Helmeted hornbills – time to brace yourself – may be on the way to extinction in the wild. They are near-extinct in Indonesian Sumatra and may soon face a similar fate in Malaysian Borneo as well. Unceasing demand for their casques, as their helmet-like appendages are known, has been driving the…

Malayan tapirs need all the help they can get. They are getting some of that help from schoolchildren across Malaysia who have created thousands of miniature clay figurines in the image of the endangered animals. The children did so as part of the Malayan Tapir Awareness Campaign in order to…

It’s winter in the Northern hemisphere – a time when migratory birds flee the cold weather by flying south, many of them spending a few months in Malaysia’s tropical warmth before returning north in spring. According to ‘A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Malaysia’ the country is home to…

The Maroon Langur, also known as the Maroon leaf monkey, is a threatened primate species endemic to the island of Borneo.  Of medium size and rusty red color, they swing from tree to tree feeding on leaves, seeds and fruits.  Their appetites are quite exploratory – they may sample more…

Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa in Sabah is under the spotlight for its exploitation of orphan orangutans for financial gain under the facade of rehabilitation. The Rasa Ria Resort has been fed a continuous supply of orphan orangutans for almost 20 years.  They are used as a sort of…

Malaysia is one of only 12 countries to be considered “mega-diverse,” an honor that makes it a world-renowned hub of species biodiversity.  Around 1,500 species of vertebrate land animals live there, but habitat destruction, poaching and wildlife trading are steadily cutting this number down.  An estimated 14 percent of Malaysia’s…

The single largest stretch of rainforest left standing in Southeast Asia sits on the tropical island of Borneo.  Called the Heart of Borneo Rainforest, it is the world’s third largest rainforest and could be the most biodiverse.  The forest is shared by Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.  It has been historically…

The battle to save Malaysia’s wildlife has been a long and troubled one.  Throughout Malaysia’s history, its rarified environments and exotic variety of life have been a source of both pride and agitation.  Rare and endangered species in Malaysia – in fact, all animal species in Malaysia – are caught…

It’s becoming painfully evident that setting aside a few national parks just isn’t enough to save endangered species in Malaysia.  Sure, there may be a hopeful-sounding number of pygmy elephants in Malaysia (FIND THE NUMBER), but if they’re marooned in separate plots of land, they either can’t find each other…

Sabah is Malaysia’s second-largest state and is, in many ways, setting an example in sustainability and environmental protection.  Sabah’s laws, protections and regulation of industry have essentially turned back the clock for its extremely biodiverse rainforests – some of which are over 130 million years old. To date, the Sabah…

Known for its dense tropical forests, beautiful islands and staggering natural biodiversity, Malaysia has a reputation as an environmental treasure.  You’ll find pictures of Malaysian jungle in nature magazines, backgrounding vacation advertisements and pasted onto any website trying for some reason to remind readers of just how breathtaking a place…

What happens when the largest seagrass bed in Malaysia disappears due marine pollution and coastal development?  We may soon find out, and the answer won’t be a welcome one. Just off the southern tip of Peninsular Malaysia, sandwiched between Malaysia and Singapore, sits the uninhabited island of Pulau Merambong.  It’s…

Malaysia’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) recently approved a survey of the country’s tiger population.  Six times more thorough than the last such estimate, this survey will reveal the Malayan tiger’s true chances of survival. Covering 20,000 square kilometers (20 plots of 1,000 sq km each), the proposed…

Two major airplane crashes, a rash of kidnappings and an earthquake in Malaysia last year saw tourism take a sharp nose dive. Malaysian flight MH370 went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.  This awful mystery was followed by Flight MH17 being shot down over…

Malaysia’s national biodiversity policy is currently being revised to include further consideration for the country’s delicate environment.  The opportunity is a great one – the vital document hasn’t been reviewed in decades, and it could do more to protect Malaysia’s plant and animal life. On paper, biodiversity in Malaysia has…

In what could be a huge step in protecting the environment, the group of Southeast Asian nations known as ASEAN is reportedly getting close to qualifying environmental offenses as transnational organized crime. The revised definition would be fitting, as environmental crime in Southeast Asia is often a highly organized affair. …