Patterns of mineral lick use by Northwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) in the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract

A study on the pattern of mineral lick use by the Northwest Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus) in the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary was carried out from February 2009 to December 2010. A camera trapping method was employed to investigate orangutan mineral lick visitation. The camera traps recorded a total of 263 orangutan visitations or 1.3 % from an overall 22,521 photographs taken. More visits were recorded between August 2009 and March 2010 which coincides with the dipterocarp flowering and fruiting season. Pairs and females with infants were recorded as the most regular visitors compared to pairs and females without infants and solitary males. The visitation time and duration varied among mineral licks and orangutan classes while the interval day visit showed that pairs and females with newborn infants visit the mineral licks continuously from the first day of the study to the tenth day.