Butterfly whisperer

Lifelong passion: Lim with one of his butterfly collections.

While living his dream job, this self-made entomologist advises the young to study for a degree

AS a teenager, Lim Beng Huat, fondly known among his family and friends as Raymond, often followed his uncle into the forest at the back of their home.

There, they spent hours catching butterflies and collecting them as specimens.

What started out as an object of fascination to fill his free time has become a lifelong passion for Lim who, throughout his 37-year career, has made these winged creatures his centre of attention.

From working as a chief breeder and supervisor at Penang Butterfly Farm (now known as Entopia) to setting up his own company managing various projects like the “Insect Zoo” and “Butterfly Garden” at Zoo Negara and “Garden of Nature” at the National Science Centre (NSC), Lim counts himself lucky to have been able to turn his hobby into a profession.

“Loving what you do and doing what you love as your job is a dream as it is difficult for many to achieve,” the 59-year-old told StarEdu.

He shared that after completing his Form Six studies, he went on to pursue training in lepidopterology, although his fascination with what he called “garden beauties” was met with misgivings from his teachers and relatives in the early years.

Looking back on his career, Lim, who does not hold a degree in the entomology field, said he takes great pride in what he has achieved but stressed the importance of securing a tertiary degree in this digital age.

“It is crucial for students to earn a degree because the jobs nowadays have higher requirements compared to the past,” he said.

He, however, cautioned students against giving up on their passion.

“Continue to grow your hobby and look for opportunities to incorporate what you love into your career or daily life.

“Balance is important. You need to manage time for studies, work and interests to go far,” he said.

He also pointed out that parents should give the appropriate amount of care and support to their children as “sometimes the younger generation just need a little push in the direction that they yearn to go”.

Over the years, Lim, who sees the need to familiarise the young with insects and butterflies, often spreads awareness by conducting educational programmes for schools and the public.

His programmes at SJK(C) Yuk Chai and SJK(C) Chung Hua Klang, both in Selangor, have even gained recognition in the Malaysia Book of Records for “The most number of cicada specimens collected in a single event” and “The most number of butterfly specimens created in a single event” in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

He is also currently working with the NSC in entomology-related educational programmes.

“It is a pity that the number of butterflies is decreasing, especially in cities. Children can rarely see them by the roadsides, what more look at them up close? The science textbooks might have the life cycle of a butterfly in the syllabus, but observing a butterfly up close, as well as hands-on learning, can have a totally different impact on a person,” he said.

He added that butterfly-related tourist attractions are not only a good starting point to expose the young generation to these creatures, but they also provide the platform necessary to cultivate the interest of more Malaysians in the entomology field.

“Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) are among the higher education institutions that offer courses related to entomology, so students who are interested can consider delving deeper into the world of creepy crawlies,” he went on.

A father of one, Lim himself made sure to expose his daughter, now 21, to his subject of interest.

He used to bring her to his workplace and introduced her to these creatures through hands-on activities, he said.

When asked some interesting facts about butterflies, Lim said, “Butterflies have a short life span, which is around 10 to 14 days. They are actually brilliant pollinators, but the public’s focus is always on bees because bees produce honey.”

He added that butterflies are not difficult to breed compared to other insects, as long as they are given a diet of appropriate host plants.

“Some caterpillars may only consume a specific type of leaves. For example, the Plain Tiger butterfly (Danaus chrysippus) only lays eggs on the Crown Flower (Calotropis gigantea) plant, which would be the host plant for many more future generations of the species,” he cited.

Carrie Ann, 21, a tertiary student in Penang, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team.

1. Here are three phrases related to butterflies:

> To have butterflies in one’s stomach: to feel nervous about something

> Social butterfly: a person who likes attending social events

> The butterfly effect: a situation in which a small action or change has a very large effect

Now, look in today’s copy of the Sunday Star newspaper for photographs that can be used to illustrate the phrases. Cut them out and paste them in your Star-NiE scrapbook. Next, form sentences using the phrases.

2. Entomology is the study of insects, while lepidopterology is the study of butterflies and moths. How many words can you form from each of these words: “entomology” and “lepidopterology”? Challenge your activity partner to come up with two separate lists of words in two minutes. At the end of the activity, go through each other’s work. The one with the most number of words formed correctly wins!

3. Now that you have read the article, would you be able to tell a family member all about it? Practise doing so. Did your family member show any interest in your retelling? Were you able to answer any questions he or she had? When you are done with this speaking exercise, reread the article. Is there any information that you could have included in your retelling earlier? Take a few minutes to reflect on what you can learn from this activity.

Since 1997, The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide. Through Star-NiE’s teacher and student workshops, annual contests and monthly English language resources for classroom use, participants of the programme reportedly showed marked interest in the language and progress in their proficiency. Now in its 25th year, Star-NiE is continuing its role of promoting the use of English language through a weekly activity page in StarEdu. These activities are suitable for use individually and in groups, at home and in the classroom, across varied proficiency levels. Parents and teachers are encouraged to work on the activities with their children and students. In addition, Star-NiE’s BRATs Young Journalist Programme will continue to be a platform for participants to hone and showcase their English language skills, as well as develop their journalistic interests and instincts. Follow our updates at facebook.com/niebrats. For Star-NiE enquiries, email [e-mail].