Beautiful, Biodiverse, Batu Caves

Thaipusam falls on the 25th of January this year, with throngs of Hindu devotees here in the Klang Valley heading to the Sri Subrarmaniam Swamy Temple Cave in Batu Caves to commemorate the triumph of Lord Murugan, and the victory of good over evil. But the limestone karst hill that is Batu Caves is also an outstanding nature monument, and of paramount scientific importance for its cave ecosystem and unique animal and plant biodiversity that includes many rare and/or endemic organisms. We speak to eminent botanist Dr Ruth Kiew, and geologist Dr. Ros Fatihah Muhammad, who are both with the Malaysian Cave and Karst Conservancy (MCKC), about the history and wonders of Batu Caves, but also the threats to the area, and why there is an urgent need to secure and permanently protect Batu Caves. We also discuss the important findings from the Batu Caves Scientific Expedition, which Dr Ruth spearheaded back in 2019.