Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Back to Sepilok..
Gahh..didn't finish all my entries for the remainder of my time at the bsbcc or the clouded leopard program at danum.. I will definatley get to that when i have the chance. now im settling in for the night after riding the bus all day to sepilok with my buddy yoni whom i will show around sepilok tommorow.. after that will be heading to Kuala Lumpur for my trip to Taman Negara! then to Tawau to visit my uncle James and following that flying to Manila for some party time with a cousin from Canada...looking like a fully booked month. Also waiting on the plans to visit Long Pasia with my uncle Johnny but nothing confirmed yet..
Thursday, 19 April 2012
The "Bear" Necessities..
Feb 14th, 2012
After having Been at the BSBCC for Nearly one month, I had pretty much gotten the daily routine down. A typical day went somthing like this:
6:30am - wake up, daily hygene, somtimes cook an egg and indo mee (soupless noodles)
7:00am - 7:30 Wait for Wong to pick us (the volunteers) up from the staff house. leave for work
8:00am - reach sepliok bsbcc. feed bears morning meal. go to cafeteria for breakfast
9:00am - 12:00pm start cleaning bear cells, sweeping the feces up in a pan and disposing them into a wheelbarrow. dump feces into the forest. power wash the cells then squeegee dry. both new and old bear house. Enrich cells with ginger leaves and rotten logs. Feed bears Fruit and Veg.
12:00 - 1:30/2:00 lunch break! majority of time spent at the cafe chatting with the Vet Dr. Nigel Hicks and his wife Sara. Also liason officer Amelia swan! (she is sooooo fine..)
1:30/2:00pm- 3:00 Feed bears 2nd time with fruit. continue to enrich bear cells or finish cleaning if not finished. any other odd task.
3:00pm - 4:00 get dinner meal ready for the bears. boil rice for bears next morning meal.
4:00pm - 5:00 Finishing touch for the day, clean up, generally. goof off somtimes ^_^;; Then home time! back to the staffhouse.
Thats the basic routine that keeps us busy. somtimes theres variations depending on the daily circumstances.
After having Been at the BSBCC for Nearly one month, I had pretty much gotten the daily routine down. A typical day went somthing like this:
6:30am - wake up, daily hygene, somtimes cook an egg and indo mee (soupless noodles)
7:00am - 7:30 Wait for Wong to pick us (the volunteers) up from the staff house. leave for work
8:00am - reach sepliok bsbcc. feed bears morning meal. go to cafeteria for breakfast
9:00am - 12:00pm start cleaning bear cells, sweeping the feces up in a pan and disposing them into a wheelbarrow. dump feces into the forest. power wash the cells then squeegee dry. both new and old bear house. Enrich cells with ginger leaves and rotten logs. Feed bears Fruit and Veg.
12:00 - 1:30/2:00 lunch break! majority of time spent at the cafe chatting with the Vet Dr. Nigel Hicks and his wife Sara. Also liason officer Amelia swan! (she is sooooo fine..)
1:30/2:00pm- 3:00 Feed bears 2nd time with fruit. continue to enrich bear cells or finish cleaning if not finished. any other odd task.
3:00pm - 4:00 get dinner meal ready for the bears. boil rice for bears next morning meal.
4:00pm - 5:00 Finishing touch for the day, clean up, generally. goof off somtimes ^_^;; Then home time! back to the staffhouse.
Thats the basic routine that keeps us busy. somtimes theres variations depending on the daily circumstances.
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| your best friend |
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| get to know him |
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| smells kinda fruity! |
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| Sweeping Crap |
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| the crap sweep |
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| A pro at work.. |
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| The amateur approaches |
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| Power washin! |
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| A visitor to the fruit heap |
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| A bears gotta eat |
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| Lunchtime with the Doc and Co. |
Birthday Hike
Feb 1st 2012
During the next 2 weeks i slowly got used to the heat and humidity and got to know some of the other volunteers working with the Orangutans. This day, being my birthday I decided to take the weekend off and explore Sandakan a bit. Here i met up with the lovely Renee, one of the travellers volunteers. we spend the day walking around sandakan talking and visiting shops.
That night of my birthday she had some school interview to conduct via skype so i was left alone to ponder my next move. Needless to say, the night ended without a bang and i retired to my dorm room which was left empty save for me, the sole occupant. a surprise present that i gladly welcomed!
The next day i caught a ride back to Sepilok and spend the day at the Rainforest discovery Center fondly known as the RDC to the locals. I a few hours walking around the park and canopy walkways was a good way to pass the day.
Things i spotted that day were Hornbills, woodpeckers, bulbuls, small colourful skinks and Squirrels.
Then all of a sudden atop the canopy walkway i was swarmed by red leaf langurs! A whole family had approached and were now feeding on the brose of the nearby trees. i spent my time trying to get some decent photos using my crappy pentax w90 (a sturdy and tough camera but the image quality sufferes greatly)
I was then Picked up by Waipak and the other volunteers who had grown by one member, Pia of finland whom i got to become good friends with. That day was her very first day at the BSBCC. we all retired home and continued as usual the next following days.
During the next 2 weeks i slowly got used to the heat and humidity and got to know some of the other volunteers working with the Orangutans. This day, being my birthday I decided to take the weekend off and explore Sandakan a bit. Here i met up with the lovely Renee, one of the travellers volunteers. we spend the day walking around sandakan talking and visiting shops.
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| The Lovely Renee |
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| Canopy walkway |
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| view of the canopy from viewing platform |
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| Walking around the park |
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| The RDC Canopy |
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| Jungle Skink |
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| Red Leaf Langur |
I was then Picked up by Waipak and the other volunteers who had grown by one member, Pia of finland whom i got to become good friends with. That day was her very first day at the BSBCC. we all retired home and continued as usual the next following days.
Fyz Arrives at the BSBCC..
Jan 16th, 2012
I Arrived in Sandakan airport and waited to be picked up by Waipak Ng, project manager at the Bornean Sunbear Conservation Center. Apparently he was running a bit late as i remember because i ended up waiting an hour or two longer than intended.. In any case he arrived and greeted me with a friendly smile. We then drove to the BSBCC lodge house aptly called Bjorn Hala (bear haven). Since i arrived quite early in the day, i was put to work straight away, but not before given the full introduction or safety by WaiPak.
The Founder Wong siew te had left the same morning i arrived, for Taiwan. He would spend the next three weeks there celebrating Chinese new year with his family. And so i did not get the chance to meet him right away.. I was introduced to the current crew who consisted then of 2 other volunteers and 2 keepers. The volunteers were Joanne and Roshan. the two keepers are Daniel and David. All whom ive gotten to know and call friends.
The first few days theyre we're a bit daunting and there were many Sunbears already there. 23 at the time. 18 in the new bear house and the rest at the old bear house. Each had a name that i Hadnt gotten to know..yet! As of now I can fondly recall each of their names and demeanors. the first row of cells to the right were of mostly female bears with the exception of one male sub-juvenile(julaini) theyre names are as goes from left end to right end.
WanWan and Maumatai: elderly females, then the subJuviniles: Natalie, Rungus, Julaini and Ah lun. following that are the lovely lady Bears in thier prime Cerah, Jelita and Lewa. the pen next to that is a mixed bag and have the bigger bears of the female groups: Suzie(the biggest) Kuamut(2nd) Keningau, Tokob and the grumpy old lady Manis.
To the left hand side of the bear house are the Males. first off is Big Om. then Linggam who loves to grab. Following that is the nearly blind Gutuk and then lastly, the Aggressor, Bermuda. In the old bears house were kept the Cubs Mary, and Fulong. the Adults there were the Infamous Kudat and Panda who were rescued from a mini zoo whom wrongly labeled them as "Pandas". and of course the oldest male in the center with by far the longest claws, the highly aggressive Amako. Since then 2 new cubs have been surrendered to the center. Debbie and KoKo.
I Arrived in Sandakan airport and waited to be picked up by Waipak Ng, project manager at the Bornean Sunbear Conservation Center. Apparently he was running a bit late as i remember because i ended up waiting an hour or two longer than intended.. In any case he arrived and greeted me with a friendly smile. We then drove to the BSBCC lodge house aptly called Bjorn Hala (bear haven). Since i arrived quite early in the day, i was put to work straight away, but not before given the full introduction or safety by WaiPak.
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| WaiPak and Natalie |
The Founder Wong siew te had left the same morning i arrived, for Taiwan. He would spend the next three weeks there celebrating Chinese new year with his family. And so i did not get the chance to meet him right away.. I was introduced to the current crew who consisted then of 2 other volunteers and 2 keepers. The volunteers were Joanne and Roshan. the two keepers are Daniel and David. All whom ive gotten to know and call friends.
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Back- Me and Roshan. Front - David and Daniel
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| Entrance to the new bear house |
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| Outdoor enclosures are all electrified |
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| Joanne chillin in the kitchen/rest area |
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| Females on the right, Males on the left. |
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| Maumatai |
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| Natalie |
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| Ahlun |
Intentions..
It was my intent to start this blog to document my progress in Malaysian Borneo but due to lack of internet and sometime lack of motivation, I have failed miserably to even submit one post as of yet.. So to make up for it. Im going to have to post my travels with an attached date to signify when the trip took place.. this may take some time but i promise you there are juicy contents waiting..
~Fyz
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