Providing Alternative Incomes for Local Communities

Matang Wildlife Centre has begun an agro-farming scheme for the local community with the offspring of some of its resident deer population.

The Samba deer breed exceptionally well in captivity and Matang Wildlife Centre is currently somewhat overpopulated with them. Rather than castrating the resident population the Sarawak Forestry Corporation and The Great Orangutan Project have formulated a plan to donate breeding pairs of deer along with the necessary training, licenses and infrastructure to farm them; to the communities around our park boundaries.

This will provide the local community with a sustainable source of income and food source and consequently reduce the pressure on poorer communities to resort to illegal means of protein supplement.



It is hoped that this community outreach program will not only be of direct benefit to the communities themselves but will foster a greater sense of understanding and assistance between them and the National Park.

By fostering goodwill between all parties and the derived economic benefit, it is hoped that the communities around the park will be more engaged in the conservation work at Matang Wildlife Centre and will be willing to support our planned animal release and training program. It is envisioned that this could be in the form of additional security, monitoring and reporting on animals released into the park and by removing some of the threats to certain species from human predation.