Scientific Exploration Society
Scientific Exploration Society Expedition (7-14 September 2008)
Having led a number of expeditions to Nepal, India and Ghana for the SES, focussing on the Asian elephant, Professor Adrian Lister, a renowned zoologist now working at The Natural History Museum, led an expedition in September 2008 to Sabah, Borneo.
Each day the team split into small parties to explore the rainforest on foot and travelled further downstream by boat. The objective was to characterise the newly-discovered Borneo subspecies of elephant, Elephas maximus borneensis, so far identified only on its genetics. Using laser rangefinders, team members accurately measured the height of the animals and recorded them by photography for later analysis of ear shape and other features. On encountering family groups, a census of the numbers of males and females, adult and young, was conducted to assess the reproductive health of the population.
More information on the Scientific Exploration Society can be found at www.ses-explore.org