Work Travel: Ulu Baram, Sarawak, MALAYSIA

This trip was in late April to early May. I have never been to this part of Sarawak, and I am super excited about this trip. Our partner non-governmental organisation, the Malaysian Nature Society (Kuching Branch), organised it for a Helmeted Hornbill conservation project they are currently working on with a colleague. I requested to join them because I need to conduct preliminary surveys for my own project, the Sun Bear Conservation Project. I want to gather brief information about the communities living adjacent to our park, Usun Apau National Park, to support future field sampling for my project. We visited three villages, but I only had a chance to visit two villages, Long Anap and Long Apu, because we were divided into two teams. The community in these areas are Kenyah, also known as Orang Ulu.

I used three modes of transportation for this trip. I flew from Kuching to Miri and then continued by land transport, mostly via logging roads. The journey from Miri town to Long Anap took almost five hours, with at least two stops: Beluru Bazaar and then KM10. After we finished our work at Long Anap, we took longboats to Long Apu. 

This was the home of our host when we stayed at Kampung Long Anap.

In Long Anap, we stayed in one of the villagers' houses, and we paid them for our lodging and food. The family was very kind and offered us great hospitality. During our visit, it was the dry season, so it was very hot, and there was no rain. At some point, the stored rainwater ran out, and they had to rely on gravity-fed water. 

Our everyday boat ride to our sampling site.

I love the boat ride because it reminds me of my own village. I live and grew up living near the river, so I felt at home. However, this river can be very dangerous, especially when the water level is low, because the bottom is rocky with big boulders and strong rapids.

Our packed lunch from our hosts, the pork curry, is super delicious.

When we conducted our surveys in the forest, we worked until late afternoon. So, we had our lunch in the forest. I enjoyed having lunch in the forest, but the stingless bees were a challenge. After walking for hours in the forest, I sweated so much that the smell of my sweat attracted them. They lingered around me and landed on my body, including my face, especially my eyes. It was really annoying, and I couldn't eat my lunch in peace. 

I love this scenery: the river mouth, an entrance to the transect where we conduct our transect survey. 

We spent a few days conducting our transect surveys at Long Anap community forest. I observed signs of sun bears' presence along the transect. We also saw and heard calls from different hornbill species. The most exciting moment was seeing two helmeted hornbills perching on a tree not far from us. I managed to capture a video of one individual hopping on the tree branch before it flew off. 

Entrance to Kampung Long Apu.

We moved to Kampung Long Apu, which is downriver from Long Anap, for a few more days of our trip. We were there for local interviews and the CEPA programme with the villagers. The interviews took two days, and we did our CEPA at night. 

Till we meet again, Long Apu folks!

That was my trip to Ulu Baram. A place that I had never been to before. I made friends with many new faces, and I am grateful for that. I thank God that they were all nice and welcoming. We had so much fun, and the trip went really well, too. I will return next year for my own sun bear project!

Work Travel: Bandipur - Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, INDIA

 

In February this year, I had a chance to travel to India for work. I was attending a training sponsored by the Indian government. The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) organised the training, held at the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves in Karnataka. About 39 countries participated, and most have big cat species. At first, I was a reserved participant because the federal ministry was focusing on officers from Peninsular Malaysia, since we didn't have big cats in Borneo. We only have medium- and small-sized wild cats. The largest cat we have is the Bornean Clouded Leopard, weighing about 12 to 25 kg, and males are usually larger than females. The photo below shows all five wild cat species on Borneo Island. 

Photo: Gehan 

When I was there, I had the opportunity to learn about different efforts and initiatives by the Indian government, especially on managing conflicts with tigers and elephants. Although it focused on big cats, it also covered elephant conflicts. They do many things, including enhancing monitoring systems using available technologies, enforcing laws to combat illegal poaching, building staff capacity, and using creative ways to conduct awareness campaigns and education that can lead to behaviour changes among the public. 

Briefing at one of the patrolling stations in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

We had the chance to experience the wilderness when they brought us into the tiger reserve to observe wild tigers. We were fortunate to observe two individuals at two different locations within the Nagarahole Tiger Reserve. Besides tigers, we also saw other wildlife, including peacocks, spotted deer, gaur, and elephants. I will create different posts to share a few photos of wildlife that I observed during this trip. 

The K9 Unit conducted their demonstration on one of the days.

I enjoyed the trip very much, although the schedule was very packed and we could barely stick to it. We were always running late, and we ended the day very late almost every day. Towards the end of the trip, I was exhausted and couldn't really focus during the presentations. It feels like my body was there in the room, but my mind was nowhere to be found. 

Overall, I was grateful to the Ministry of India for sponsoring this training and to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability of Malaysia for giving me this opportunity to participate and letting me see how wildlife protection and conservation are carried out in India and other countries. 

My New Project in 2026: Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Project

I didn't realise it had been a year since my last blog post. In this post, I want to share the project I'm working on now. Two projects were delayed for years, and I had to take them because I had no choice but to say yes. So I will not talk about those two projects, because they feel like a pain in my ass too. I will only talk about one project I love, and I am grateful I had the opportunity to work on it. 

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Project

This year, I have the opportunity to work on the sun bear project. The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the world's smallest bear species. Look at the photo below to see how the sun bear differs from other bear species in height. In contrast, the polar bear is the tallest among the eight species.

Photo Credit: Wildlife Nomads

Meanwhile, the map below shows the species' distribution across continents. The light green shows the sun bear's geographic range, which includes Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Photo Credit: Bear Species in Asia

Under the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2016), the sun bear was categorised as Vulnerable. The last assessment was conducted on 5 February 2016. After 10 years, we are unsure of the sun bear's current status across its range. Over the last ten years, I am sure the sun bear's habitat has changed significantly due to development in each country. Other threats include poaching and illegal trade.

Photo Credit: Wildlife Nomads

This year, the project aims to close some gaps, including the distribution map of sun bears in the state and population estimates. It involves desktop studies and field sampling to collect occurrence data in our national parks and adjacent community forests. Knowing I will not be able to do this work alone, I have been networking and seeking active collaborations. I registered and became a member of the IUCN SSC Bear Specialist Group in April and the International Bear Association (IBA) in May this year. Through these collaborations, I hope to achieve more and secure the support I need to strengthen bear conservation initiatives in Sarawak. 

More updates coming soon!