KUCHING: The Bornean Frog Race will be held at Kubah National Park, Matang, this weekend (April 27 & 28), which will include talks on amphibians and their conservation as well as exhibits of sights and sounds.
According to a press statement, the event is open to the public as part of the Kubah Week celebration and is jointly organised by the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation, University Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC).
Activities planned include workshops on amphibian biology and photography, exhibits on amphibians (including frog figurines, stamps, photos, books and calls) and screening of the documentary by Sir David Attenborough entitled Land Invaders from the award-winning BBC television series Life in Cold Blood (with permission from Sir David).
The international speaker for the two-day event is world renowned amphibian specialist Dr Ulmar Grafe, who had previously served as a consultant to Steven Spielberg’s film Jurassic Park.
The highlight of the event, held for the second year running, will be the Bornean Frog Race which is open to the general public especially students and naturalists.
Aimed at creating greater awareness on amphibian conservation in Borneo, this competitive event will see participants going up the main trail to Gunung Serapi, within Kubah National Park for a period of two hours, and returning with digital images of amphibians.
Prizes featuring books on amphibians and natural history, DVD on amphibians as well as attractive amphibian sculptures and certificates will be awarded to participants for ‘Most Number of Amphibian Species Found’, ‘Rarest Amphibian Species Found’ and ‘Best Amphibian Photograph Taken’.
Photo vouchers are necessary for those taking part in the competition, and requirements from participants are a nominal registration fee that includes lunch, dinner and supper, a digital camera with appropriate lenses and flash systems, and participants will be required to stay awake till midnight. Laptops and download cables are optional.
Those interested can register online at: http://theborneanfrograce2013.weebly.com/index.html
For further enquiries, email Ong Jia Jet at [email protected], Sing Tyan Pang at [email protected] or Indraneil Das at [email protected].