A night outing to watch the fireflies along Sungai Raan.
THE Landas arrived earlier this year.
On a rainy September evening, 30 Mirians, including some members of the media, led by Miri mayor Adam Yii and the city councillors, set out to watch fireflies along Sungai Raan.
Five fishing boats were hired for the outing.
The weather was a damper and some were sceptical about having any sighting at all but despite the shower, the lightning bugs did not disappoint, emerging from the dripping foliage to display their mesmerising blips.
The viewers weren’t complaining either, perhaps even enjoying the experience of a tropical drenching.
For a long time, people have been talking about how much they miss seeing the fireflies in Miri – from the mouth of the Baram right up to Sibuti.
They remember fireflies appearing behind the St Columba’s Primary School and Piasau Camp areas. During the good old days, the luminescent beetles were frequently sighted along Miri River.
Tony Tan recalled the science teacher in his class asking the students to bring fireflies for their nature study.
“My mum’s jam bottles kept disappearing from the kitchen as I took them to keep the specimens I caught. We also brought cockroaches, lizards, frogs, and even rabbits for dissection in the labs. The lessons were interesting.”
Tan remembered the spots where fireflies used to be seen by the thousands in Miri, saying, “It was indeed a sight to behold. Whenever I saw the glowing insects, I felt close to nature.”
A section of Sungai Raan.
Sighting trips
Another Mirian, L Ranggi, said if firefly-sighting trips could be arranged, she and her children would definitely be interested.
A home-based baker and a keen gardener, she hoped to attract more butterflies and bees to her patch, believing that more sightings of these winged insects, birds, and even fireflies were possible if the environment in Miri was less polluted.
“Children could be brought up to appreciate a clean environment and learn to be naturalists. It would be wonderful if I could bring fireflies to the thickets in my residential area.”
Councillor Dr Vincent Huang said a firefly-sighting package would be good for both domestic and foreign tourists.
He suggested the day trip could start with a kampung visit and a beach walk, followed by lunch of local delicacies.
“A few hours could be spent on learning local crafts like making ketupat, lemang, and even mats. An evening meal of barbecued fish and meat could be arranged before tourists set out to see the fireflies along Sungai Raan.
“All these tourist activities could be possible through collaboration between the stakeholders and the relevant authorities.”
Huang noted that while the effort could be rewarding, it should be complemented with the upgrading of facilities like plank walks and fishermen landings along the river and the provision of a local handicrafts centre.
There is already Bakam Point, where food vendors can sell local delicacies to visitors, especially at sunset.
Cars driving cross the Sungai Raan bridge
Fireflies and MNS
The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Miri branch has been monitoring fireflies for a few years now.
Chairman Musa Musbah said surveys carried out by MNS have recorded sightings of firefly congregations along the river.
However, he pointed out that their numbers are dwindling and much has to be done to bring them back.
Musa believes if Sungai Raan could be used as an example of collaborative efforts to bring back the fireflies, the effort could produce positive results.
Sungai Raan is a small river which joins Bakam River near its delta. The western bank of Sungai Raan forms a spit which runs towards the mouth of Bakam River.
During the rainy season, Sungai Raan will burst its original mouth and rushes into the sea at that point.
About 40 Melanau fishing families live on the spit. Settling there about 30 years ago, they form a community of fishermen with the Mirieks and Chinese in the area.
Goh family
On the west bank of Sungai Raan is the famous Hawaii Beach with chalets owned by the Goh family.
The Goh patriarch came from China via Singapore, built his rustic but beautiful kampung house 100 years ago. His wife, a Singaporean Nyonya, helped with the family’s sundry business. She lived in the kampung until she passed away.
Goh named his home-based sundry shop Seng Chiang. Humble and hard-working, he got along well with the kampung elders from Sungai Raan to Sungai Beraya, who accepted him as their best friend.
Today, Goh’s son Steven carries on the family business after retiring from his offshore job.
He told thesundaypost, “People are most welcome to watch the sunset from my place. My family has built a bridge not only for ourselves and visitors but also for the 40 families on this side of the river. The bridge is strong enough to ride a motorbike over.
“Many years ago, my father rode a bicycle on his business trips to the kampung. He built a small bridge with a few pieces of planks and it was enough back then.
“Our bridge today is a covered bridge. You don’t find many covered bridges in Sarawak like that. If you like, you can fish from the bridge.”
Ice cubes business
An enterprising family has started an ice cube factory near the bank of Sungai Raan and Bakam Road. The operators were originally fishermen and the new generation runs the business which is essential in this area with over 60 fishing boats.
Fishermen drive their boats to the factory’s small jetty to pick up bags of ice cubes at RM3 each. Some old boats are still berthed at their jetty.
Nowadays, the factory towkay makes some of his own fish traps and buys some commercial crab traps to catch the crustaceans in the river. You can always pop in to enjoy a friendly visit and a nice riverine view.
There is a small government-funded terung assam and chilli growing project at Kampung Sungei Raan. Hundreds of terong assam are grown in open yards.
Chilli gardens are set up in nettings and under lock and key. The owners must be delighted with their efforts. Hopefully, this too can be a future tourist attraction.
Members of the firefly-sighting group.
Firefly trees
According to part-time fisherman Rahman Jamin, from Kampung Bakam, fireflies love to hover around pedada and bakau (or api api) trees and can also be found on nipah palms. These are their natural habitats.
During a site visit, he told the group in his boat, “The fireflies appear only at certain times of the month, not every night.
“They don’t come out when it’s the full moon. If you want to watch them display their lights, you must dim your torchlights and keep very quiet.
“The fireflies come out after seven o’clock to find food and mates. They feed on snails and larvae found just above the water level.
“The river water must be clean, so we must remember to keep the environment around the river pristine.”
Rahman, who speaks English well, can be a tour guide and boatman. He and his fellow villagers hope the Sarawak Forest Department and the other authorities concerned will help the kampung folk in Sungai Raan and Sungai Bakam maintain the ecosystem for the survival of the fireflies.
Bakau is presently a very important tree species which protects the coastline of Sarawak, prevents serious flooding and preserves the ecosystem for the coastal fishery. Any removal of bakau trees should be done under strict control.
The Miri City Council can help develop and promote the sightings of fireflies for tourism in collaboration with the kampung folk.
Nature of fireflies
Local tourist guide Freda Koh was thrilled to be among the group.
“It’s a viable activity, and if all parties involved can work together well, I see no reason why we can’t sell such a package.
“People like a boat ride and watch the fireflies even if it’s for one hour. The outing tonight has been very special and exciting for me,” she said.
According to Musa, fireflies are actually beetles with specialised organs in their abdomens, which set off chemical reactions to create blinking lights, a process known as bioluminescence, which can also be found in fish and fungi.
Fireflies light up to attract their mates but some species do not produce any light at all.
In their larval stage, they eat soft-bodied insects living on or in the ground like snails, slugs, worms, and other larvae. Some fireflies eat the nectar or pollen of flowers; some eat small fireflies while some do not eat anything at all.
Adult fireflies don’t live long, maybe a month, and they normally spend their time looking for a mate. However, instead of breeding, some females, nicknamed femme fatale fireflies lure and eat males.
During the excursion, the participants tasted nipah fruits or attap chee for the first time. Nipah fruits are like baby coconuts. They have white flesh with a big seed.
Today, Malaysia produces canned nipah flesh, used mainly for cendol, a sweet dessert, or can be eaten on its own.
Eating attap chee is a novelty and should be part of a guided tour menu of Sungai Raan.