DOLPHIN in MATANG???
http://www.peraknews.com/v3/uncovered-matang’s-pink-dolphins/
By Bella –
Move aside Thailand, as Matang is taking over as the regions’ best place to catch a glimpse or two of the highly intelligent and lovable pink dolphins.
Yes, you have read it right as Taiping’s Matang area is home to a small pod of these cetaceans which are globally listed as threatened. Appropriately known as Indo-Pacific Humpback dolphins, the mammals along with a remote fishing community, share the waters and fish of a vast estuary at the edge of the Matang Mangrove Reserve.
While the pink dolphins of Nakhon in Southern Thailand attract boatloads of tourists and are harder to spot, their cousins in Matang are quite unheard of despite being less elusive.
Peraknews leant about the pink dolphins from Taiping Municipality Council Tourism Publicity Officer, Hanim Ramly, who herself only found out about their presence during a field trip to that area this year.
“I was accompanying a local government tour group on a boat trip to Kelumpang Island when all of a sudden, there was this pod of dolphins swimming along with us,” said Hanim who admitted that through her 20 years of promoting Taiping’s tourism, she had never heard of the dolphins’ presence in Matang.
Neither have most people except those who eke a living from the waters of Matangs’ mangroves near Kuala Tangga Chinese fishing village.
According to locals from the village, the dolphins are usually spotted in the afternoon and are more active during high tide. Their century old village itself is remote.
Its dwindling population of less than 100 relies on boats for transportation, generators for electricity, and rain water for washing and cleaning while drinking water is brought by boats.
Probably the remote location of Kampung Tangga which is about 60 km from the jetty of Matang’s Forestry Department, explains the secrecy surrounding the dolphins.
Interestingly, there is a floating chalet in the middle of the estuary which can accommodate groups of up to 20 visitors, and it lies smack in the midst of the dolphins’ favourite romping site. That makes it much more convenient for dolphin lovers to catch up, close and personal glimpses of the mammals.
“Dolphin-watching trips organised by tour operators in southern Thailand doesn’t last more than 2 hours in a boat under blazing hot conditions,” said a Malaysian journalist who went for a similar trip organised by Tourism Authority of Thailand last year at Songkla District in southern Thailand.
There are about three to five of these dolphins according to lucky witnesses, and sometimes the friendly and intelligent creatures swim alongside boats and occasionally display their acrobatic swimming skills.
During a recent visit to Matang, the Peraknews team was lucky to have one of this lovely mammals swimming alongside their boat for more than 30 minutes.
It did not show any fear, neither did the dolphin seemed very interested. But somehow, it looked like it was playing a game as the mammal always did an appearance 50 m from our boat.
Boatman, Samad who is a ranger with the Matang Forestry Department told us the dolphins are more active and playful during high tide. The one next to us was probably not too interested due to the lower tide and less fish during that period.
Although it was a short and interesting encounter, watching dolphins in their environment is truly an exhilarating experience that all of us can experience now at the worlds’ best sustainably managed mangrove reserve just next to Taiping.
Those interested to spend a night in the estuary and view the dolphins can contact the Kuala Sepetang Floating Chalet at +605 8479829.