www.nst.com By Roy Goh The tourists on a cruise up Sungai Menanggul in Sukau had a rare and thrilling experience spotting exotic animals and birds. They were among the scores of visitors who have taken the river cruise to catch a glimpse of Borneo's wildlife.

The five- to eight-kilometre Sungai Menanggul cruise attracts 50 to 100 tourists every evening and has become a best-selling tourism product.

Sukau, about 120km from Sandakan, is a village at the edge of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.

Over the past 10 years it has come of age as one of Sabah's prize tour attractions, particularly as a haunt of the unique proboscis monkey, endemic to Borneo.

Villager Jamrin Maharan said Sukau was a small village accessible only by river until the 1980s, when a logging track reached there.

In the mid-1990s, the Government began promoting eco-tourism to the area, where wild animals such as proboscis monkeys, orang utan, elephant, wild boar, civet cats and a long list of exotic birds could be found.

The 27,000-hectare sanctuary is also famous for its 12 oxbow lakes and the nearby Gomantong Caves, where swallows' nests are collected three times a year by locals.

Jamrin, who is now a tour bus driver and river guide for local company Proboscis Lodge, said the village saw gradual change with the arrival of tourists, rising from an occasional few during weekends to busloads during holidays.

Now there are five lodges and a bed-and-breakfast inn in the area.

Several villagers are also involved in homestay programmes, accepting paying guests into their homes to experience local life.

"If the road access here improves, I am sure there will be more tourists, especially locals, to this area," said Jamrin, whose "Orang Sungai" community forms the majority in settlements along the 640km Sungai Kinabatangan.

Sukau is in Kinabatangan district, 80km from Sandakan. A 40km gravel road links Kinabatangan town to Sukau.

Fisherman Mukri Top said life had improved with the arrival of tourists to the area.

"In the old days, the udang galah (giant freshwater prawns) we caught would be bought for 50 sen to a ringgit a kilo by a dealer who would come in a boat from Kinabatangan bridge," he said.

"At times we go all the way to Kinabatangan and sell them there for RM1 to RM2."

Mukri, 45, can now sell his catch for RM4 to RM8, depending on the size.

"Most of us sell our daily catch to the lodges and they also buy fish from us to feed their guests," he said, adding that he caught about three to five kilos of prawns a day.

Mukri said the money he earned was enough for him, as he also plants vegetables and fruits for his own consumption. "Here you cannot plant too much or in big areas because wild animals will come and eat it."

Assistant Tourism, Environment and Culture Minister Datuk Karim Bujang said Sukau was one of the best examples of how eco-tourism could benefit both the people and the environment, flora and fauna.

However, he said there should also be control. "Too many tourists at one time can scare the animals away."