Orangutan Encounters in Kuala Lumpur

  Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: 5th to 2nd

Description: Zoo (Ape Centre) - 16 days

Your task will be to take care of animals (known as "husbandry") as shown by the zookeepers. You will be working in the Ape Centre, home to orangutans and chimpanzees. Working with the zoo team you will gain an insight into orangutan animal behavior and take part in the "behind the scenes" action of maintaining the Ape Centre and the zoo. During the programme you will be involved in orangutan and chimpanzee enrichment. This is a programme that aims to improve the quality of life of the orangutans and win a deeper appreciation from visitors on the zoo and the orangutans.

Please make sure that you wear t-shirts that cover your shoulders in the zoos as this is the cultural norm. Trekking shoes will help for working in the Ape Centre and for the rainforest. Long shirts and trousers will protect you from insect bites.

During your volunteer work you may be involved in the following duties:
- Working with the zoo keeper
- Assist keeper in feeding, cleaning, and maintaining orangutan and other ape areas
- Rotation between orangutans and chimpanzees
- Possibility of rotation to other animals on request such as: reptiles, big cats, etc.
- Occasional enrichment activities

Work hours from 8:00 am to 4.30 pm. The work that is carried out at the zoo is broken into 3 parts:

* Enrichment
The idea of enrichment is to stimulate the orangutans and other animals and improve their living conditions as much as possible to mimic their natural habitat. Enrichment activities might include:

- Making fruit ice trays for the orangutans
- Buying special fruit to give a variation on diet
- Putting branches from fig or fruit trees in their homes to observe behavior of orangutans
- Rope work (making this fun and varied for the orangutans)
- Painting the interior of the ape centre

Examples of past volunteer ideas:
* making box treats for the orangutans
* hiding fruit around cages to mimic orangutan natural habitat

* Education
There is an education centre and library at the zoo. Volunteers should learn as much as possible about orangutans. You may be asked to guide and talk to school children about orangutans. You may also be asked to prepare displays and information on orangutans.

* Husbandry
This involves cleaning cages and feeding. Cleaning is vital to the zoo, 100% hygiene is required to prevent diseases. You must be capable of cleaning up animal feces - this can be extremely smelly! You will also be required to clean up after orangutan enrichment activities.

It is important that you use your initiative when zoo keepers are busy. The zoo is really appreciative of volunteers that show initiative, and also bring some knowledge to the zoo.

Working Hours: Start work at 08:00 and finish at 16:30/17:00. Please do not be late as it will upset the zoo keeper's schedule. You are expected to be able to work and be alert whilst at the enclosure.

You will receive 2 days off at the weekend whilst at the zoo. If you do go out drinking or partying the night before please make sure you are still capable of working from 08.00 the next morning. There is a warning system for volunteers that are unable to work for no reason.

Rehabilitation Centre - 3 days

You will visit the Wildlife Centre for a talk and a look behind the scenes in the orangutan holding areas, and the efforts being made to establish rehabilitation and release. There is very little animal interaction here so that the animals can be released successfully. You will learn about how the centre works and more about orangutan behavior.

The next day you will be taken to the former rehabilitation and release site, Semenggoh Nature Reserve, where 10 orangutans were originally released in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The population there has grown to 23 orangutans and is fed twice-daily. You will witness feeding time when the rangers call the orangutans in from around the forest to the feeding platform.

Rainforest - Batang Ai National Park - 7 days

In Batang Ai National Park orangutans still roam free and pristine rainforest still survives away from loggers and modern civilization. You will participate in the ecotourism project at Batang Ai, which is based in an Iban tribal village. Working with the villagers gives them a source of income from orangutans and helps to reinforce conservation within the area. For every volunteer, the village gets paid, which means that they have started to care more for the rainforest animals, and orangutan in particular. This is known as in-situ conservation

This programme is dynamic and ever changing. Once one project is completed another project will begin. We can only list the type of work that previous volunteers have carried out. We cannot guarantee that current volunteers will be carrying out the same work month after month.

Previous volunteers have been involved in:
- Teaching English to local children
- Trail making
- Orangutan nest counting
- Infrastructure building
- Handicraft work-such as weaving

It cannot be overstated the attitude that you need to have for this project. You are set in the middle of a rainforest amongst a local community. The communities are very laid back. The more effort you put in, the more you get out of the volunteer experience.

Highlights: Spend 15 days working in a Zoo in Taiping or Kuala Lumpur working closely with primates of which orangutans is the main focus. Activities include feeding, cleaning and enriching life of primate

2 day visit to Matang Wildlife Centre with our expert staff - see orangutans in rehabilitation before being released to the wild. Learn about how the centre works and understand orangutan behavior.

Travel to Batang Ai and then upriver to the Iban longhouses on the edge of the Indonesian Malaysian border where orangutans roam free and pristine rainforest still survives away from loggers and modern civilization.

Monitor the apes in the wild, deepest darkest Borneo jungle where orangutans roam free, carry out nest counts, and collect and record insects.

Help local Ibans make orangutans an integral part of the local economy through ecotourism project.

Qualifications: Enthusiasm and willingness to work for the good of the orangutans.

Cost in US$: 2370

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Passionate about saving orangutans

Age Range: 18-70

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Malaysia Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Other

Great Orangutan Project's Mission Statement: Connecting everyday people with endangered wildlife. The project seeks to increase the wild population of orangutans by repopulating the rainforest. We engage the local community, volunteers and the local government in Orangutan conservation.

Year Founded: 2003