature Park : Adults RM 2.00,
Students RM 0.50, MNS Members RM 1.00 Firefly
tours (by boat) Adults RM 10.00. (lifejackets
provided).
The original text for this article first appeared
in Volume 8, Number 3 of Nature Watch, published bythe
Nature Society (Singapore),
September 2000
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