Media Centre for Volunteer with Indigenous Communities on Conservation Projects in Borneo

Ray - Borneo Volunteer

The Work

> The work site had great entertainment value. We were often interrupted by monkeys and even an orang-utan or two. The orang-utan are such fun to watch especially if you are able to see their faces. When they are eating they sometimes throw their food at you!! First down the path in the mornings often saw the resident family of pigs and various shrew (squirrel like animals) cavorting from tree to tree. Butterflies, millipedes, centipedes, scorpions, frogs, beetles and ants all paraded at one time or another.

River Trip

Cruising the Kinabatangan is an adventure in itself. Some of the animals we were fortunate to sight include, proboscis monkeys, silver leaf languor, red leaf monkey, pig-tail and long-tail macaque, civet cats, a family of otters, sea eagles, monitor lizards and often the basking crocodile. We heard the gibbons, hard to spot but can be heard far and wide. Word was out that the threatened pygmy Elephant was in the area – the elephant migrate through this area annually, usually around August – so to the boats and off we went in search. Under guidance we were able to find plenty of tracks and scats (footprints and dung) and we could even smell their presence, but they were very elusive in their jungle environment and we missed actually spotting them. A great adventure nevertheless.