A great experience!

Danial Tiang and Edward Lim were our first volunteers who participated in our Kemaman River Terrapin Volunteer Programme, which was rolled out at the beginning of the River Terrapin nesting season. Following is a reflection of Danial’s experiences in the Volunteer Programme.

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My friend and I immediately signed up for this programme as soon as we were notified of it. Even though we didn’t really know what to expect, we seized the opportunity and got a shot at a lovely and unforgettable experience.

As we arrived in Kemaman, Terengganu, we were given a warm welcome by Ms. Chen and got the pleasure of meeting two of her acquaintances who are also helping out with the River Terrapins as we reached the field house. We were given a very informative and interesting briefing on the Terrapins, the activities of TCS as well as the implementation of the new bluetooth system in hopes of obtaining more information on the nesting habits of the River Terrapins.

Unfortunately, we were only able to see one Terrapin during our whole trip. However, it was extremely exciting to be able to see one up close in its natural environment and carry out the routine procedure of measuring the terrapin and her eggs. Even though the first three nights may not have been as eventful as we thought, we were very grateful and satisfied to be able to see one on the last night of the programme.

Edward measuring a post-nesting river terrapin, with help from Pelf and Dollah.

Edward measuring a post-nesting river terrapin, with help from Pelf and Dollah.

Danial and Edward weighing and measuring river terrapin eggs, and recording the measurements.

Danial and Edward weighing and measuring river terrapin eggs, and recording the measurements.

The Kemaman River Terrapin Volunteer Programme was a great experience for me and those four nights passed by way too quickly. We have learned many things and are very thankful to Ms. Chen Pelf Nyok for her generous hospitality which only made the programme much more enjoyable and it was definitely a pleasure working with her.

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