Oxford Uni Criticised for Overlooking Indonesian Researchers
Thirsty for JUICE content? Quench your cravings on our Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp
In the depths of a Sumatran rainforest patrolled by tigers, a small but passionate team of botanists and guides carried out a mission that most people only dream of: to witness the bloom of Rafflesia hasseltii, a flower so rare it’s “seen more by tigers than people.”
Among them were Joko Witono (from Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency), Septi Andriki (a local conservation activist), and Iswandi (from a community forest-management institute).
These three know the forest in their bones: the hidden paths, the host vines, the rhythms of the land.
Together with Dr Chris Thorogood of Oxford University’s Botanic Garden, they trekked day and night through thick undergrowth and across tiger territory, with only permits and a fragile hope as their guide.
Tunku Azizah joins Kiwanis Kuantan’s silver jubilee celebration