The 3 Phases of the Borneo Wildlife Centre Project
Volunteering can be a frustrating good deed to participate in. Paying money to work on your favourite cause and find that you achieve a limited amount during your time. How much will painting a wall achieve, how will building one platform really improve that orangutans life, why does the volunteer have to clean that enclosure? Well, as the saying goes, Rome was not built in a day. Most projects consist of baby steps, which consistently applied over time, which result in big gains over time.
One year ago, when we started the Borneo Wildlife Centre project and set out to contribute to orangutan rehabilitation, we had grand dreams. Volunteers would come in, contribute manpower, money and enthusiasm and the orangutans would be released and happy once again. When we woke up we realised that working in a semi-dysfunctional wildlife centre in a developing country with untrained staff was not going to as easy as we thought.
As changes were slow, and for every two steps forward, we took one step back, we developed a long-term strategy which would allow us to prioritise what needed to be done, and break it down into manageable stages. This strategy is divided into 3 phases, and will last until 2011. Although there are 3 distinct phases, there will be overlap with some jobs ongoing (such as enrichment) and others coming in early as we prepare for the future.
Phase 1 - For the first 2 years, 2005-2007, we will prioritise the Centre, making sure that the holding areas and enclosures are brought up to an adequate quality. In the beginning it was quite distressing to see the quarantine area with bears in tiny cages with nothing to do, crocodiles in tubs barely big enough to turn around in, and animals with nothing to entertain them or keep them occupied. Whereas we started working with orangutans, we soon ended up working with all the animals. We were very lucky to have Keith Lloyd and Caroline Bellhouse, both former London Zoo employees, come over to Borneo to work to achieve this.
Phase 2 - The second phase lasts from 2007-2009 and will concentrate on reestablishing rehabilitation and release. This will involve building new infrastructure such as feeding platforms and boardwalks in the rainforest, getting specialists to work with young orangutans for months on end to acclimatise them to their new surroundings and teach them how to find food and the like.
Phase 3 - The final phase will involve locating new, safe release areas in Sarawak and possibly further afield, and establishing new orangutan populations there. This will also take a lot of specialist knowledge and volunteer work. Translocation, moving animals from one location to another, is an expensive and difficult procedure, with global guidelines and regulations. This is planned for 2009-2011, but we already identified suitable release sites.
One year ago, when we started the Borneo Wildlife Centre project and set out to contribute to orangutan rehabilitation, we had grand dreams. Volunteers would come in, contribute manpower, money and enthusiasm and the orangutans would be released and happy once again. When we woke up we realised that working in a semi-dysfunctional wildlife centre in a developing country with untrained staff was not going to as easy as we thought.
As changes were slow, and for every two steps forward, we took one step back, we developed a long-term strategy which would allow us to prioritise what needed to be done, and break it down into manageable stages. This strategy is divided into 3 phases, and will last until 2011. Although there are 3 distinct phases, there will be overlap with some jobs ongoing (such as enrichment) and others coming in early as we prepare for the future.
Phase 1 - For the first 2 years, 2005-2007, we will prioritise the Centre, making sure that the holding areas and enclosures are brought up to an adequate quality. In the beginning it was quite distressing to see the quarantine area with bears in tiny cages with nothing to do, crocodiles in tubs barely big enough to turn around in, and animals with nothing to entertain them or keep them occupied. Whereas we started working with orangutans, we soon ended up working with all the animals. We were very lucky to have Keith Lloyd and Caroline Bellhouse, both former London Zoo employees, come over to Borneo to work to achieve this.
Phase 2 - The second phase lasts from 2007-2009 and will concentrate on reestablishing rehabilitation and release. This will involve building new infrastructure such as feeding platforms and boardwalks in the rainforest, getting specialists to work with young orangutans for months on end to acclimatise them to their new surroundings and teach them how to find food and the like.
Phase 3 - The final phase will involve locating new, safe release areas in Sarawak and possibly further afield, and establishing new orangutan populations there. This will also take a lot of specialist knowledge and volunteer work. Translocation, moving animals from one location to another, is an expensive and difficult procedure, with global guidelines and regulations. This is planned for 2009-2011, but we already identified suitable release sites.
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