Swinburne and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Malaysia jointly organised a recent talk entitled ‘Primates in Sarawak and the Globally Threatened Red-Banded Langurs of Maludam’ at the university’s campus.
The talk on primates and conservation was delivered by Dr Elizabeth Bennett, Vice President of Species Conservation at WCS based in New York and a recipient of the Merdeka Award for Outstanding Contribution to the People of Malaysia.
More than 250 students, staff and members of the public attended the talk. Also present were Swinburne’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Officer Professor John Wilson.
In her presentation, Dr Bennett stressed that the conservation of these habitats is crucial for the survival of the endangered primates in Sarawak. She said among the most endangered primates are the iconic orang-utans, the red banded langurs of Maludam and black banded langurs of Samunsam.
Dr Bennett being interviewed by Astro Awani at the end of the talk.
The proboscis monkeys which are found along the coasts of Sarawak now just reside in pockets of protected areas like Samunsam, Maludam, Bako, Sebuyau and Sedilu. According to Dr Bennett, these animals have a huge tourism following and are indeed nature’s tourism ambassador for the State.
Following the talk and a lively Q & A session, members of the audience enjoyed a Kahoots Quiz on the environmentally-friendly activities organised by the Swinburne Sarawak Green Club mentioned by Professor Wilson in his speech, as well as points raised by Dr Bennett in her talk. The Kahoots Quiz winners were awarded copies of books by Dr Bennett and publications by WCS Malaysia Programme.
Members of the audience were also given complimentary copies of the Sarawak second edition of the Mammals of Borneo by Quentin and Karen Phillipps. The books are distributed by WCS and Malaysian Nature Society.