The Great Orang Utan Project Blog

Matang goes from strength to strength

2008-05-09T20:54:00.005+08:00

Since January, the volunteer project at Matang Wildlife Centre has moved into hyperdrive. The outcomes are coming thick and fast. The two babies, Ting San and Mamu are being taken everyday into the jungle to climb trees and they even make nests and stay out. Doris is often taken out into the jungle as well. Many think she is too humanised and too old, but Sarawak Forestry and the Great Orangutan Project are determined to make the effort to rehabilitate all the orangutans.

In the meantime, Sarawak Forestry are continuing to develop Matang Wildlife Centre. New enclosures are being built by the volunteers and staff to provide the best care and enrichment possible. There are also more animal species slated for rehabilitation as well. Animals in Sarawak are rejoicing!

Which leads nicely onto the sunbear project, the world's first rehabilitation and release for the rare Malaysian bear. Everything is moving forwards apace. After having been released into their new enclosure, their rehab is going better than expected. Most of the bears have now learnt to climb trees in the search for food, a vital behaviour for life in the wild. They are being fed insects and natural foods of all kinds, also indispensable if they are to live free. If all continues to go well, we will be selecting the best candidates for release, putting a radio collar onto them, and following them by satellite tracking.

As ever, the volunteer project continues to make other small but essential changes to the Centre. The trail and release sites have been steadily improved, with bridges and lodge being reconstructed. Vet care has improved, enrichment and husbandry continues at a high standard. Even the platforms that were poorly built and have decayed so quickly have been replaced.

With Sarawak Forestry leading, the volunteer program supporting with sweat, effort and love, Matang Wildlife Centre has rapidly turned into one of the world's best orangutan and tropical animal rescue ad release centres.

Aman hits the headlines

2008-02-26T20:48:00.002+08:00

Our beloved Aman featured in the London newspaper, The Metro, today showing the world what fantastic progress he is making. Before his cataract operation in May last year Aman was blind but his eyesight is now fully restored and he's making the most of it...

"Meet Aman, king of the swingers and – thanks to a pioneering eye operation – a lean, mean love machine. The 20-year-old orangutan is feeling like a new ape after living in darkness for half his life. He's lost 10kg, toned up and chilled out – all of which makes him quite a catch in ape circles....." Read the full story on the Metro Online: Orangutan's got the look of Love

Or click here to find out more about Aman

Into the Enclosure

2008-02-08T01:08:00.000+08:00

More updates on the sun bears progress by current volunteer Heather:

Monday 4th February

The time had arrived to let the bears out into their new enclosure, the decision was made to allow the less dominant bears Corrine and Jo out first to try and lessen territorial disputes. Food was placed on the outside ladders to tempt them down.

However only Corrine ventured out as Jo was still too nervous. Corrine walked around eating and licking up the honey, she spent about 5 minutes out not venturing very far but certainly not pacing and quite at ease. Her entry back into the dens was through Jo’s door and there was a moment of concern when for the first time the two bears met. Fortunately, there was not a sound they acted as if they had been together all their lives. Although Jo never made it outside a big step had been made in introducing them to each other.

Next Bernie was let out. He was still on his own as Situ had not yet been moved. He is the dominant male and when Corrine approached him there was a fight which probably sounded worse than it was, but thankfully there were no injuries. After what seemed a long time, but in fact was only a few minutes, the two bears were exploring the enclosure once again as if they had always been together. It was very emotional to see them finally outside.

I watched them wondering to myself what they were thinking and whether they were enjoying the moment as much as myself and all the volunteers that were watching them.

On Tuesday Sarawak Forestry resident rehabilitation officer, John Colam, successfully darted Situ and with the help of volunteer Belle, who is a veterinary nurse, and she was moved safely to her new den.

Bernie has been let into the outdoor enclosure to allow us access to their night den and to give Situ time to recover peacefully. The whole procedure of moving these bears to their new home has been amazing, better than could ever of been expected. It was done quietly and professionally with very little stress involved. I feel it was a very touching moment for everybody to witness these bears have their first taste of freedom and I know that all previous volunteers and staff will be thrilled that everything has gone well.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this possible.

We managed to catch everything on video. Visit our YouTube channel if you can't see them

Knocking out the Sun bears

Sun bear recovery

Sun bears see the sun

Heather

Sunbears Move to New Enclosure

2008-02-05T01:29:00.000+08:00

Here's a report on the sunbear move to thier new enclosure by current volunteer Heather

It’s nearly a year since I first came to Borneo and finally 3 out of the 4 sunbears in quarantine have been moved to their new home. Situ a female sunbear was the only one who failed to respond to the anesthetic and has to be left for a few days to recover before she can be sedated again. The other 3 Bernie, Jo and my favourite Corinne were successfully moved without any stress.

They were sedated and then the vet allowed me to assist him with his health checks, they were weighed first and then he gave them a complete health check including a sample of blood to be analysed.

The weather was horrendous and in order to keep them dry and warm we transported them the short distance to their new home in a wheelbarrow covered in hessian sacks. One of this months volunteers, Bella, is a veterinary nurse and she was able to stay with all the bears while they were recovering. All 3 of them woke up after about an hour and surprised us all by being extremely calm and well adjusted to their new surroundings. They are now able to see each other through connecting grills in their night dens and it was expected that there would be some aggression when they saw each other but after a few growls of disapproval they left each other alone.

Once they had all recovered we left them alone to get used to their new surroundings in peace. Situ appeared quiet enough alone in her quarantine cage and all had gone well.

We returned Saturday morning to find everything very peaceful, I had been concerned that Situ and Bernie may have been distressed at having been separated but they were both fine and all bears had eaten well. Situ showed no signs of missing Bernie in fact seemed to be quite content on her own, all the bears had recovered well and once Situ joins them next week we shall make plans to let them outside into their new enclosure, it has been a long time since these bears have been outside.The vet and our resident Conservation Officer John were great and very professional it is a great relief that with their expertise all went well.

More updates soon....

Heather

Doris' Rehabilitation into the Wild

2008-02-03T10:02:00.000+08:00

Doris is 7 years old female orangutan who has spent 7 years in various enclosures and cages in Matang Wildlife Centre. Though she had been released thrice into the rainforest, she returned on every occasion to the security of her cage and the regular meals. Her best friends during these years have been Sambar Deer, who share her enclosure, and humans, both those who are her custodians and those that visit the Centre. A lack of contact with the wild had left Doris wary of the jungle and some even thought she would never climb a tree.

That has all changed. Since the beginning of January, we have been employing a local Malaysian who is skilled in rehabilitation and together with other staff and volunteers, we have been repeatedly taking Doris into the forest. Some of these early outings can be seen on the video clips on this website. We have also started to introduce Doris to baby Ting San and Mamu, which has proved a great success and is allowing her to spend more time with her species and giving her the confidence to climb with them into the tree canopy.

We normally severely limit volunteers' interaction during the rehabilitation process, however, Doris is an exception as she finds the human presence a comfort. We therefore allow a small group of 2 or 3 people to join the outings for educational purposes.

By the end of January, Doris has been regularly walking 50 minutes into the jungle, to a ranger station where we hope to start spending nights outdoors with her. Simply getting her to walk so deep into the forest is a major achievement in itself but on the very last day of January, she disappeared off by herself for half an hour. After searching and calling we eventually found her a small distance away half way up a tree! This is fantastic news and we were ecstatic to see this. The fact that she has the confidence to leave our presence for such an extended time, and that she used that time to climb into the trees and explore her natural domain after only a month's training is very promising for the future. She is also regularly eating natural foods from the forest rather than bananas an papayas. This has been helped by our "Behavioural Enrichment" program that supplements her feed with fruits from the jungle so that she learns gradually some of the 450 different plant species that orangutans have been found to eat in the wild.

Doris' rehabilitation will continue throughout February and we will keep you posted with any and every significant progress.

January at Matang

2008-01-30T01:23:00.000+08:00

Volunteers

January 10^th and ten new volunteers arrive in Kuching after a comfortable night at Singgahsana lodge they eagerly await their first glimpses of Matang Wildlife Centre which is going to be their home for the next month.

There are seven woman at the moment as Alex is unwell in Thailand and will join the group later and two men who all seem very nice. There was a welcome barbeque that helps let everybody get to know each other. The weekend is taken slowly to allow everybody to get over their jet lag. By Monday morning everybody has met the animals knows their way around and are raring to go to work.

Macaquettes

It proves to be an interesting week. A baby macaque named Rocky is brought in. He is very young and needs to be bottle fed, he is wormed and put into cage near another young macaque named Juan that has been with us since the summer. The two of them will be integrated together. Juan insists on Rocky’s milk but that’s okay as he is only young himself and will actually do him good as they get as much pleasure from the sucking action as they do from the milk. These two little monkeys provide hours of entertainment for the volunteers and also spend a lot of time grooming anybody who comes near to them. Volunteers have done a great job enriching their cage with ropes, swings and a hammock.

Also this month saw the release of two of the older Macaquettes into the jungle. Local worker Hilary and volunteer Alex trekked for 2 miles to release them into Kubah National Park.

Live food has been bought from the market and all the macaques have been able to forage for meal worms and they have also been fed live crickets, a local supplier has now been found to supply regular live food. All of the macaques are now given leaves daily to play with and this provides hours of enjoyment. Volunteers have been into the forest to collect fruits and a record is being made of where these fruit trees are so that we can collect them regularly and feed a more natural diet.

Sunbears

A lot of work is being done on the new bear enclosure. Holes have been filled in around the enclosure wall to stop them escaping and drainage has been dug outside around to dry the enclosure out. We hope that they will be released next week. Everybody shares my passion for these bears and are working hard to get everything finished as soon as possible

Leo and I went to the local market to get some grubs for all the bears and the four in quarantine were very interested I would like to make this into a weekly trip and buy enrichment food for all the animals at the centre.The new sunbear enclosure has been finished this month the volunteers have worked so hard the weather in the first two weeks was very hot and humid making the digging of a ditch into a drain back breaking work but with no complaints they went on to filling in holes with cement around the enclosure wall to stop the bears digging their way out. Then two platforms with a dual purpose of shelter underneath and a feeding platform on top were erected in the outside enclosure table like benches were made and put in their night dens for them to sleep. A paint fight ended the hard work when the walls of the night dens were finished off with white paint I think some of the volunteers had more paint on them than the walls but sprits where high as the job was completed

The work has been finished in time for the bears to be comfortably moved at the end of the month a big thank you to everyone the work done was tremendous and has meant we are on schedule for the release.

Orangutans

Mamu, who is now 3 and a half years old and unfortunately her mother’s milk has dried up. She was becoming quite seriously underweight for her age as mum had not been caring for her properly, so the decision was taken by Hillary, who has 18 years experience with the rehabilitation of orangutans, that the best thing to do was to remove her from her mother and introduce her to Ting San. This has worked very well with very little stress shown from mother or baby in fact after two or three days.

Mamu has come on leaps and bounds and the weight gain is visible she enjoys the company of Ting San as they now sleep together or at least they try to sleep after all the play fighting it wont be long before she will be joining Ting San on her daily trips to the forest.

Chiam, Mamus mother was back to playing tug of war games with an old piece of rope with one of the volunteers. She has also been copying the construction workers that are building a new orangutan cage in front of her enclosure by trying to dig her way out. She was covered in mud and thoroughly enjoyed herself.

Ting San continues to progress well with her daily forest trips spending more and more time in the trees, and is now having a very good knowledge of the fruiting trees within her area. She has been integrated with Mamu, who was separated from her mother Chiam, after losing a lot of weight. Ting San and Mamu play together every night in a joint night den and they are both benefiting from this time together.

Doris continues to go into the forest and was happy to follow our local rehabilitator Hillary into the forest. She is also having good enrichment in the forest. Doris has taken her first steps to freedom by being taken most days into the forest to join Ting San at the platform area. On the 14^th January she was taken by Hilary and Guillaume to Sungai Buloh rangers station about a 50 minute walk away she has done this trip several times now and is appears very relaxed. She is still not climbing trees on a regular basis but has attempted climbing on a couple of occasions, she is extremely happy to swing through the man made ropes at the platform often copying Ting San

Husbandry and enrichment has also been a big part of this months accomplishments volunteers have spent a lot of time jet washing Chiam , Ganti’s and Aman’s enclosure and leaves have played a large part in keeping them amused in as near as possible natural way without providing them with toys, they also use the leaves to shelter from the rain and sun.

Contractors have been here all month building a cage for a male orangutan coming to Matang from Bukkitt Merah vey soon. Chiam has enjoyed watching their hard labour and copying their work.

Wild Cats

Volunteers have been giving dried fish and rice balls mixed with tuna they have enjoyed this.

Veterinary Clinic

Three volunteers spent 2 days cleaning and re-organising the unused vet clinic in preparation for when a new vet is employed, all the equipment has been cleaned and itemised and a new computer donated by Way out Experiences has been installed

A very big thank you for to all the volunteers for their hard work this month

Heather Roberts (current volunteer at Matang)

Please visit my websit to find out more: Heathers Borneo Diary

Doris in a tree after 3 days!

2008-01-09T19:27:00.000+08:00

It’s only a quick visit to the tree but it is her first – this is massive progress for an orangutan her age and it’s only her 3^rd day of rehabilitation and visiting the jungle. We were expecting it to be a month before she got this far.

To start off with we had trouble getting Doris to let go of me so the two other keepers, Hilary and Jugah, moved to the second feeding platform to tempt her with coconut…but this is quickly spotted by Ting San.

After an hour of me ignoring her and Jugah calling her we had a break through and Doris touched her first tree. After this Hilary prepared some more bait so we could take this into the trees ourselves. After watching me up a tree for a long time and thinking about it she watches Hilary go up too and then amazingly she climbs a series of ropes up into her first tree and is high off the ground.

She comes back down for reassurance and although only a short visit this progress is huge.

Keep your eye for glimpses of Ting San whose happily plays whilst we tempt Doris.

Watch the videos here:

Or visit our Orangutan Project Channel on YouTube

Leo

Doris' Jungle Training Day One

2008-01-06T21:30:00.000+08:00

The most exciting thing to happen this month….

…..Doris took the first of several journeys into the jungle!

We’ve started ta snippet of some of the videos we took on the first day to the site

A word of caution before you watch though, don’t be expecting a free Willy or born free moment. Rehabilitation of orangutan is a notoriously labour intensive project; Doris doesn’t make a bolt for the first tree she sees and brachiate smoothly off to freedom….
In fact we’re not even successful in getting her to let go of us. What you’ll see is the very first baby step in getting her out and into the treeline; after 7 years, for Doris, it is an amazingly big one.

What will follow is hopefully weeks rather than months of getting her to acclimatize to what for her is an alien environment and grow in confidence; untill Hillary and Jugah can teach her what she needs to know.

I only found out as we sat on the platform that even as an infant the keepers were never able to get Doris away from the centre & on subsequent attempts we haven’t always been able to get her as far as we did the first time. However from now on every day Doris will be going out and even if to start with it is only for a single minute and a single yard into the jungle as long as in a week’s time we can make it two, rehabilitation is a step closer.

A lot of people have told us in the past that they do not think Doris can be rehabilitated, that it will be too hard, as she’s too old and too human-centric and I’ve always categorically refused to accept this. I’ve never based my rebuttal on scientific expertise or experience (though I pay them close heed) but on something older than science. Anyone that has met me will know I have a bit of a soft spot for Doris and that she was the first orangutan I connected with when I came to Borneo.

I see Doris’ wings and for all the pleasure it brings me to be around her it pains me daily to know that they’ve been prematurely clipped by captivity. With forestry’s finest, Hillary, her lifelong friend, Jugah, and with the continued funding & indefatigable help volunteers bring I would encourage all others equally enraptured with Doris to watch this year’s progress and see if we can’t teach her to fly again.

Personally I was so lucky to have been a part of that first day, we wanted Jugah to take her up as he is to be her mentor, but when they tried the day before and a few times that morning the centre was too busy with visitors or Doris was just too shy to come out.

It was chance that kept me delayed at a meeting all morning and luck in later passing a man on the road selling (expensive) durian. Chance and luck together brought me Alvin and Eddie to that platform to try one last time for the day at a time Doris when was ready to go and I’m honored to have been in her company for this event.

Tempting Doris out of her Enclosure

At the feeding platform

Ting San plays whilst Doris is busy eating

Doris eating a durian

Doris decides to go back to the centre

If you cant see the videos click here

Thank you to all our past volunteers, without who this amazing progress would not have been possible.

Leo

An update from Leo

2008-01-05T00:06:00.000+08:00

New Years Day 2008

Well it may be the end of December and the end of the year; but it’s very much the start of the next stage of the great orangutan project’s endeavours at the Matang Wildlife and Rehabilitation Centre, as we enter phase two of our involvement here.

Before I can talk about what’s new I have to extend our thanks to everyone who made getting this far possible.

The November group of volunteers was Keith & Caroline’s last; I think that every volunteer and visitor that met them will know what an asset they were in assisting the centre to raise animal husbandry standards. They were also the custodians of the project on the ground for us and the face of WOX to our volunteers. In all things the effort and hours they contributed cannot be understated; without them successfully completing the infrastructural phase of the project we would not be able to begin our part in the rehabilitation of animals at MWC.
Thanks also to the Forestry dept, Matt, Wong, Lisa, James, Laurence and Heather for your invaluable help along the way.

Mostly though a tremendous thank you to each and every one of our past volunteers!
It is impossible for me to articulate how interminably grateful we are to you all.
This isn’t a job for any of us; it is an attempt to make a positive difference towards the conservation of endangered species, particularly the orangutan, within Borneo & that’s no small feat.
We undertake this challenge because we believe that there are people like us, who, wanting the same will give their time, money & sweat into making it happen.
There is not a single thing we have done, or will do, that could have been done without you.
Thank you is an understatement.

As for December……..
Well all of the new staffs are settling in very nicely.

One of WOX’s rehabilitation officers Hillary has been taking his charge, Ting San, out to the jungle feeding platforms every day for rehabilitation training and has begun to teach her how to make nests. He and I have begun an entirely natural diet for her (with the addition of milk) & we make up a nest for her in her night-den each evening to return to and familiarize herself with the feeling of sleeping amidst leaves.

We unsuccessfully tried this with our older females; but will need to be a little more inventive as they simply destroyed the ones we made for them.

We were both concerned that Mamu is a little underweight given that she is nearly 3 years old. Chiam stopped producing milk shortly after returning to the centre so we have decided to bottle feed milk formula to her and her daughter as Hillary feels this is the easiest way to start her lactating again and even if it fails it will be extra nutrition for Mamu.
Much easier said than done though as both Chiam and Ganti always try to steal whatever you are giving to Mamu; but we’ve managed to get milk to Mamu each day so far.

We’ve also recruited another experienced orangutan rehabilitator out of his recent retirement to fill the hole left by Hillary’s departure from Semenggoh (our sister sanctuary)

Our volunteer coordinator Alvin has been perhaps the busiest of us all helping me with doing all of the jobs we would normally rely on volunteers to undertake. After he’s fed, cleaned and medicated all of his charges; he’s out in the jungle looking for wild fruits and nesting materials. Then each afternoon we’ve been giving all of the animals their enrichment before preparing the clinic for the new WOX veterinarian.

(Thanks to Marcia from the last two groups for all of your enrichment ideas I’ve tried several & got the papier-mâché, forage mats & seaweed nests to work J You’ll be interested to know that the eldest female pig tail appeared to dominate on the feeds and that we can move/bribe them from one cage to another quite easily. Also the bears & binturong really loved the blood; which we spread around their enclosure or gave in ice blocks)

At the moment we are hiding all of the orangutan & bear feeds either in puzzles or distributed around their enclosures & high on the feeding platforms in order to amuse and make them work for their food; particularly Aman.
As soon as we have more volunteer hands on the ground again we’ll extend that to all of animals.

Alvin has also been helping me and the contractors with the new sun bear rehabilitation night dens; where the welding has been hampered a little by continual rain and recurrently failing electrical supply; but as I write this there is now only the roof left to go. And as Heather rightly said to me today, there are four bears that are going to have a very Happy New Year

A provisional & flexible release plan has been agreed for the deer, and most orangutan Chiam, Ganti, Doris & Mamu and volunteer work for the beginning of next year will be focused on making this happen.
The keepers, Alvin and I have been spending a long time traipsing around the deepest areas of Matang and Kubah & have selected a location that is far enough away from human habitations and the centre to consider suitable for releasing, feeding and monitoring Chiam.
Along with making ready for our new orange arrivals; the first of whom, a 17yr old male, is due in January.

Guillaume & I attended the Hornbill conference for conservation in Sarawak where Francis Gombek (forestry dept) & I presented our rehabilitation plan for all of the sun bears. We’ll put this up on the site for those that are interested in January along with video of their January transfer and the beginning of the rehabilitation training.

I spent four days over Christmas in the deep jungles of Batang Ai (the long term full wild release site for orangutan successfully rehabilitated at Matang) & received a wonderful present from one of the local Iban communities we work with; when they formally agreed with WOX to no longer hunt any animals for food, apart from the wild boar.

Mr Jugah (who many volunteers may know as Apai) also retired from the forestry department at the end of this year. Since he hand-reared Chiam, Ganti, Doris & most of the orangutans MWC have previously released; we felt that we needed his experience and animal relationships a little bit longer (At least until we have released & integrated Chiam & Ganti as he’s the only person who can safely handle them right now)
So WOX have made him an offer he can’t refuse and taken him on as our third rehabilitation officer. His job with us at the moment is to concentrate solely on Doris and throughout the next 6 months he’ll continue to take her out to the feeding platforms every day for as long as we can keep her there.

One last thank you to almost two years of volunteers; you all brought funding in order for us to be here and provide animals like Aman and Doris with opportunities, you brought your energy to mix cement or lay down boardwalk & brick in tropical heat.

Most of all though you brought the animals, the staff & this centre your love and that is what you bring best.

Happy New Year

Leo and all at Matang

Sunbear Update

2007-12-04T23:28:00.000+08:00

Everyone at Matang has been working hard on the new sunbear enclosure which is due for completion in January.

Thanks to Sarawak Forestry Commission (SFC) cooperation, leadership and contributions we are working towards the world’s first sunbear rehabilitation and release project. This on going work would not have been possible without the hard work of our volunteers – especially Heather and Gareth who have donated over £7000 for the project and have personally been overseeing its construction.

The new half acre enclosure has been adapted to include night dens where the bears will sleep at night as, contrary to popular belief, they are actually not nocturnal. During the day the bears will have access to the outdoor enclosure that has been designed by world class experts and will help them to learn natural behaviors and interact with the environment, assisting with their future rehabilitation into the wild.

Construction of the new night dens

Outside enclosure

Watch this space.

Mission with a Passion

2007-10-02T20:55:00.000+08:00

Leo Biddle, our Borneo Manager, as taken part in a feature on Matang Wildlife Centre and the Great Orangutan Project for the Borneo Post.

Borneo Post Online Sunday 30^th September 2007

Mission with a passion
By Rintos Mail

TO them, saving endangered species, especially the orang utan, is a life-long mission — one they carry out with passion.

They are fully committed to protecting the big apes from the threats of extinction … either in some far-flung corner of Borneo or anywhere conservation of the primates beckons.

“It’s not an ‘over-ambitious’ task. To know that our work helps in some way to protect and care for the orang utan is a reason to wake up smiling every morning.

“I enjoy the time here more than words can express … working so close to such magnificent creatures is a rare privilege,” said conservationist Leo Biddle from England.

He is among three foreign conservationsits and wildlife experts from Wox who are involved in the flagship programme of Great Orang Utan Project (GOP) in Sarawak called The Orang Utan Volunteer Programme.

They have been in Sarawak for nearly two years, trying to put in place a holistic solution for the long-term survival of the orang utans, and at the same time, savour every moment with them and the menagerie of animals at the Matang Wildlife Centre.

WOX is an international voluntary organisation that creates a project aimed at delivering real value to endangered wildlife.

The other two conservationists are primate expert, Keith Lloyd, and veterinary nurse and education officer, Caroline Bellhouse. Together with Biddle and the Wox staff, they are looking after conservation and rehabilitation projects at the Centre.

Lloyd, a senior primate keeper at the London Zoo for 11 years, is at the Centre everyday, helping to look after the orang utan and at the same time, transferring his 30 years hands-on job experience to the locals.

Joining him in this vital conservation programme are Bellhouse and Wox local volunteer co-ordinator, Alvin Gamar.

According to Biddle, the ethics and conservation consultant manager here, the GOP is one of Wox’s many international voluntary schemes to rehabilitate captive or injured orang utan — along with other endangered species — for eventual release back to their natural habitats.

“This is a long-term project and a delicate endeavour which can take several years just to prepare each individual orang utan for return to the wild,” he explained.

Funded by voluntary contributions, the GOP enables volunteers to participate directly in orang utan rehabilitation and release.

Volunteers are involved in the routine husbandry of resident animals and play a significant role in devising labour-intensive behavioural enrichment activities for individual animals.

Biddle, who is fully involved in the programme, said their activities were designed to mimic natural scenarios and teach the animals to respond to them … for example, creating structures for the animals to climb on or forage from within.

The Orang Utan Volunteer Programme is divided into three main phases which, Biddle said, are very conceptual and fluid and fluctuate according to the situation on the ground.

“Broadly speaking, phase I involves ensuring everything is ready for the rehabilitation of animals. Phase II is the long process of rehabilitation while phase III is the release and subsequent monitoring of freed animals.

“Each of these stages is only made possible by constant leadership and close collaboration with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation,” he said.

The programme is now between stages I and II where improved behavioural enrichment structures have been built within all animal enclosures and the apes are now climbing to a greater degree.

Read the full story at Borneo Post Online

August at Matang

2007-09-01T23:15:00.000+08:00

Wow! Where does the time go? Hari Merdeka, Malaysia’s Independence day was celebrated on 31^st August and enjoyed be all. The people of Kuching prepared huge celebrations for the event which marks 50 years of independence for Malaysia. Some of the volunteers and Keith spent Merdeka at a local village with some of the local staff experienced a huge and heartfelt welcome! Great cultural exchange.

This month we had a very special visit from a female Proboscis Monkey (pronounced pro-boss-iss), who seemed to be an ex pet. She appeared healthy other than a mildly paralysed right leg and arm and a deep puncture wound to her right hip, but X-rays showed no breaks. Sadly she succumbed to parasites after a few days, deteriorated and died shortly after.

Two wonderful people have been here all month; Heather (ex-volunteer from February) and her husband Gareth have been here to oversee the building of the new sunbear area. Also this month volunteers have been having fun at The Rainforest World Musical Festival and visiting the local village for our monthly Longhouse dinner as well as spring cleaning the information centre, repairing the boardwalks and recommending a simple de-worming protocol.

We really appreciate all the hard work that our volunteers put into the Centre and enjoy updating you on the wonderful progress that is made! We cannot name all individually, but we trust that you know how much your efforts and energy is appreciated by us!

August Volunteers at Matang

Until next time, Caroline, Keith and the Matang Gang.

August - Gus' Birthday

2007-08-30T01:10:00.000+08:00

Gus (our female orphan) has had a busy few weeks which has included celebrating her official birthday with the Clifford Family from the UK. Emily and Tom turned ten on 16th August and as we estimated that Gus was about two years old, we decided that she should share their birthday! Tom and Emily also raised an amazing one hundred and fifty pounds at their school with cake and bookmark sales which will go towards kitting out the new orang utan training area with ropes and barrels and strong fencing. Thank you very very much.

The training area has been designed with a group of infants in mind which will allow Gus to bond and form a social group in readiness for a (semi) wild life in years to come. Volunteers and local keepers have worked hard to build the very impressive structure that you can see. A local metal works have custom made the fence posts which will need to contain a group of active orange toddlers with the strength and ingenuity of human teenagers!

A second feeding platform has also been completed this month in the Jungle which Gus seems to love spending many hours on familiarising herself with her native habitat.

Gus’s ability to win hearts continues and she’s been featured in various media such as a Malaysian documentary about orang-utans in Sarawak, The Borneo Post and a recent BBC Wildlife magazine.

July 2007

2007-08-30T00:52:00.000+08:00

July at Matang as been so busy it’s flown by leaving us with little time to update you on what’s been going on!

Orangutans

Doris (aged 7 and a half years) has been confined for a few weeks while a big wall was being built to divide the bottom half of her (large) enclosure off for the Sun Bears’ new home. She has very much appreciated all the companionship of the volunteers and the ingenious puzzles they’ve given her to keep her brain and body occupied. Special thanks to volunteer Will from the USA for devoting hours of his time to quality chats with her and Bill for his super duper puzzle feeder!! While she was indoors, it was a good chance to paint a wonderful jungle themed mural on her wall, complete with artist hand prints (which she tried to lick off!). She is back outside enjoying the sun and her admiring public.

Crocodiles
Two new crocodiles have arrived at the centre and are now living with the False gharial (a fresh water reptile that resembles a crocodile), seemingly contentedly. The remaining seven estuarine crocodiles seem to have done some wife swapping and slide under the fence between the two enclosures as they please - keeping us on our toes! Their food, the hens, have also enjoyed a makeover of their pen, which we like to think will make their lives a little more comfortable!

Deer
The two orphan deer, Laurence and Heather, are growing fast and enjoying the time spent with them by volunteers. Laurence is becoming particularly fond of Heather but is rather more cautious of Gus who does tend to bounce around him and be generally unpredictable, dropping off the fence, combat -style right next to him.

Also this month volunteers have helped to put up and renew the animal interpretation signs, clean the drainways and mingled with the local community by getting involved with the resorts and beaches

As always we really appreciate the hard work and time the volunteers put into the centre.

June happenings at Matang Wildlife Centre

2007-07-01T21:29:00.000+08:00

It is a sign of just how much has been achieved at Matang in the last few weeks that we haven’t had a chance to update you!
There have been two main focuses over the last six weeks or so; raising our confiscated (female) orang utan orphan, Gus, and big male, Aman’s cataract surgery.

You may remember that Gus was rescued from a tiny cage, after her mother was shot on a palm oil plantation, and she has been living at the centre and our house ever since. She has turned out to be a larger than life character and has built up a fan club, while teaching us all a lot about life’s priorities! She has been healthy and happy and recently moved into her swish new nursery den in the orang utan building. She lives next door, but one, to Doris (aged seven years) and next door but one to Aman (19 year old male) on the other side. She is in a stimulating, clean den at night and gets her late night bottle and early morning bottle delivered by room service. During the day she practices her tree climbing and general mischief making skills (she is excelling at both!). We have managed a few play sessions in with Doris, which are fun and exciting as Doris grabs Gus in interest and Gus grabs Caroline’s leg for comfort and Doris is capable of dragging them both around! Luckily Keith, whom Doris adores and respects, is always there to supervise!
Gus has become far more relaxed with people other than her ‘significant others’ (Caroline and Keith) and has taken a particular shine to volunteer Annabel this month which has been great for us all, as Caroline was in the UK briefly.
More of Gus in future blogs but rest assured that she loves ‘helping’ with any job that is going from making rice balls for the bears to giving Aman eye drops…
So to our rather larger hairy orange friend, Aman and his ground breaking surgery. After a few hairy moments- such as the medical equipment being held slightly longer in customs than we anticipated, and Aman not really wanting to go to sleep for the operation- it has been an outstanding success, capturing the interest of the worldwide media (try typing ‘Aman eyes’ into Google). People who know Aman have seen him change from a rather large orange blob, reminiscent of the Sugar Puffs Honey Monster, who tended to sit in one corner of his den, to being far more active, and while not exactly doing chin ups or playing tennis, he is moving around his ropes and climbing platform and best of all, is looking very carefully at his surroundings. A couple of days after his op, he clapped his hands over his head, which we took to be an indication that he feels good! It was an emotional and wonderful day when we saw him, ten days after his op exploring his outdoor area for the first time, by looking rather than feeling. One downside is that it is much harder to put in his eye drops, now that he can see them coming, but we persevere!
On a serious note: heart felt thanks to Dr Izak Venter, Dr Frik Stegmann (both from South Africa) and Dr Amilan (from KL) for performing their miracle; and to Chris, Ash and staff and friends of Jambu restaurant and many others for donations in money, time and effort and to Orang Utan Appeal UK for their generous sponsorship.

As you may have read, the joy of Aman’s successful surgery was dampened when Lena, our new mum, just returned from the jungle, died. Her baby who was just a few weeks old had to be hand raised and our wonderful team of Keith, Matt, Laurence, and volunteers Sara, Annabel and Nick leapt to the fore with top class round the clock care for her. However, she tragically succumbed to the same fate as her mother (a particularly nasty and virulent worm that migrates into the organs) and died on 7th June. Everyone was numbed by these deaths, but I cannot imagine a short life filled with more love. Thanks to everybody who touched her life.

While we are feeling sad, there is one more piece of sad news to share; our colleague and friend, Michael (store man and security man) died suddenly on 20th May. We miss him so much and will be sorry to lose his lovely family. Many volunteers will remember cheeky Michael with a smile…
Other animal news: Chiam and Mamu (mother and daughter orang utans) are doing fine. Mamu turned three years on June 2nd and celebrated by escaping…again! Chiam has made a few more tools from bolts and string and keeps us on our toes as she uses them to ‘fish’ for contraband like hammers, drills, cameras etc…

The bears are looking good with their improved diet and we are raring to start on the new enclosure for the four quarantine bears (more on that another time).
The deer are fine…Little Leo is now about two months old and enjoys his play sessions with Gus; he stamps and kicks and she pulls hair, but all in good humour!
The Leopard Cats have been seen ‘hunting’ treats such as raw eggs, cat biscuits in boomer balls and even cat nip treats from England!
Gibbons, macaques, binturong, porcupine and civet have been enjoying frozen fruits such as citrus and dragon fruit and coconut milk.

A last note of thanks to Keith, Matt, Laurence, Leo, Annabel, Sara and Nick for rallying together and coping with a string of sagas and emergencies that occurred while I was away.

Until next time, then, Caroline and the Matang gang.

Sara's Matang Wildlife Centre Experience

2007-07-01T21:12:00.000+08:00

This is the feedback from one of our wonderful volunteers. It is very moving and she certainly experienced highs and lows of emotions! We are very grateful to Sara for all her help and encouragement and for taking the time to share her feelings.

There are occasions in life when something touches you so deeply it changes your life forever. My month at Matang has done exactly that.
The first week of our volunteer placement was spent learning the ropes, cleaning quarantine, making fire hose hammocks for the orangutan enclosures, painting murals and helping Caroline with behavioural enrichment. However the second week bought about a dramatic turn of events that will be imprinted on my memory forever. Firstly we were lucky enough to be present for Aman’s cataract surgery, the first ever on a orangutan. Although nerve racking at times it was an amazing experience to be a part of, especially watching Aman being released into his outside enclosure with sight for the first time.
Then next we had to deal with the death of one of the orangutans, Lena who left behind her 3 week old little girl Thambi (official name), or Jambu as we all called her.
Lena was released into the wild late last year but returned to the centre 3 weeks prior to our arrival with Jambu and although very tired did not seem visibly sick. Unfortunately though Lena deteriorated and passed away the day after Aman's surgery.
So from here on in our life at Matang became an experience that we can never repeat, and the emotion felt is one that cannot be described as you look down to see a sleeping baby orangutan on your chest.
When we first became a foster family to little Jambu she was doing well, a little on the thin side but eating and sleeping. As instinct dictates, a baby orangutan clings to her mother 24 hours a day so we became that mother and Jambu was always with one of us, whether sleeping or awake. Inflicted with the same parasites as her mother, a problem common to primates that can be fatal, we fought and fought for her going most nights without sleep. But unfortunately her condition also deteriorated and despite all the hours spent with the vet where Keith and I would sit with her all day we lost our Jambu on Thursday the 7th of June. An incredibly sad time as it seemed to us that Lena had bought her back to the sanctuary to look after her, but her mothers calling was obviously too strong. The bond I formed with little Jambu from all those sleepless nights and hours spent lying flat on my back with her is something I still miss but at least I have some amazing memories that will never be forgotten..
Not only did this experience teach us all so much but it has also formed friendships that I hope will last a very long time.
Although there are times when you feel so sad for the welfare of the animals as many of the enclosures are not in line with western standards the dedication and care of the staff, especially Keith, Caroline and Matt give you hope that at least someone is trying to improve the quality of life for not only the orangutans but also many other species that in the not too distant future may be extinct in the wild.

Former Volunteer Experience - February 2007

2007-06-04T13:07:00.000+08:00

"Heather Roberts was a Great Orangutan Project volunteer in February 2007 and sent us in the following experience for the Orangutan Diaries"

I had the most wonderful experience at Matang Wildlife Centre, one of the main issues that month was Aman a very large male who had developed cataracts, I very rarely saw him move, and although he seemed contended to just remain in one place most of the day, and was very sociable when you went to visit him, it seemed a shame that he had no interest in his surroundings obviously because he could not see them. I can remember putting hard boiled eggs in the grass very near to where he sits and watching him trying to find them, he knew they were there but could only feel around with his hands to find them it was actually quite upsetting to watch.
Whilst I was there a vet came to see him and agreed it was possible to operate and that he should have good vision afterwards.
I have the pleasure of going back to Matang in July and am looking forward to seeing the improvement in him.
The other big change whilst I was there was a change in all the animals diet, by the end of the month most of the animals had had other foods introduced and on the day I went home I can remember seeing the bears laying in the sun sleeping and looking very contented, I have to say that was the highlight of my experience.
The centre is small with a variety of animals it has a very friendly atmosphere and everyone is very passionate about what they are doing, there is a lot more to do but it will happen.
The orangutangs are great playing with Doris and watching little Gus grow up daily is amazing, its an experience very hard to put into words but as long as you are prepared for hard work in hot conditions and can cope emotionally with different standards of animal care you will have a great time.

Aman all well

2007-06-03T10:59:00.001+08:00

It's now official. Aman can see again and all is fine. He has been let out into his enclosure and is moving about as normal again, only this time he can see. Whereas before he was walking on his knuckles, feeling his way with his hands, now he just looks and moves. There are even signs that he is happy, with unusual movements such as throwing his hands into the air, and more brisk and frequent movement around his climbing structures.

When he first came out, he was still shading his eyes from the bright sun but this is normal. As time goes by, he will be able to adapt more and more to his newfound eyesight, and relearn behaviours that he once had. So good news all round for Aman.

The operation was sponsored by the Orangutan Appeal UK, with volunteer donations going towards Aman's aftercare.

Latest on Aman's recovery

2007-05-22T17:45:00.000+08:00

Aman is doing well. Every day he is coaxed to the bars using food and drink and then receives his daily eye drops to help with recovery. He has shown definite signs of seeing which is great news.

Here Caroline used a pipette to drop the solution into Aman's eyes. Soon, he will be released into his outside enclosure.

The operation was sponsored by the Orangutan Appeal UK, with volunteer donations going towards Aman's aftercare.

Aman - The Latest after his Operation

2007-05-18T17:50:00.000+08:00

Aman is recovering very well after being the first adult orangutan ever to have cataract surgery performed on him. The vets checke up on him this morning and everything is fine. Aman will now have to stay indoors for a week ot two whilst he recovers. It is improtant to keep him confined so that it is easy to check up on him, to apply his daily eye drops and to avoid exposure to direct sunlight.

The vets had to use an enormous amount of drugs to keep him unconscious during the operation so he slept for a few hours afterward the operation and woke up feeling very groggy. He has been sitting around feeling sorry for himself, closing his eyes some of the time but thankfully he has not been rubbing his eyes so all should go well. The vets will return again on Sunday for a final check up before returning to South Africa.

He has been looking around at things which is a new behaviour and we are sure that his sight has returned which is fantastic news. Aman celebrated the successful operation with a fresh and tasty dragonfruit.

Aman during his operation - on the left is a clear eye, on the right the opaque lens from the cataract is visible.

The operation was sponsored by the Orangutan Appeal UK, with volunteer donations going towards Aman's aftercare.

World First Cataract Operation

2007-05-17T09:39:00.000+08:00

The Great Orangutan Project made it possible for the world's first cataract operation on an adult orangutan yesterday. With funding for the operation coming from the Orangutan Appeal UK, and lengthy preparation from Keith Lloyd and Caroline Bellhouse and other GOP team members, Aman was operated on by two world-class experts.

It was a tense time but incredibly awe inspiring. At first Aman was moving about as Dr Stegmann was trying to insert a line into Aman's arm to give him steady dosage of drugs, That freaked people out somewhat as a large male orangutan started to wake up surrounded by the operating team and the press core, but they soon got him to sleep and then Dr Izak started the operation itself.

Ultrasound was used to disperse the cataract. The lens is like a jelly covering and crystals can start forming onto it. As they coalesce, they form into one continuous layer we know as a cataract. All it takes is sound waves to move the crystals off the lens and into the fluid of the eye. The fluid is then sucked out and new clear fluid injected. This is what happened for Aman and he is now recovering well.

We will know whether he will see very shortly and keep you updated.

March in Matang Wildlife Centre

2007-04-24T15:45:00.000+08:00

Aman, our big 19 year old male, is enjoying his new low level decking that keeps him out of the mud in his favourite corner of his enclosure. We are all getting very excited at the prospect of his cataract eye surgery in a month’s time! We had a fantastically successful fundraising evening at the Jambu restaurant in Kuching with the owners Chris and Ashfa who kindly combined their 2nd anniversary with a “Save Aman’s Eyes” fundraising event. A stunning print of Aman’s face, a signed drawing of Aman by Keith Lloyd, our resident expert, and an Aman t-shirt were all auctioned and at the end of the night a grand total of RM2,850 (£425) was raised! That will nearly pay for the anesthetist to fly from South Africa to Kuching in May. Fantastic!!! Hopefully, the online appeal will also bring in more pennies (and pounds and dollars…) to help to pay for everything from bottles of eye drops to the surgeon’s accommodation and freighting the delicate equipment around the world. It isn’t too late to donate. Please send your money NOW, see the link on this website for details - http://www.orangutanproject.com/index.php?prd_sub_id=24

And as great as all that news is, I have some MORE exciting news, hot off the press….. drum roll please……… Keith was rewarded for working today on a Sunday as he was the first to see LENA”S NEW BABY! Yes folks! The self released lady has finally given birth, we think to a girl and she chose to come back to the orangutan building when Keith was in there painting Gus’s new den (the rescued orphand orangutan), to show him her orange bundle of fluff. That really shows the degree of trust she has in him to choose him as the first one to show her new baby to and even let him take photographs from 3 feet away…very special stuff.

Lena and new baby return to the Orangutan Building

So, as if we needed another excuse to ask for donations…Aman now has a second (probably) daughter who he will be able to SEE once he has the surgery. Please help this fantastic cause.

The bear project (to get 4 bears out from terribly cramped cages into a larger outdoor area) is underway, with contractors quoting for the wall that will section off the end of Doris’ enclosure to become bear land. Thanks to incredibly generous donation from Heather, an ex-volunteer, and her husband Gareth, we can start as soon as possible. We’ll keep you posted.

Thanks to the improved diet regime as well as regular mind bending and stimulating enrichment activities for the animals, there has been a definite increase in spring like behaviours in some of our animals; we have seen two bears mating and the two binturong (bear cats) enjoyed a ‘special hug’ as well the other day. Although we are pressed for funds and for space, the fact that the animals are not pacing and plucking any more from hunger and boredom, and are engaging in such flirtatious behaviour must mean that they are feeling more contented with their lives. We are waiting to see if the crocodile eggs are indeed fertile and will hatch…yet another example of natural behaviour resulting almost certainly from improved conditions and diets.

Last bit of news for now is that we are currently raising another orphan Sambar deer (marsh deer) that was rejected by his mother. Gus has enjoyed helping out with bottle feeding and surprisingly has met a creature with nearly as much attitude as she has. It was hilarious seeing a 3 day old deer stamping his hooves next to a startled one and a half year old orangutan! I am sure that they will forge a strong friendship, since although that seems unlikely, Doris (orangutan) and Judy and Jacob (Sambar deer) have demonstrated to all their fondness for each other with play fighting and stroking. The baby has been named Little Leo, after our newest team member Leo, who has spent two weeks with us, finding out how the programme and Matang Wildlife Centre run. It has been great working with him.

Well, I have had my hour of peace, I can hear Gus stirring so it must be time to chop up more fruit and veg and get ready for the bundle of energy to burst forth into action….

The Future for Gus

2007-04-23T23:39:00.000+08:00

The plan for Gus is to befriend her with Doris, a process which we have started by spending an hour or so each day next door to Doris, letting the two girls get acquainted by swapping food items, playing mini tugs of war and just gazing at each other. They now seem quite relaxed in each other’s company and we will actually go in with Doris in the next week. We’ll keep you posted!

Once they are good friends, Doris and Gus can live next door to each other and then in months to come we can start taking them out into the forest and teaching them about forest foods and how to gather them. It is a long term project but one that will hopefully result in two semi-wild, contented, safe orangutans who spend their life in the forest but visit the feeding platform for supplementary food and for health checks (which can simply be a visual once over by a keeper).