Sabah elephant expert wins UK award for conservation work
Published on: Friday, May 02, 2025
Published on: Fri, May 02, 2025 Text Size: Pic by Shervin Hess via WFN KOTA KINABALU: Elephant biologist Dr Nurzhafarina Othman ( pic ) has received the prestigious Whitley Award from the UK-based Whitley Fund for Nature (WFN) for her efforts to save Sabah's endangered Bornean elephants, The Malaysian Reserve reported. The award was presented by WFN patron Princess Anne during a ceremony in London on April 30, where Farina, as she is known, read a heartfelt letter to the elephants. Through her nonprofit Seratu Aatai, Farina works with palm oil stakeholders in Lower Kinabatangan to mitigate human-elephant conflict by promoting elephant-friendly coexistence strategies. According to WFN, her conservation efforts aim to establish protected corridors for the last 300 Bornean elephants in Sabah, a subspecies that has lost 60% of its forest habitat due to logging and agriculture. Her work also supports broader biodiversity in the region, benefiting species like orangutans and sun bears, in a landscape increasingly reshaped by economic development. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
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