Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

2015.09.30
Affiliation/Position

Primate Research Institute/D1

Name

Liesbeth FRIAS

1. Country/location of visit
Malaysia/ Penang
2. Research project
4th International Workshop of Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation
3. Date (departing from/returning to Japan)
2015.09.07-2015.09.15 (9 days)
4. Main host researcher and affiliation
Dr. Sharul Anuar Mohd Sah (University Sains Malaysia)
5. Progress and results of your research/activity (You can attach extra pages if needed)
Please insert one or more pictures (to be publicly released). Below each picture, please provide a brief description.

This year’s International Workshop of Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation was held in Penang, Malaysia. This
was the fourth international workshop, held after those in Brazil (2012), India (2013) and Tanzania (2014), withtopics ranging from conservation and wildlife monitoring, genome sciences, ecology and animal behavior, tohuman and animal conflict.
After the workshop we visited the Center for Marine and Coastal studies (CEMACS), located in Teluk Aling,where research is focused on biodiversity and conservation of marine ecosystems. That same day, we took theafternoon off to visit George Town, the first British settlement in Southeast Asia and a UNESCO World Heritage
Site because of the many colonial Chinese-style shop houses. Street art is also a landmark of the city, where Ernest
Zacharevic, Lithuanian artist, has covered the historical part of the city with paintings that incorporate the city
itself.
On the next day we embarked in a very long trip from Penang to Pahang with a stop at the Kuala Gandah ElephantConservation Centre, an elephant sanctuary established by the Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National
Parks as the base for the elephant translocation program. This program aims to locate, capture and translocate“problem elephants” from areas where human and animal habitats collide to safer habitats, like Taman Negara
National Park. The center hosts orphaned elephants and trained elephants that help during translocation, andvisitors have the opportunity to see them from close and engage in some activities.
During the last days our activities were located around Taman Negara. We had a day of jungle trekking followed
by a canopy walk, a night excursion in the park, a visit to the Kelah Fish Sanctuary and to Lata Berkoh, a cascadesurrounded by a rocky area, ideal for a quick swim. We also visited the Kampung orang asli (aborigines village),where nomadic families move around Taman Negara and get their food from the forest.
Overall this trip was a good experience. The conference gave me a wide perspective on what people are doing in
Asia and I got the chance to meet researchers and students from the host university. Having visited Sabah, I waslooking forward to an opportunity to visit the peninsula. I was impressed by the efforts made by the elephant teamat Kuala Gandah. In Sri Lanka we saw that translocation is used as a last resource, being tremendously expensive
and costing the lives of many animals throughout the process. But in Peninsular Malaysia translocations aretargeted at single individuals instead of groups, and trained elephants are used to ease the wild elephants during
this stressful process, so the procedure is very different and I would be interested to know what the success ratefor translocations is.

Submit to：report@wildlife-science.org

2014.05.27 version

Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

Visit to the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (top), Georgetown and its famous street art (middle) and Kuala
Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre (bottom). Photo credit: Liesbeth Frias.

Submit to：report@wildlife-science.org

2014.05.27 version

Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

Visiting the Batek (top), where they showed us how to make fire and use a bamboo blowpipe for hunting. On theway to Kelah Fish Sanctuary and Lata Berkoh (middle). Trekking and canopy walk in Taman Negara (bottom).
Photo credit: Liesbeth Frias.
Acknowledgments
I would like to express my gratitude to PWS and Prof. Matsuzawa for supporting this trip. I would also like tothank Dr. Sharul for hosting us during this visit and to Yuko Tawa, Sarahaizad Mohd Salleh, Aini Hasanah andMohd Abdul Muin Md Akil for the wonderful organization and guidance during these days.

Submit to：report@wildlife-science.org

2014.05.27 version