Page 15 - FFlyz-i51 (Low Res)

Cover Story

Department, the centre attracts numer-
ous tourists and professional researchers,
allowing them to watch the orangutans
up-close in their natural habitat.
Visitors are restricted to the sanctuary’s
boardwalk leading to a viewing gallery,
offering vantage views of the feeding
platform where the rangers feed the
orangutans with milk and bananas twice
a day. Long-tailed macaques are also
seen during the feeding period, amusing
many visitors, though not so much the
orangutans.
Although the sanctuary’s main task is
to rehabilitate orangutans, it sometimes
offers public education programmes on
conservation, research and assistance
for other endangered species such as the
rhinoceros. Some orangutans are known
to be very familiar with people; however,
one is not encouraged to touch them,
despite their shy and gentle nature. The
more mischievous ones may try to grab
your camera or hat, but it is not a good
idea to retrieve your “stolen” item(s) by
wrestling one of the 200-pound beasts.
For a fee, you can become a volunteer
at the sanctuary, performing tasks on
a rotation basis. You must possess a
high level of fitness, though, as well as
be open-minded and malleable when
working with other volunteers from
the sanctuary’s different departments.
Sometimes, you will be monitored by the
A conservation staff member
sorting turtle eggs at Talang- centre’s staff but for some of the tasks,
Talang Besar Island. you will be expected to carry them out
independently.
Among the highlights are learning
To raise awareness and protect the turtles leave, unearth the soft, ping pong- to manage juvenile orangutans at the
turtles, the SFD has introduced conserva- ball-sized eggs from buried nests and outdoor nursery and baby orangutans
tion programmes such as the Sea Turtle place them in buckets to be transported at the indoor nursery-cum-clinic. You’ll
Adoption programme. to a hatchery where the eggs are buried also participate in a field survey on the
Hands-on tasks include managing in 70cm holes, which you will be required orangutan population and other small
the turtles’ egg production, hatchling to dig. The holes are also numbered mammals at the Sepilok Reserve; and
management, nesting, tagging and data and recorded. (For more information, call take care of rescued Borneo sun bears.
recording – all led by the national park’s 082610088, Sarawak Forestry Department, (For more information, visit sabah.gov.my/
warden and his team members. email info@sarawakforestry.com or visit jhl/).
Before the activities, you will be sarawakforestry.com).
required to attend a briefing, highlight- Saving Marine Life At Pom Pom
ing issues such as various threats to the Working With Orangutans At Island (Sabah)
turtle population, like fishing trawlers, Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary The Sabah-based Tropical Research and
and the methods involved in protecting (Sabah) Conservation Centre (TRACC) strives
the marine species, such as some 2,500 Established in 1964, the Sepilok to provide “a voice on behalf of sharks,
reef balls planted around the Talang- Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in turtles, coral reefs, whales, dolphins and
Satang National Park. the lush 4,300-hectare Kabili-Sepilok the marine environment”, according to
You will also be assigned to patrol the Forest Reserve in Sandakan, is renowned the NGO’s official website, adding that
beach on Talang-Talang Besar Island to for rehabilitating orphaned baby “educating the public about the ocean is
mark nesting sites with a stick after the orangutans. Managed by Sabah’s Wildlife an important part of our advocacy”.

FireFlyz ~ 13