Local Wildlife

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Local Wildlife

The lake area comprises over 200 hectares of open water, and 700 hectares of freshwater swamp and swamp forest. In addition to the abundant lotuses, thickets of Pandanus helicopus or Rasau are common towards the margins, along with occasional water lilies. Encounters with turtles are common including the Asiatic Soft Shelled Turtle (Amyda cartilaginea) and Spiny Turtle (Heosemys spinosa).

The surrounding forests are also rich in wildlife. In the dipterocarp forest primates such as the Banded Langur (Presbytis melalophos), the handsome White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates Lar), the ubiquitous Long-tailed Macaque (Macaca fascicularis) and the Pig-tailed Macaque (Macaca nemestrina) may be encountered. The latter species is a common pet of the Jakun people, who still eke a living from the lake and its surroundings. The status of larger mammals in the area, such as Elephant, Tiger and Tapir is unclear.

Curiously the lake does not seem so attractive to bird life, however common forest-edge species such as bulbuls, orioles and bee-eaters are present, and various kingfishers may be seen, including the uncommon Blue-eared Kingfisher (Alcedo meninting). Overhead the rare Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus) still circles.

The lake also serves as an important breeding ground for fish species which upon reaching adulthood then populate the Pahang River. Their migration is now largely unimpeded by the dammed mouth of the Sungai Chini.