TELUK Intan, located on the banks of Sg Perak, was once home to those fleeing the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1511. Today, the area is a sanctuary for another group – migratory birds. 

Upstream soil erosion and silt deposits have made Sg Perak shallower and several islands have formed over time near Teluk Intan. These islands provide shelter and home to the threatened world migratory birds.

One particular island, still unnamed, is now a sanctuary to tens of thousands of these birds, mostly of cattle egrets and purple herons. The island is just 3km from the famous Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan and many Malaysians, including locals, are unaware of this nature’s wonder.

Malaysia lies along the path of the East Asian-Australasian flyway that provides strategic and important resting sites for migratory birds flying between wintering sites in Southeast Asia and Australia, and the breeding sites in China, Japan, Korean, Mongolia and Siberia.

However, these migratory birds have taken residence at these islands and are now spotted year-round. Every day, as the sun sets over the island, some 30,000 to 40,000 egrets and herons return to roost. 

We visited the island recently to experience this amazing sight and took the river cruise run by Ah Loon, the enthusiastic owner of Teluk Intan River Cruise. He regaled us with tales of a childhood spent by the river and how the water level used to be high and enabled Teluk Intan to prosper as a port in the 19th entury, transporting tin ore and agricultural products. – January 16, 2019.