This was my first thought as my project partner, guide, and I trekked across the muddy ground of the Temenggor Forest Reserve, following the massive footprints left by graceful giants. In the northern reaches of Perak lies the Temenggor Dam, a huge expanse of water created by man in a region once characterised by hills and valleys.
Dead tree trunks standing solemnly in still, murky waters gives the dam a surreal quality.
Tracts of rainforest, namely the Temenggor and Belum Forest Reserves, surrounding the dam, possess an immense richness of flora and fauna. It remains a place still unexplored and undisturbed by humans. We were there conducting field research for a project that identifies habitats in need of protection in Peninsular Malaysia. It appears more like a hole on the side of a bank, perhaps under a tree or sometimes just an open shallow hole in the ground. We kneeled on the soft ground to look at the differences in the makings.