Mr. David T. P. Goh, a local nature enthusiast and self-learned lepidopterist founded the Penang Butterfly Farm in 1986 with the help of a lepidopterist Mr. Clive Farrell from UK and a landscapist Mr. Gordon Ledbetter from Ireland.  Ten years earlier, Mr. David Goh also founded his flagship, the Tropical Entomological House which today has lent help and credence to the Penang Butterfly Farm and is continuing to do so.  The Penang Butterfly Farm was the only kind in Malaysia then.  It is also Asia’s first educational research center for the study of the Malaysian butterfly. 

Nicknamed Mr. Butterfly, Mr. David Goh, if not for his perseverance, could not have turned this enterprise into a reality from a simple hobby.  He is indeed the Father of the butterfly breeding and exhibition industry in Malaysia.  He also founded the Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park in Kuala Lumpur and was mainly responsible in giving technical consultancy for the setting up of the Butterfly Park in Sentosa, Singapore and the Phuket Butterfly Garden.  Today many visitors have copied the example of the pioneer by setting up similar farms in Malaysia and South East Asia.  In 1999, Mr. David Goh gave his technical expertise to help set up the World Expo 1999 Kunming Butterfly World together with Dr. Wu Yun who is also the founder of Sammy’s Butterfly Museum in China.  All these achievements are indeed rare for a person who is a self-learnt lepidopterist and who has also delivered papers in Butterfly Conferences the world over.  Mr. Goh has also contributed several articles to nature magazines among which the most outstanding one was his contribution to Vol. 5 No 1 1994 Tropical Lepidoptera Magazine of USA entitled “Life History of Trogonoptera Brookiana Albescene in Malaysia”.

Mr. Goh believes in the environmental philosophy of “The more we breed, the less we take from the wild”.  So, the farm is playing a vital role in preserving the native species.  Therefore, his strength lies in his foresight to start the farm as he believes that the creation of the butterfly heaven was in line with the conservation efforts in not only creating the awareness of nature’s beauty but also exposing the endless mystery and excitement of the insect world. It is also his vision to educate the public especially children about butterflies. He is glad to see a gradual change in the attitudes of the locals. “They no longer zip in and out and complain it was not worth seeing. Perhaps influenced by the more purposeful viewing approach of foreigners, they now move around slowly, reading the signs and taking an interest in what they are looking at. It also gratifies me to see many of the same faces again, occasionally bringing their friends along.” says David. Thus, for the farm to continue to play its role in the research and breeding of tropical butterflies will ensure his vision be realized.

Back to Top