Towards the end of May 2023, TEE Lab members, Dr. Eleanor Slade, Ong Xin Rui and Chiew Li Yuen, had the amazing opportunity to visit Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC). DGFC is a collaborative research and training facility situated in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Sabah, Malaysia) and is managed by the Sabah Wildlife Department and Cardiff University.
Danau Girang Field Centre!
We were invited by DGFC's PhD student and Research Officer, Amaziasizamoria J. Jeana (Maz), who is looking into how dung beetles respond to forest restoration efforts. Maz's PhD is closely tied to DGFC's Regrow Borneo project, which focuses on restoring the forests in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
Collecting dung beetles in the field. Photos 2023 Chiew Li Yuen.
We had fruitful sessions both out in the field and in the lab! We collected dung beetles from dung-baited pitfall traps that Maz had kindly set up before we arrived. Back in the lab, we had a go at identifying and sorting the collected dung beetles.
Identifying and sorting dung beetles in the lab. Photos 2023 Amaziasizamoria J. Jeana & Chiew Li Yuen.
On our second day, we were super lucky to see the Bornean pygmy elephants! We first spotted the herd along the Kinabatangan River and subsequently within the premises of DGFC! Seeing the elephants up close and personal was an intense, exciting and humbling experience that we will definitely not forget.
Borneo pygmy elephants along the Kinabatangan River. Photos 2023 DGFC & Ong Xin Rui.
While our time spent in DGFC was short, it was indeed fulfilling thanks to the wonderful hosting by Maz, Amanda and the rest of the DGFC staff and students. Thank you so much for this amazing visit and we are looking forward to collaborating and doing more dung beetle work with Maz on the Regrow Borneo project.
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