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FOR more than 20 years, Dr Nurzhafarina Othman has walked a path guided not by ambition, but by an unspoken bond with one of Southeast Asia’s most elusive and threatened species: the Bornean elephant.
Her story began in 2003 as a conservation biology undergraduate at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), but what started as an academic pursuit quickly evolved into a lifelong commitment to protect the region’s largest land mammal. Today, as a senior lecturer at UMS’s Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, the Kedah-born scientist has emerged as a pivotal figure in safeguarding the estimated 300 elephants that still roam Sabah’s dwindling forests.
“There’s a feeling that we chose each other,” she told Bernama in a recent interview. “At first, studying Bornean elephants was just a means to complete my degree. But the more time I spent with them, it felt as though they were telling me to stay.”
Her passion gave rise to *Seratu Aatai* – meaning “united in heart” in the local Sungai language – the only NGO in Sabah dedicated exclusively to Bornean elephant conservation. Founded in 2018, the group now works closely with communities in the Lower Kinabatangan region, over 300 kilometres from Kota Kinabalu, where the rainforest still supports orangutans, sun bears and the endangered proboscis monkey.
Dr Nurzhafarina’s work was internationally recognised in April when she received the prestigious Whitley Award 2025 – often called the “Green Oscars” – presented by Princess Anne at the Royal Geographical Society in London. The award, valued at £50,000 (approximately RM287,000), celebrates not only her research but her collaborative efforts with the oil palm industry to create elephant-friendly corridors and reduce human-elephant conflict.
“This award comes with great responsibility,” she said. “I am grateful to the Whitley platform because it opens up more opportunities for me to share the story of the Bornean elephants. It also gives confidence to everyone working in the field that we are truly on the right path.”
Her approach goes beyond science; it is rooted in empathy. Over years of fieldwork, she came to recognise 50 female elephants by sight, naming each one, earning their trust not through force, but through presence and patience.
“The elephants gave me their time. I felt accepted, and at the same time, I kept learning from them,” she said. “We often misunderstand them. Elephants don’t attack. Yet we use words like ‘attack’ or say they ‘invade’ our space. But I don’t think those words are fair because the truth is, they were here long before us.”
For Dr Nurzhafarina, conservation is not just about wildlife—it’s about people. Seratu Aatai runs outreach programmes to help local communities understand elephants as neighbours rather than threats. She believes coexistence, not control, is key.
“I see Kinabatangan as a very special place. Despite the many challenges in maintaining wildlife habitats, this region remains resilient and strong,” she said. “Sabah and Borneo are renowned for their natural wealth, with forests and wildlife that exist nowhere else. So, we must find a balance between development and environmental conservation.”
Now armed with global recognition, she continues to build bridges—between science and society, between humans and animals. As the rainforests shrink and the threats to Bornean elephants grow, her voice remains one of hope, urging us to rethink our place in the natural world.
“It’s as if I was meant to be part of their story,” she said quietly. And thanks to her, their story has a chance of continuing. - May 25, 2025