KUCHING: Deep within the rugged forests of Sarawak, a team of wildlife conservationists braves tough terrain to place camera traps to capture photos of wildlife.
WWF-Malaysia’s Sarawak Wildlife Conservation Team protects threatened species by conducting wildlife surveys through camera traps and orang utan nest counts.
Their camera traps have captured valuable photos of wildlife, including endangered animals such as the orang utan, langur and Bornean clouded leopard.
This valuable data is crucial for understanding the endangered species inhabiting Borneo’s forests.
Programme assistant Anderian Alfonso said the team ventures deep into the forest for their wildlife surveys.
“We travel far into the forest to install the camera traps. We also do nest count surveys for orang utans to estimate their population,” he said in an interview.
The work is crucial to helping the many endangered species in Sarawak and the rest of Borneo.
“Even though orang utans are protected wildlife in Sarawak, their population is still under threat. We need to strengthen our efforts for conservation.
“We hope that through our efforts, the future generation will still be able to see our wildlife in the next 50 or 100 years,” he said.
Started in 2016 as a solo effort by senior field biologist Lukmann Haqeem, it has since expanded to currently include four programme assistants – Affy Azlizan Senin, Mohamad Hisyamuddin Nasir, Donny Janis and Anderian.
Their work has taken them across Sarawak in areas like Payeh Maga, Kuba’an-Puak, Pasin, Gerenai, Melatai, Ulu Baleh, Gunung Lesong and Ulu Ai.
Explaining their camera traps, Anderian said around 20 cameras are installed in an area, each a kilometre apart, and it can take up to two weeks to complete the task.
The cameras are left for two to three months to record any wildlife that passes by.
“After that, we return and collect the images. Then, we sort and tag the photos based on species and pass the information to Lukmann for data analysis,” he said, adding that the team sifts through millions of images.
These camera traps have photographed rare species that were not previously believed to inhabit the area.
Navigating rough forest terrain is one of the greatest challenges the team faces in their work.
Of all the forests, the team unanimously agrees that Ulu Baleh, known also as the “Heart of Borneo”, is the toughest.
The trip takes three days – a flight to Sibu, a six-hour four-wheel drive and another six hours by boat.
The team would set up camp and stay in the forest for about a week to install camera traps.
“Our boat has been stuck in shallow water a few times when we travel upstream. We needed to get down and pull the boat together,” he said.
Anderian added that trekking through Ulu Baleh is perilous as it is dense with thick vegetation and fraught with rocky, slippery surfaces.
“It’s really tiring, especially when it is the dry season. We once ran out of water even though we brought three litres,” he said.
Led by local guides, the team would hike up to find a river source or drink from roots that contain water.
Mohamad Hisyamuddin and Donny shared that they once got lost in Ulu Baleh for six hours from 5pm to near midnight.
They mistakenly split from their local guide and only had a few packs of snacks and a little water.
As darkness crept into the forest, Mohamad Hisyamuddin said he thought both of them were done for.
Fortunately, they found a river and followed it upstream, miraculously tracing their way back.
Two other members, Affy Azlizan and former team member Philovenny Pengiran, recalled getting chased by a pair of sun bears while setting up a camera trap.
“We had unknowingly stepped into their play area. When we saw them running toward us, we threw all our equipment to make a run for it,” said Philovenny.
Their local guide saved them by bravely driving the bears off with a stick.
Besides setting up camera traps, the team currently carries out orang utan nest count surveys in the Batang Ai area.
Donny said the orang utan nest count survey is used to estimate their population in the area.
Each time the team conducts the survey, they will repeat it three times to ensure accuracy.
“We will set up a transect with four subplots. We need to work within these four subplots and find (and count) the number of nests,” he said.
The nests are divided into types A, B, C and D, where A is the most recently made and still has fresh leaves while leaves of D are withering or black.
Orang utans, he said, will make a new nest from leaves and branches every night to have a restful sleep.
Anderian said before starting a project in the forest, the team must seek permission to enter from the local community in the area.
If the request is rejected, the team will avoid surveying the area.
“Sometimes, these communities are not fully open to the ideas. For example, there have been instances where they think that a camera trap is like CCTV to monitor their activities,” he said.
Building a cooperative relationship with local communities is essential as the team relies on local guides for navigation and survival through the dense forests, he added.
Over the past eight years, the team has installed hundreds of camera traps with another 120 planned for next year.
Their efforts have led to the first camera trap footage of orang utans in the Gunung Lesong forest of Sri Aman, confirming local sightings.
Additionally, the team contributed their technical expertise to the establishment of the Sarawak Sentencing Guidelines for Wildlife Crimes.
It is a document that assists judges in determining sentences for wildlife-related offences.
Looking ahead, Anderian shared that the team plans to study the Bornean clouded leopard.
“The clouded leopard is listed as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature,” he said, adding that further research is essential for conservation efforts.
For their noble efforts, WWF-Malaysia’s Sarawak Wildlife Conservation Team is named as one of the 10 winners of the Star Golden Hearts Award (SGHA) 2024.
SGHA is an annual award by The Star that honours everyday Malaysian unsung heroes.
For details, visit sgha.com.my.
