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An individual, of one of the most elusive and endangered of the otter species, the Hairy-nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) was seen on the Sungai Relau in Taman Negara, Malaysia, in September 2013 almost two decades since the last recorded observation of the species in 1994, in Perak, another part of the peninsular (Baker, 2013). The project reported here was initiated in and around Taman Negara based on the 2013 observation, to gain a better understanding of the population size, habitat type, threats and the conservation measures required to improve the status of the Hairy-nosed Otter. Unfortunately, 7 months of continuous camera trapping, riverbank surveys and observations along the Sungai Relau and the Sungai Ceruai resulted in no Hairy-nosed Otter records. However, the project confirmed the presence of Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus) and Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in and around Taman Negara National Park while highlighting a number of threats to otter species in the area and providing an overview of the attitudes of local people to otters and otter conservation, especially of the indigenous Bateq community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a preliminary assessment of distribution and behaviours of Macaca fascicularis and Trachypithecus obscurus by line-transect survey and group scan data collection at the north-eastern part of Penang National Park (PNP), Malaysia. We encountered four groups of M. fascicularis (group sizes 8-19 individuals) and four groups of T. obscurus (group sizes 3-8 individuals) in the survey area. We encountered all primates along the beach trail (Jalan Hassan Abbas), at the picnic areas near Sungai Tukun Bridge and the Center for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), but not along the forest line-transects. The most frequently observed behaviour of macaques in all four groups was feeding (mean 27.5±2.4%,). Locomotion (17.5±3.5%), resting (16.5±6.0%), playing (15.5±5.6%), grooming (12.4±4.1%), foraging (6.3±3.9%), and aggression (4.3±2.9%) were also observed (N=145 total scans). Trachypithecus obscurus was encountered less frequently and they were shyer than M. fascicularis. We could not observe their behaviours well enough to report here. Macaques showed high abundances along the beach trail where they fed on provisioned food items. The fact that they were never encountered deeper in the forest during sampling could point towards a non-uniform distribution of macaques at the national park. Line-transect survey was not a feasible method to calculate primate abundances at PNP. The high abundance of macaques at the beach areas where they interact with humans but their absence from the forest should be considered for future macaque management strategies in the park. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two sightings of Hairy-nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) were made at Sungai Tanum and Sungai Relau, Taman Negara, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. These are the third and fourth formally documented records of the species from Peninsular Malaysia since the 1960's, and the first records from Taman Negara in the same period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]