SARAWAK Tourism Board (STB) is ushering in the Year of the Rabbit by featuring the rare “sea bunny” Jorunna parva on its 2023 ang pow packet design.
Bearing an uncanny resemblance to a rabbit due to the little flaps on its head and fluffy-looking coat, the 10mm-long soft-bodied marine slug can be found at Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park in Miri, Sarawak.
STB chief executive officer Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor said in a statement that the sea bunny red packet would be the sixth edition to the tourism board’s ang pow series featuring flora and fauna unique to Sarawak.
“We look forward to creating new and truly Sarawakian ang pow packet designs every year to make it a collectible while promoting Sarawak’s priceless biodiversity and wildlife to the world.
“The rise of ecotourism has seen a surge in demand for eco-retreats with Sarawak’s natural beauty and sustainable outlook.
“We invite visitors to explore Sarawak’s unique culture, adventure, nature, food and festive offerings filled with green tourism activities such as deep-sea diving and caving,” she added.
Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park is the second largest offshore national park in Sarawak with 33 identified dive sites.
Its dive destinations are popular due to the abundance of pristine patch reefs and incredible marine life as well as being breeding ground for 800 species of hard and soft corals.
It lies at depths ranging from seven to 30m, with an average visibility of 10m to 30m where divers can discover a variety of underwater species such as Gorgonia sea fans, bubble corals, barracudas, Napoleon wrasse and butterfly fish.
Eve’s Garden, Belais, Sunday Reef, Anemone Garden, Siwa Reef and Kenyalang Wreck are among the popular dive sites.
The best time recommended for diving here is from March until October.
The limited 2023 ang pow packets are available for collection at STB’s visitor information centres in Kuching, Sibu and Miri while stock lasts.
