biG passion
Seeing it yourself is
SOMETHING ELSE An assistant researcher at the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre under the purview of Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Joremy Tony, has long been an advocate for studying Bornean wildlife up front and close. Never satisfied at simply watching species recorded on National Geographic, he has an inborn drive to get out there in order to personally have that experience. All because “seeing it for yourself is truly something else”, and there is really nothing that can substitute for it.
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Joremy Tony
BiG: WHAT’S YOUR ORIGIN STORY? JOREMY: I am born and bred in Brunei and originate from Temburong, and even though I belong to the Iban ethnic group I was not raised in a longhouse like most, which is considered here as unique. My dad kept a lot of animals at home as it was a passion of his, and some were exotic. We had a 6-foot long python and there was an eagle too, so I was born and raised into the pack. Keeping animals became a big passion of mine also. I felt like I clicked with them. I enjoyed watching their behaviour and I wanted to understand them. I would think ‘I wish they could talk, why do they do this?’ This led me to study biology. The question is why did I choose field biology? Most Bruneians seem to prefer working in a lab. I deal with a lot of students, and this is what they often choose. I like to be out there. I want to experience things firsthand. I don’t want to hear stories. I want to be the storyteller.
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Borneo.Insider’s.Guide
IG: @joremytony
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BiG: WHAT SPECIES OF WILDLIFE DO YOU STUDY? JOREMY: Birds and frogs. Frogs – because it was what I specialised in as part of my degree. Birds are something more personal as 70% of the animals my dad kept around our home were birds. So it was always a big interest, and during my degree I had intended to pursue ornithology but we unfortunately don’t have the specialty in Brunei, no experts here who would be able to supervise you during your final year project, which is a key requirement.
BiG: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPECIES OF BIRD? JOREMY: Oh I have a new one now! I had given you a different answer when we first met, but I definitely have a new one now. So, recently I went on a trip to Teraja in Labi, and we weren’t expecting this as we were there for a different species, the Helmeted Hornbill. Instead, we were thrilled to have seen a Bornean Bristlehead. This bird is nomadic, is very scarce and hard to find, and is endemic to Borneo. It is actually a species – the only species – within its own genus.
Sabah is very proud of this bird, and then just like that, we’ve got them here too. To make things better for us was that one of the guides with me had gone to Sabah a few times specifically to spot this bird, which he never could, and just like that he ends up seeing it here. BiG: MOST FIELD BIOLOGISTS ARE NIFTY WITH A CAMERA. YOURSELF INCLUDED. WHY IS THAT? JOREMY: This is a skill that goes hand in hand with our work. This is a generational thing
