KOTA KINABALU: A new online series, Borneo Jungle Diaries, showcasing Borneo’s incredible wildlife and the scientists trying to protect them, will be aired on Monday which coincides with World Environment Day.
“Borneo Jungle Diaries investigate life behind-the-scenes at the field centre,” said Dr Benoit Goossens, Director of Danau Girang Field Centre and a lecturer at Cardiff University.
“Aaron ‘Bertie’ Gekoski, known for ‘Borneo from Below’ and ‘Borneo Wildlife Warriors’ online series, follows a different scientist at DGFC and animal per episode as we: tag a Sunda pangolin for the first time ever, gain intimate insights into the behaviour of nocturnal primates, track a herd of elephants, and much more,”
The first episode of the 10-part series will be released on Scubazoo TV (scubazoo.tv) and DGFC Facebook page Monday afternoon at 4 pm, local time, in conjunction with World Environment Day.
Don’t miss it!
“It will be followed by one episode every week until August 7 and the episodes will highlight the following species: pangolins, reticulated pythons, otters, insects, monitor lizards, slow lorises and tarsiers, crocodiles, civets and elephants,” explained Goossens.
“I hope that this series will be appealing to young people who are interested by wildlife, especially young Malaysian students,” added Goossens.
Four episodes showcase a Malaysian student studying at the field centre: PhD students Nurzhafarina Othman, Elisa Panjang and Sai Kerisha Kntayya and one MSc student Leona Wai.
I believe that those students can become ambassadors for wildlife conservation in Sabah and Malaysia and are examples to follow by the younger Malaysian generation of conservationists.
Produced by Scubazoo, Asia’s leading natural history filming and photography company based in Kota Kinabalu, and funded by Sime Darby Foundation.
“We feel extremely privileged to have had the opportunity to partner up with DGFC and Sabah Wildlife Department for this series.
Borneo Jungle Diaries is the ultimate jungle story bringing the ground-breaking work of Malaysians and people from all corners of the world to try to understand the importance of Sabah’s incredibly unique wildlife, before it’s too late.” added Scubazoo CEO/Founder Simon Christopher.
Deep in the heart of Sabah’s jungle lies a remote facility, the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), an isolated and wild location managed by Sabah Wildlife Department and Cardiff University.
Here, a dedicated team of young Malaysian and international research scientists have been combining field-developed gadgets and traps, with state-of-the-art tracking technology in their quest to unravel the mysteries of the Kinabatangan jungle.
DGFC’s primary mission is to safeguard Kinabatangan’s most charismatic animals through monitoring, learning and understanding.
A CHANCE TO WIN A TRIP TO DGFC EVERY WEEK
In the spirit of adventure, with the commitment to learning, there will be a chance to win a 4-day, 3-night stay at the Danau Girang Field Centre every week!
Viewers simply have to watch the full episode, complete a quick 5 question quiz.
If all the questions are correct, you’ll be entered into a draw to win this behind-the-scenes immersive jungle experience.
More info coming soon on the Borneo Jungle Diaries page on Scubazoo.tv.
At DGFC in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, a research and training facility co-managed by Sabah Wildlife Department and Cardiff University, Goossens leads projects on biodiversity responses to habitat fragmentation and degradation.
He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of conservation genetics, having carried out projects on Sumatran and Bornean orangutans, Bornean elephant, giant and red pandas in Asia; chimpanzees, forest elephant, and black rhinoceros in Africa.
Benoît holds a PhD in biology from University of Grenoble, France. He started working in Sabah back in 1999.
DGFC use advanced technologies such as camera traps, GPS collars, and drones to explore the survival mechanisms employed by multiple flagship species.
Through the knowledge we gain we can develop species action plans and landscape management guidelines for fragmented lowland tropical forests, added Goossens.
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