Meet Woo Chee Yoong
Woo has a large interest and expertise in the ecology and conservation of small carnivore species in Malaysia, and is now working as a Wildlife Conservation Officer in the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS). With past experience in assisting various wildlife conservation projects in MNS such as hornbill and waterbirds, Woo is currently leading the MNS Otter Conservation Project, focusing on the coastal and urban wild otters through ecological research, communities and multi-stakeholder works and documenting the human-otter conflict.
Woo graduated from the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak with a degree in Animal Resource Science and Management, and is currently undertaking his MSc study at Sunway University. This course includes research into spatial distribution among three sympatric otter species along the Selangor coastline, Peninsular Malaysia. Woo is a member of the Malaysia Otter Network (MON), IUCN SSC Otter Specialist Group and Asian Otter Conservation Network formed by the International Otter Survival Fund. Our Malaysian Workshop in 2022 was a fantastic success, with Woo and the rest of the MNS team being a massive part of this!
So, IOSF followers and supporters, please meet Woo Chee Yoong!
Woo (left) at the 2022 Malaysian Workshop
Woo (left) at the 2022 Malaysian Workshop
At what age did you gain your affection for otters and why?
I gained my affection for otters at the age of 24. This is when my first image of an otter was captured through a camera trap during my short research study in the Kuala Selangor Nature Park. After that, I dug deeper into the otter, and I could only say I have fallen deeper in love with otters afterwards.
We know that you have a particular passion for Hairy-nosed otters, and are working towards finding more data on that species - why did you choose this species, in particular?
When I dug deeper into otters, I came across this particular species that is recognized as one of the rarest otter species in the world, one of the most endangered otter species and endemic to South East Asia. Amazingly, we do not know much about it, and this species is none other than the hairy-nosed otter! Malaysia is one of the few remaining countries where this species still exist, and I just felt that I really need to do something for the hairy-nosed otter.
What are the biggest threats that otters face in your area?
I would say the biggest threats are loss and fragmentation of wetlands habitat, human-otter conflict and roadkill.
And, what do you feel is the biggest ‘hurdle’ in otter conservation in Malaysia?
The biggest ‘hurdle’ in otter conservation is the lack of effort, focus and resources that are urgently needed for otter conservation in Malaysia.
Do you feel people in general understand the importance of otters in respect to the environment/biodiversity?
I would say that people are still not well aware of this matter. The majority don’t even know the existence of otters in our country.
Do you feel otters get a poor deal with conservation awareness, against some larger species, like the Tiger, Rhino, Elephant, etc?
Yes, unfortunately they do. The larger mammals are often more charismatic and appealing to the public and funders.
What is your favourite moment in all of your otter work? And your least favourite?
My favourite moment is definitely when we finally got the first clear image of the hairy-nosed otter. My least favourite will be getting calls that otters are being hit by vehicles, in particular, the first hairy-nosed otter in front of my eyes was roadkill sadly.
Finally, what do you see the next steps in otter conservation in Malaysia to be?
The next steps are educating and raising awareness of otters to the public and the academic at the same time in order to create more otter research and monitoring programmes. But we shall not neglect the importance of local community involvement, this will be hugely important when we need to address human-otter conflict, illegal pet trade, etc.
A big thank you to Woo for answering our questions about otter conservation in Malaysia. We are truly grateful for his fantastic work, and we hope it leads to a brighter future for Malaysian otters!