Gua Naga Mas must be preserved

The Star on 1 Oct had an article "Rare tiger fossil in cave at Gopeng, Perak, must be preserved". This is something I have been saying for years, but nothing has been done. And I am mentioned in the article about this!

I was also interested to see that a painting of a tiger has now been placed on the wall near the fossil. The fossil is being worshipped in the temple at the base of the hill. See my 2015 blog on the
Erawan Shrine Cave.

See full article with the photos on the Star www.

After this, several more articles appeared in the press. See more on my cave site.

• 
  

Metro News
1 Oct 2018
by Allison Lai

THE PERAK state government is keen to preserve Gua Naga Mas in Gopeng because of a unique complete fossil of a mammal embedded in the limestone cave wall.

State Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Tan Kar Hing said researchers believe the fossil is unique.

“When a group of researchers made the discovery, they compiled a report with officials, confirming it was a carnivore fossil.

“The thing is, during my recent visit to the site and also meetings with several agencies, we did not have much scientific report on it.

For now, Tan noted that the cave, located in a Siamese temple, was still open to the public .

“The fossil was actually being worshipped in the temple. A tiger painting can be seen next to it with joss sticks and prayer items.

“There was even words in Chinese labelling it a ‘tiger fossil’,” he said, adding that it was important to engage with the local community on the state’s plans to preserve the site and prevent its deterioration.

Stressing that it was important to get more details on the fossil, Tan said he had also received positive feedback from researchers, after he shared about his visit to the site on his Facebook page.

“So far I have sought help from the Museums Department for archaeological assistance.

“I will also call for a meeting in the near future involving all relevant departments, agencies, and researchers to discuss what we can do with this fossil,” he added.

In was reported in 2009 that an animal fossil found in Gua Naga Mas was that of a tiger, during a visit to the site by Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) members in 1992.

The opinion that the fossil is a tiger came from expert conservationist Dr Geoffrey Davison, and further confirmed by Dr Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, the fifth Earl of Cranbrook with a team of researchers from Universiti Malaysia (UM).

Lord Cranbrook, as he is popularly known, was a senior lecturer in zoology between 1961 and 1970 at UM and the author of several books on wildlife in South East Asia.

Vertebrate palaeontologist Lim Tze Tshen, who was part of the UM research team looking at the fossil with Lord Cranbrook back in 2009, said that he had never seen a fossil as complete as the one in Gua Naga Mas.

“I have been doing fossil hunting and research in peninsular Malaysia since 2004 and I have never seen a fossil as complete as this, except for archaeological human skeletons.

“The Naga Mas fossil is about 80% complete. It is very rare that such a complete carnivore fossil can be found in South-East Asia, and it is definitely the one and only in the country,” he said in an interview.

Lim, who is a former research associate with UM’s Museum of Zoology said that Dr Davison did a very detailed examination of the fossil and came to the conclusion that it was a tiger.

“Unfortunately, his conclusion did not reach a much wider audience, and much confusion arose even to this day with people claiming it was a bear, dog, leopard or serow.

“In 2009, a team of researchers together with the Earl of Cranbrook decided to re-investigate the fossil and we reassessed the preservation condition of the fossil,” he said, adding that their research confirmed Dr Davison’s identification that the fossil was indeed of a small-sized tiger.

Lim, who is now doing his post-graduate study in the University of Cambridge and will be taking a research fellowship in Sarawak Museum in the subject of zoo archaeology, also noted that certain sections of the fossil showed signs of deterioration.

“I got in touch with Dr Davison following the confirmation of the research and we compared pictures of the fossil taken in 1992 and 2009.

“I do not know exactly what caused such deterioration, it could be natural, artificial, or both.

“In fact, a veteran caving expert in Malaysia, Liz Price, raised serious and valid concerns about the sad condition of the fossil and the surrounding areas several years ago,” he said.

“In a sense, Malaysia is unique – we have living tigers in the peninsular; the majestic animals are featured in our national coat of arms; and now we have a complete fossil of a tiger in Gopeng. But are we doing enough to protect it?

“Who knows that one day the hill site together with the fossil might be gone owing to the mining activities, without the knowledge of how important the fossil is to Malaysia and the people, scientifically, educationally, and, perhaps, culturally?” he added.

When asked, Lim said that it was important for the state government to find out which government agencies were responsible for the protection of the fossil and site, as well as the legal protection status of the fossil now.

“It is also necessary to organise an on site reinvestigation of the current status of the fossil, with inputs from all relevant stakeholders, including the temple manager, nature lovers and scientists,” he added.

Meanwhile, Perak’s Malaysian Nature Society chairman Ooi Beng Yean has called for the cave to be gazetted following the fossil discovery by MNS’ Perak caving group more than 20 years ago.

“It is the only place in Perak where this complete animal fossil has been found.

“With its rarity and uniqueness, it should be protected for historical preservation and also controlled eco-tourism to prevent further deterioration in the future,” he said.

• **

Gua Naga Mas is now a temple cave

Whilst I was looking around the industrial estate surrounding the southern end of Gunung Lanno, I noticed there were flags up on top of Gunung Pua. The main reason I had gone there was to see the
at the small hill next to Gunung Pua (where Gua Naga Mas is located), as it is being quarried. It is the southern end of that hill that is being quarried, right next to Gunung Pua.

I went to investigate the flags and found a new temple. It is called the Erawan Shrine Cave.

There is a large car park, which is lined by shrines housing individual deities - Chinese, Thai Buddhist and Hindu. And there is a separate Erawan shrine It seems it only opened - or at least had a ceremony, in Oct 2014.

It was midday on a really hot day so I had no intention of climbing the stairs to the top of the hill.

The cave is now gated and fenced off, with a large area outside with flooring and seats. The cave used to be a 'house' and was packed full of 'rubbish/recyclables'. Now it has been turned into a shrine with new flooring.

There are now concrete steps leading up to Gua Naga Mas. The main chamber has a few statues (Buddhist, Chinese and Hindu) and flags. Luckily the side chamber with the fossil bones hasn't been touched.

The views from the cave have changed considerably over the years. 2004 and 2008 there was still plenty of greenery

but this had changed by 2015

I wonder if the temple will help to save the hill, considering the one immediately next to it is being quarried.

[Apparently there is a replica of the Naga Mas fossil in the museum at Putra Jaya. A short video on youtube.]

For  more on Gua Naga Mas, see labels on the right column.

----

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Rock art in Perak's limestone caves

I wrote this article for the Brunei Times, Jan 11, 2009 .

Rock art in Perak's limestone caves
Gua Tambun & Naga Mas

Tambun cliff

THE state of Perak in central Malaysia has some important cultural and natural relics. The cultural antiquities are seen in the form of rock paintings, the natural ones are the fossil bones of a big cat. These two sites are an important part of Perak's heritage, but nothing is done to protect either site.

The Perak Heritage Society recently held an outing to these locations, to get interested people together in the hope that something can be done to preserve these places. On my earlier visits to both sites, I had found the access steps to be very overgrown. So it was a pleasant surprise on this trip to find that the staircases to both places had been very recently cleared. There was even a new gravel path leading to the Tambun staircase, so we were able to avoid all the muddy and swampy land. Presumably some official entourage had been here very recently.

The ancient rock paintings are found on a limestone cliff at Tambun, east of the city of Ipoh. These paintings were discovered in 1959 by Lt Rawlings and at the time were the only known coloured paintings in Malaya. They differ from the more recent charcoal drawings made by the "Orang Asli".

Rawlings found a wide ledge about 30m above the valley floor. The limestone cliff towers above this ledge and it was on the rock face that he noticed the paintings. The pictures depict men and animals, and were reported then to be in colours of dark purple and dull red. However today, due to exposure to the elements, such as wind, rain and sun, the reds have faded and become more orange in colour. The paintings are estimated to be around 2,000 years old. Some of the animals are easily identified, such as a civet, deer, wild boar and a "tapir". There is also a prominent painting that looks like a "dugong", although others suggest it could be a giant catfish.

There are not many pictures of people, although one man is shown with long genitalia. Other shapes are not really understood, one could be a bunch of bananas. It is not known for sure the medium used to create these paintings. It was originally assumed to be hematite, which is found in the area, but now the suggestions leads towards natural pigments from fat, blood or iron oxide. As the paintings are all much higher than the present day floor level, it is not known how ancient man was able to reach so high up on the cliff. In Australia it is thought that the Aborigines built scaffolding to do their rock art.

The Tambun paintings do show that humans were living in the Kinta Valley during this period. They may have been farmers rather than hunters and gatherers and it is thought that the animals they drew were the ones they saw and probably ate.

From ancient paintings we turned our attention to some fossil bones. Gua Naga Mas, south of the city of Ipoh, is a cave situated in a small limestone hill. In 1992 some people from the Malaysian Nature Society were visiting the cave and noticed some bones in the ceiling.

The vertebrate bones are about five metres above the floor and are embedded in travertine. Further studies revealed that they are probably the remains of a large cat, such as a tiger or leopard. These observations were made on the shape and size of the bones, and a lower premolar tooth was recognised as belonging to a big cat. The skeleton is about 98cm long, and although it is not easy for the layman to clearly make out the bones, the scientists have been able to identify each of the parts. A rough estimate suggests they are 10,000 years old.

Since the discovery more than 15 years ago, no detailed studies have been made on the bones, and the identity and age are still not known for sure. It is the only such fossil known in Malaysian caves.

The vertebrate bones and rock paintings are both unique parts of Perak's prehistory, and hopefully they will last for the eons to come.

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

See more on my website Caves of Malaysia and more on Gua Tambun rock paintings.

Gua Naga Mas fossil, Perak, Malaysia

I wrote this letter which was published on the letters page, p16 of THE SUN , 20th October 2008 and also in the New Straits Times on 21 Oct 2008. It concerns the ancient fossil found in Gua Naga Mas, in Perak, Malaysia. The photos were not published with the letters.

No protection for ancient cave fossil
In a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or other cat, and may date to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP.

The Dept of Museums and Antiquities erected a sign board at the base of the steps leading up to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996.

On subsequent visits, by comparing my photos over the years, I could see that pieces of the fossil have been removed. It is very disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.

In Oct 2008 I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had
completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.

This fossil is thought to be the only one known in SE Asia. It is really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect this site and to promote it's importance.

I hope someone from the Museums or Tourism Depts will read this and take some action to preserve such an important piece of Malaysia's past.
Liz Price

The fossil outlined by reflective markers

See more on Caves of Malaysia.

Tambun & Naga Mas - Ipoh Echo

An article I wrote on Gua Tambun and Gua Naga Mas in Ipoh Echo , Jan 16-31, No 66, p11

Gua Tambun and Naga Mas - BT

Published on The Brunei Times (http://www.bt.com.bn/en)

Rock art in Perak's limestone caves

Natural relics: The Tambun cliffs; entrance to Naga Mas cave; ancient cave drawing of the Tambun 'dugong'. The Kinta Valley is an important heritage site for Malaysia. Picture: Liz Price

Liz Price
IPOH, PERAK, MALAYSIA

Sunday, January 11, 2009

THE state of Perak in central Malaysia has some important cultural and natural relics. The cultural antiquities are seen in the form of rock paintings, the natural ones are the fossil bones of a big cat. These two sites are an important part of Perak's heritage, but nothing is done to protect either site.

The Perak Heritage Society recently held an outing to these locations, to get interested people together in the hope that something can be done to preserve these places. On my earlier visits to both sites, I had found the access steps to be very overgrown. So it was a pleasant surprise on this trip to find that the staircases to both places had been very recently cleared. There was even a new gravel path leading to the Tambun staircase, so we were able to avoid all the muddy and swampy land. Presumably some official entourage had been here very recently.

The ancient rock paintings are found on a limestone cliff at Tambun, east of the city of Ipoh. These paintings were discovered in 1959 by Lt Rawlings and at the time were the only known coloured paintings in Malaya. They differ from the more recent charcoal drawings made by the "Orang Asli".

Rawlings found a wide ledge about 30m above the valley floor. The limestone cliff towers above this ledge and it was on the rock face that he noticed the paintings. The pictures depict men and animals, and were reported then to be in colours of dark purple and dull red. However today, due to exposure to the elements, such as wind, rain and sun, the reds have faded and become more orange in colour. The paintings are estimated to be around 2,000 years old. Some of the animals are easily identified, such as a civet, deer, wild boar and a "tapir". There is also a prominent painting that looks like a "dugong", although others suggest it could be a giant catfish.

There are not many pictures of people, although one man is shown with long genitalia. Other shapes are not really understood, one could be a bunch of bananas. It is not known for sure the medium used to create these paintings. It was originally assumed to be hematite, which is found in the area, but now the suggestions leads towards natural pigments from fat, blood or iron oxide. As the paintings are all much higher than the present day floor level, it is not known how ancient man was able to reach so high up on the cliff. In Australia it is thought that the Aborigines built scaffolding to do their rock art.

The Tambun paintings do show that humans were living in the Kinta Valley during this period. They may have been farmers rather than hunters and gatherers and it is thought that the animals they drew were the ones they saw and probably ate.

From ancient paintings we turned our attention to some fossil bones. Gua Naga Mas, south of the city of Ipoh, is a cave situated in a small limestone hill. In 1992 some people from the Malaysian Nature Society were visiting the cave and noticed some bones in the ceiling.

The vertebrate bones are about five metres above the floor and are embedded in travertine. Further studies revealed that they are probably the remains of a large cat, such as a tiger or leopard. These observations were made on the shape and size of the bones, and a lower premolar tooth was recognised as belonging to a big cat. The skeleton is about 98cm long, and although it is not easy for the layman to clearly make out the bones, the scientists have been able to identify each of the parts. A rough estimate suggests they are 10,000 years old.

Since the discovery more than 15 years ago, no detailed studies have been made on the bones, and the identity and age are still not known for sure. It is the only such fossil known in Malaysian caves.

The vertebrate bones and rock paintings are both unique parts of Perak's prehistory, and hopefully they will last for the eons to come.

The Brunei Times

---

Source URL:
http://www.bt.com.bn/en/en/life/2009/01/11/rock_art_in_peraks_limestone_caves

Naga Mas photo (taken from Star)

This photo of us coming down from Naga Mas was "illegally" used by Star Sunday Metro on 4 Jan 2009 to advertise trekking in Penang. The photo was taken by the Star stringer, Anthony Law, on our trip to Gua Tambun & Naga Mas.

Tambun rock paintings & Naga Mas fossil (Star)

Star
Metro North

Monday December 29, 2008

Art of our ancestors

Story and photos by ANTHONY LAW

Delicate lines: Paintings showing a herd of deer. One doe appears to be pregnant.

THE prehistoric rock paintings in Tambun, Ipoh, may not be the only ones in the area.
Archaeology student Noel Hidalgo Tan believes the rock paintings are clues to show that there are other similar paintings yet to be discovered.
This, he said, was because prehistoric paintings were always found in clusters.
Tan, 30, who is currently doing his thesis on the Tambun prehistoric paintings discovered by the British army in 1959, was in Ipoh to take part in a guided tour of the Tambun caves organised by Perak Heritage Society (PHS).
Tan added that the limestone paintings in Tambun were of archaeological importance.
“I believe these are the only prehistoric iron oxide paintings in Malaysia,” Tan said of the paintings located several meters high on limestone walls.
Tan said he believed the prehistoric people used scaffolding to paint a dugong, a catfish, a turtle, a flying fox, a tapir and a herd of deer on the limestone walls.
“I will conduct an inventory of the paintings, none has been done so far,” Tan said.
He said his research would include determining the age of the paintings by carbon dating and conducting a chemistry test on the material used in the paintings.

Seashells found scattered nearby the prehistoric rock paintings.

The site of the prehistoric paintings was once under the sea, judging from the presence of seashells found scattered on the limestone hill which is at least 30m high.
Perak Heritage Society president Law Siak Hong said the paintings were not cave paintings as they were not found in caves but on the face of limestone rock.
After viewing the prehistorical drawings, the society members travelled south to Naga Mas near Gopeng to see the fossil of a mammal embedded in a cave wall.
“The bones belong either to a leopard or cat,” said Liz Price who has written many books on caves.
The bones, though high up, have been vandalised and need protection as there are people who are trying to remove the bones, believing that they have supernatural power or potential for the practice of black magic.

Naga Mas - Heritage News

Gopeng: No protection for ancient cave fossil

Heritage News, July - Oct 2008, Vol 5, Issue 4&5 , p11

The fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave wall at Naga Mas was found in 1992. It is thought to be a leopard or other cat. No tests have been done, but concrete steps leading up to the cave are overgrown, and the signboard erected by the Dept. of Museums and Antiquities is missing. -- Liz Price

Gua Naga Mas - letter WildAsia

No protection for ancient cave fossil
on Wild Asia's Message Board


In a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, Malaysia, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or other cat, and may date to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP.

Even though the Dept of Museums and Antiquities erected a sign board at the base ofthe steps leading up to the cave, no stringent form of protection has been enforced. From her very first visit to the site in 1996, Liz Price was disheartened to see that pieces of the fossil have been unscrupulously removed over the years in her subsequent visits.

In Oct 2008, Liz went back to the cave again but discovered that the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Original URL: http://www.wildasia.net/main.cfm?page=msg&messageID=2405

Published: 22 October 2008


© 2008 WILD ASIA
All Rights Reserved

Gua Naga Mas letter - NST

NST Online » Letters
2008/10/21

Cave exhibit: A fossil of a cat is going to the dogs
By : LIZ PRICE, Kuala Lumpur




IN a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave's wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or some other cat, and may date back to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP (before the present era).

The Department of Museums and Antiquities erected a signboard at the base of the steps leading to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996. On subsequent visits over the years, I could see that pieces of the fossil had been removed. It is disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.

This month, I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also, a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.

This fossil is thought to be the only one known in Southeast Asia. It is really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect this site.

No protection for ancient cave fossil (Sun, NST)

This was published on the letters page, p16 of THE SUN , 20th October 2008

No protection for ancient cave fossil
In a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal
embedded in the cave wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have
been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or other cat, and
may date to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP.

The Dept of Museums and Antiquities erected a sign board at the base of
the steps leading up to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996.

On subsequent visits, by comparing my photos over the years, I could
see that pieces of the fossil have been removed. It is very
disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these
ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.

In Oct 2008 I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had
completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were
not to be seen. Also a factory has encroached right up to the
hillslope.

This fossil is thought to be the only one known in SE Asia. It is
really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect
this site and to promote it's importance.

I hope someone from the Museums or Tourism Depts will read this and
take some action to preserve such an important piece of Malaysia's
past.
                                                                 Liz Price


The letter was also published in NST on 21 Oct 2008

NST Online » Letters

2008/10/21

Cave exhibit: A fossil of a cat is going to the dogs

By : LIZ PRICE, Kuala Lumpur

   IN a cave known as Gua Naga Mas in Perak, there is a fossil of a mammal embedded in the cave's wall. It was found in 1992. No real tests have been done, but the fossil is thought to be a leopard or some other cat, and may date back to the Pleistocene, 1.8 million to 10,000 years BP (before the present era).

The Department of Museums and Antiquities erected a signboard at the base of the steps leading to the cave. My first visit to the site was in 1996. On subsequent visits over the years, I could see that pieces of the fossil had been removed. It is disheartening to find that unscrupulous people have been removing these ancient bones, and that nothing has been done to protect them.

This month, I tried to get to the cave and found the signboard had completely disappeared, and the steps were totally overgrown and were not to be seen. Also, a factory has encroached right up to the hillslope.

This fossil is thought to be the only one known in Southeast Asia. It is really sad to see that the authorities have done nothing to protect this site.