Ex-Yayasan Sabah staff’s nostalgic memories of Danum Valley Field Centre

KOTA KINABALU (Oct 5): Joseph Gasis was camping alone in the deep forests of Danum Valley, Lahad Datu, in early 1984, unaware that a lone Bornean pygmy elephant was wandering nearby.

Gasis only became aware of the animal’s presence the next morning when he noticed fresh footprints of a lone tusker just meters away from his tent.

“I wasn’t scared, but after seeing the elephant’s footprints, I became cautious of the potential danger,” recalls Gasis, reflecting on one of his most memorable experiences while working for the Yayasan Sabah Group.

Gasis’ first assignment after joining Yayasan Sabah in 1984 as a conservation officer was to establish a study centre in Danum Valley, now known as the Danum Valley Field Centre (DVFC).

After being sent to the proposed DVFC site, Gasis set up a tent in an undisturbed forest area and stayed there alone.

“On the second night, I was shocked to find an elephant’s footprint larger than the base of a four-gallon bucket outside my tent.

“I thought it must be a lone elephant because there were no other footprints indicating the presence of a herd.

“Although I knew there were many wild elephants in Sabah, I had never seen a live one in my life.

“The following evening, I gathered a lot of firewood and started a bonfire, hoping to signal to Mr Tusker to stay away. But that night, a civet came and stole my opened can of corned beef from my cooking area,” he said.

Now 67 years old, Gasis shared that four people — a Yayasan Sabah driver and three workers — later joined him to demarcate the area for the construction of the DVFC complex and to cut a series of trails in the forest area across the Segama River.

“We worked five and a half days a week. I could tell the workers, including myself, were so bored that even the supposedly funny jokes no longer sounded funny,” he said.

Gasis mentioned that it was also very challenging during the initial stages of building the DVFC facilities, as he and his workers had to live under tarpaulin tents for 20 months.

“Living under tents was really uncomfortable, especially during rainy days. The mosquitoes and sandflies made life miserable, not to mention the high humidity of the forest. Our clothing grew mould and rotted faster,” he said.

The DVFC facilities were completed in August 1986 and were officially opened by the then-Chief Minister, Datuk (now Tan Sri) Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Gasis served as the DVFC Station Manager from 1984 until 1989, and again from 1996 to 1999.

Gasis remarked that the establishment of the DVFC justified the preservation of a 438-square kilometre area of pristine old-growth tropical rainforest in Sabah.

“The DVFC facilitated hundreds of scientific researchers who conducted studies on natural history topics such as mammals, birds, hydrology, botany, entomology and even global weather monitoring.

“The benefits were not only the collection of important technical data but also the training of undergraduate students from local universities and abroad,” he said.

He noted that within five years of its establishment, the DVFC had become a popular destination for both local and foreign tourists.

“The number of tourists visiting DVFC outnumbered the resident researchers and often stretched the centre’s resources. Tour operators demanded that more rooms be made available for visitors,” he added.

Gasis explained that the demand grew rapidly, especially as tourists were introduced to the new concept of eco-tourism, which began in Sabah in the early 1990s.

“As manager of the DVFC, I received many suggestions from tour operators for new facilities at the centre to cater specifically to the growing number of eco-tourists. I suggested to Yayasan Sabah that such facilities be built, as the demand was quite substantial,” he added.

In 1992, Gasis, who hails from Keningau, was assigned to build the Borneo Rainforest Lodge (BRL), about 15 km from Danum Valley Field Centre , which was completed in 1994.

“The success of BRL is proof that natural old-growth forests can generate revenue without cutting down trees for timber.

“To date, BRL is the only well-established nature tourism destination located in the middle of a pristine tropical forest environment in Southeast Asia,” he said.

Ultimately, after 40 years, DVCA has emerged as a world-class, multi-use example of tropical rain forest conservation, research, environmental education and sustainable management, which Malaysia, particularly Sabah, should be very proud to be associated with.