Over 10 Countries Participating In Fraser's Hill International Bird Race 2024

KUANTAN, June 8 (Bernama) -- Teams from over 10 countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, India and the United Kingdom, have signed up for the two-day 35th Fraser Hill’s International Bird Race, which begins today.

Tourism Pahang general manager Kamaruddin Ibrahim said with the 109 teams - 58 local or student teams, the rest foreign - participating in this year was the largest so far in the event’s history.

"There are three categories this year, Student, Advanced and Novice, and the team that manages to collect the largest number of bird species will be declared winners,” he said in a statement today.

He explained that the event, organised with the cooperation of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and Bird Life International as its strategic management partner, was an explorace where teams would seek out, identify and record as many bird species as possible.

Fraser’s Hill was chosen as the official venue of the annual competition as it was one of the best areas to spot birds on the East Coast, with over 250 species being recorded in the highland area previously, he said, pointing out that there were also migratory birds here that flew from Northern Siberia from October to April.

“Mass bird migration is due to winter conditions in the northern hemisphere, which complicates their efforts in obtaining food and usually the migratory birds will stop around Fraser’s Hill for several months before moving southwards towards Australia and New Zealand,” Kamaruddin said.

In addition to the competition, other activities held include bird talks, photography contests, an exhibition and complimentary guided tours, he said.

-- BERNAMA