Timothy’s love for animals started back in his childhood, when he was taught by his mum and grandma to care for household pets and help foster animals in need. Growing up in the suburbs of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, he had his fair share of wildlife encounters from snakes hiding under buckets to water monitor lizards hanging about in the kitchen. Although at times frightening, these encounters did not instil fear but rather developed his love for animals that grew into a passion for wildlife. They gave him real life glimpses into the beauty of wildlife that were often portrayed in his favourite nature documentaries on TV.
Fast forward some years and with a UK degree (BSc Hons International Wildlife Biology from the University of South Wales) fresh in hand, he eagerly took up the opportunity to participate in the conservation of Sabah’s wildlife by volunteering at Danau Girang Field Centre in 2016. What started off as a 3-month stay quickly turned into 9 months as he was further captivated by the beauty of nature and daily living, which was to conserve the local wildlife. With this amazing experience as well as the support of family and friends, he was inspired to return to the UK for further studies to broaden his horizon and increase his capacity as a wildlife conservationist.
Finally acquiring an MRes in Biosciences from Cardiff University, he joined DGFC as a research officer in 2020. Initially, he started working with the education team to create content for the Education and Awareness Programme which aims to bring environmental awareness to the general public and inform them of issues faced by wildlife. Through this, he hoped that the general public will be empowered to play an active role in conserving Sabah’s precious wildlife as well as developing a passion for wildlife amongst the younger generation. Tim continued his work based at the field centre, supporting different research programs such as Regrow Borneo and the Bat/Pangolin/Virus Ecology project.
Since January 2022, Tim has been our Field Centre Operations Manager.
Highest Education Degree: Master of Research in Biosciences from Cardiff University