Parc national du Gunung Mulu

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NHK World Heritage 100 Series (en anglais)

Texte narratif (en anglais)

The Gunung Mulu National Park lies just below the equator in Borneo in Malaysia. The park covers 530 square kilometers of tropical rainforest. The jungle teems with plant and animal species. This lantern-fly’s mottled coloring protects it from predators. The bird wing butterfly is a symbol of Malaysia. The creatures have adapted to this environment.

This tree appears hollow. A parasitic fig entwined itself around another tree, the tree died and this is the result. Vast limestone caves extend beneath the forest. It is one of the largest and longest set of caves in the world. Heavy tropical rains carved the mount of the stone. The caves are home to a creature that supports a whole ecosystem in Gunung Mulu. The fawn round leaf bat is Borneo’s most common bat species. A species of centipede also lives here. When in danger, it leaves a fluorescent liquid and scuttles away.

It rains continually in Borneo’s rainforests. Once the rain ceases, the bats inside the cave awake and fly out together. They are more than 3 million of them. They are called "The black dragon" - a term of awe and respect. The bats fly around preying on insects. The dance can last more than 30 minutes. Their natural enemy is the hawk. The shape of the black dragon disperses. As a defense, the bats form a circle to scare the hawk away. Gunung Mulu with its enormous caves below and a vast tropical rainforest above hums with life and mystery.