Lim Boo Liat (21 August 1926 – 11 July 2020) was a Malaysian

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

whose pioneering work revealed the biological diversity of the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

and

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. He was a conservationist and a strong advocate for the preservation of the region's natural heritage. Lim was a prolific researcher, and authored over 300 scientific papers and multiple books. He was bestowed several honors during his long career, including being the first Southeast Asian to receive Honorary Membership in the

American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence ...

, and winning the Merdeka Award in 2013.

Early years

Lim Boo Liat was born 21 August 1926 in Klang,

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

. Nature lessons in school inspired a love for the outdoors, and he spent time in his youth collecting plants and insects. Lim was sixteen years old when

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

came to Malaya, disrupting his studies; he worked odd jobs to support his family. He traveled to

Carey Island Carey Island () is an island in Selangor, Malaysia. It is administered by the Zone 17 of the Kuala Langat Municipal Council. Carey Island is located to the south of Port Klang and north of Banting town. It is a huge island separated from the Sela ...

and set up machinery to harvest salt from sea water. During his time on the island, he learned to identify animals from the indigenous people, the Mah Meri.

Career

Although lacking formal education, the zoological knowledge Lim learned on Carey Island provided the opportunity to take a temporary lab assistant position at the Institute for Medical Research (IMR) in Kuala Lumpur after World War II. His first assignment was studying

scrub typhus Scrub typhus or bush typhus is a form of typhus caused by the intracellular parasite '' Orientia tsutsugamushi'', a Gram-negative α-proteobacterium of family Rickettsiaceae first isolated and identified in 1930 in Japan.Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1 ...

. This included carrying out an ecological study of the fauna of

Batu Caves Batu Caves is a 325-m tall mogote with a series of limestone caves in Gombak, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located about north of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The cave complex contains many Hindu temples, the most popular of which is a shri ...

. During this time, he also helped found the

National Zoo of Malaysia The National Zoo () is a Malaysia, Malaysian zoo located on of land in Ulu Klang, Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia. It was officially opened on November 14, 1963, by the country's first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. The zoo is managed ...

and in the 1950s, helped reestablish the

Malaysian Nature Society Malaysian Nature Society (, abbrev: MNS) is the oldest and one of the most prominent environmental not for profit, non-governmental organisations in Malaysia. It was first established, as the Malayan Nature Society, with the launch of the ''Mala ...

after a hiatus caused by World War II. Lim took a three-year break to earn his master's degree in the late 1960s. He returned to the IMR as a zoologist in 1972, heading the IMR's Medical Ecology Division. In 1977, Lim became the head of the Vector Biology Control Research Unit of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

in Jakarta, Indonesia. His work there included research on plague, malaria control, and rodent control. He worked at the WHO until his retirement in 1987. After his retirement, Lim became the honorary consultant on zoology for the

Department of Wildlife and National Parks Peninsular Malaysia The Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia (; Jawi: ), abbreviated PERHILITAN, is a governmental organisation that is responsible for the protection, management and preservation of wildlife and national parks in Peninsu ...

, helping to establish a research laboratory for small animals. Throughout his career, he was an author on over 300 scientific papers and wrote multiple books, including ''Poisonous Snakes of Peninsula Malaysia'' (1979), ''Orang Asli Animal Tales'' (1981), and ''Turtles of Borneo'' (1999).

Education

In 1959 Lim received a Sino-British Fellowship Trust Award and spent a year and a half studying animal ecology and the taxonomy of mammals under

Charles S. Elton Charles Sutherland Elton (29 March 19001 May 1991) was an English zoologist and animal ecologist. He is associated with the development of population and community ecology, including studies of invasive organisms. Personal life Charles Suther ...

at Oxford University and George Dunnet at Aberdeen University. Lim received a Medical Research Council Fellowship in 1969 to complete his master's degree in science from the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...

. He was the first person to be awarded a Ph.D. from

Universiti Sains Malaysia Universiti Sains Malaysia ( 'University of Science Malaysia'; abbreviated as USM) is a public research university in Malaysia. Founded on 1 June 1969 as a statutory body with its own constitution, it is the oldest institute of higher learning ...

in 1977.

Death and legacy

Lim died at his home in

Cheras The Chera dynasty ( or Cēra, ), also known as Keralaputra, from the early historic or the Sangam period in Tamil-speaking southern India, ruled over parts of present-day states Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Cheras, known as one of the mu-ventar ...

on 11 July 2020. He was 93. He was the fourth Asian and first Southeast Asian to be awarded honorary membership to the American Society of Mammalogists, "conferred in recognition of a distinguished career in service to mammalogy". Lim had multiple species named after him, including snake '' Oligodon booliati'', protozoa ''Sarcocytis booliati'', frog ''Kalophrynus limbooliati'', flea ''Medwayellia limi'', chigger ''Babiangia booliati'', and parasitic worms ''Helimonella limbooliati'', '' Plasmodium booliati'', and ''Brienlia booliati''. He was particularly well-respected for his dedication to supporting the careers of biologists and conservationists at the beginning of their careers, providing mentorship and ensuring younger scientists had opportunities to publish.

Awards and recognition

* 1959 Sino-British Fellowship Trust Award from the British Council * 1978 Sandosham Gold Medal from the Malaysian Society of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine * 1995 Science and Technology Award from the Malaysia Toray Science Foundation * 2003 Honorary Member of the American Society of Mammalogists * 2007 Elected Fellow of the Akademi Sains Malaysia * 2007 Spallanzani Award from the North American Society for Bat Research * 2013 Merdeka Award, environment category

External links

2014 interview with Dr. Lim Boo Liat

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Boo Liat 1926 births 2020 deaths 20th-century zoologists Malaysian biologists Alumni of the University of Aberdeen