KOTA KINABALU: The recent passing of butterfly expert Dr Stephen Sutton was a significant loss to Sabah, said State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
Sutton, 85, passed away peacefully on New Year's Eve after a brief illness.
Liew said that Sutton and his team, in collaboration with her ministry, Sabah Biodiversity, Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Parks, Sabah Wildlife Department, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and the State Attorney General's Chambers, played a crucial role in getting the Kinabalu Birdwing gazetted as Sabah's State butterfly.
The team worked on the project since 2019 and successfully declared the rare and endangered species as the state butterfly on September 13 last year.
"I had the privilege of meeting Dr Stephen when I was invited to officially unveil the Kinabalu Birdwing as the State butterfly of Sabah in October last year.
"He had been the leading researcher on the Kinabalu Birdwing Conservation Project. I learned that this endeavour was his pet project.
"I was informed by his brother-in-law (Datuk C.L. Chan) that Dr Stephen's last visit to see the conservation site at the Kinabalu Mountain Lodge was on October 22, 2023, despite his frailty.
"On behalf of the ministry, I extend our condolences to his family," Liew said in a statement.
In addition to the research project, Liew said that Sutton had donated RM40,000 to the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu for the Kinabalu Birdwing conservation project.
The entomologist had also consistently supported the local communities at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu, especially Kampung Kiau Nuluh, to plant Aristolochia foveolata, the larval food plant of the Kinabalu Birdwing, to increase the butterfly's population.
