Google Doodles celebrates Dr. Lim Boo Liat

On June 21, 2022, we honored the late Dr. Lim Boo Liat, an eminent zoologist and mammalogist who dedicated his life to unearthing and conserving Malaysia’s biological diversity. He was an important figure who helped start Zoo Negara and authored more than 300 scientific publications about mammalogy and parasitology.

On this date in 2003, Dr. Lim was awarded an Honorary Membership to the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) for his outstanding contribution to the science of mammalogy. He was the first Southeast Asian (and only the fourth Asian) to become an Honorary Member of the ASM, an award that dates back to 1919.

We celebrated this Doodle and amplified it through our local blog site, Googlegram for the press, curated a first-ever YouTube Shorts series featuring our partners and also shouted it out on the official Google Malaysia Twitter page through a series of tweets.

Our first-ever YouTube Shorts series 

The Doodle moment was made more meaningful with the collaboration from our partners who shared their stories and experiences of working with the late Dr. Lim. The YouTube Shorts were published on the Google Malaysia YouTube channel.

Sharing by Yeap Chin Aik, project lead and co-founder of the MNS Hornbill Conservation Project. This video has garnered 2.8K views and 125 likes.

Sharing by Lee Su Win, former MNS executive officer. This video has garnered 675 views and 30 likes.

Sharing by Dr. Ismail Parlan, FRIM director-general and Mohammad Shahfiz Azman, FRIM zoology branch head. This video has garnered 620 views and 40 likes.

Googlegram and blog post

Our social post and Googlegram media alert to the media helped draw in wide social engagement. Our blog post on the Google Malaysia blog sheds light on his background, accomplishments and notable quotes from Dr. Lim’s close associates who reflected on his life and the legacy that he left behind. Meanwhile, Google Malaysia’s Managing Director, Marc Woo, also posted on his LinkedIn which drew public interest on the Doodle.

An informational thread on Google Malaysia’s Twitter

Apart from the Googlegram, local blog post and the YouTube Shorts series, we also shared some interesting information about Dr. Lim on our official Twitter page, with netizens' responding positively in learning about the figure and his studies.

The positive sentiment portrayed by the media and netizens also contributed to the top trending search on Google for the day, with +1M searches on Dr Lim Boo Liat.

Many took to social media to express their gratitude and also recount the memories they had of Dr. Lim. Here are some of our favorites: