I have volunteered with NSP for about three months. Having zero experience in conducting animal research, this has been a very eye-opening experience for me.
One of the projects I was assigned to do was conducting transect through out the island of Langkawi. Doing so allows me to see and learn more about the various wildlife in Langkawi as the other researcher would tell me various facts about the wildlife.
Sometimes, the local would question our motives and provide some information after telling them about our research. Aside from that, it is pleasant to walk in the cool and quiet night.
The other project involves recording the behaviour of colugo at a resort. This task can be quite boring because after we found a colugo, we would just sit and record their behaviour for hours.
We would also take their photo for identification purposes as well, classifying them as different individuals with their own unique patterns. Doing so allows us to have a better understanding of the colugos, such as their diet and habitat, as there isn’t much information about the colugos and only a handful of people are studying about them.
So far, I’d say it has been a pleasant experience conducting research on wildlife.