Wildlife and National Parks in Penang should be your destination if you are a
wild life enthusiast. Exotic and amazing, the wild life varieties along with the
rich flora and plant life make it a home for a good number of wild species.
Expect to see more than 1,000 species of plants and trees mainly dominated
by the family Dipterocarpaceae, Leguminaceae, Anacardiaceae, Euphorbiaceae and
Moraceae. Seraya or Shorea curtisii, which is also a commercial timber tree,
is a common type in the park.
A whooping 190 species of fauna were recorded here, including 28 species of
mammals, 14 species of reptiles, 148 species of birds and various species of
insects and amphibians. Long tailed Macaque is the most common wildlife species
and can be spotted especially at the beach areas and mangrove forests.
Penang National Park
Taman Negara Pulau Pinang is the first National Park created under the National
Parks Act of 1980. The establishment of this park reflects the importance of
conserving this biological diversity-rich area. The aim is to conserve and protect
wildlife, marine life, plants and objects.
Features of Penang National Park
- This park covers an area of 2,563 hectare and is bordered by the George
Town metropolitan area and the sea.
- The 1,182 hectare of land includes beaches and hills and is rich in flora
and fauna.
- The Park's ecosystem is a diversity of habitats with hills, sandy and
rocky beaches, streams and coastal forests representing much of the natural
habitats of Penang.
- Small mammals such as tree shrews or tupai glis, slow loris, flying lemur,
civet cats, lepoard cats, sea otters and pangolins have been spotted.
- The Park is also home to many birds, reptiles, amphibians and of course
the famous turtles, especially the Green turtles, the Ridley turtles, the Leatherback
turtles and the Hawksbill turtles.
- Pulau Pinang National Park offers vast opportunities for research, education,
recreation and ecotourism activities such as climbing, trekking, swimming, wildlife
observation or simply enjoying the natural environment.
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