Well after a busy month at Matang Wildlife Centre an awful lot was achieved. A new platform was built in Doris' (the cheeky 6 year old diva) enclosure, which brings the total to 3 platforms, complete with ropes and cargo netting. Puzzle feeders were designed and attached to each one of the holding pens which makes for good entertainment for both humans and orangs alike. Ganti was knocked out and moved to stay with Aman (the chunky dominant male) who now finds himself with 2 females to breed with. A huge amount of wall was painted in a delicate green that resembles the colour of...erm...wheatgrass juice. And not forgetting the i-to-i group of 11 multi-national volunteers who built a whopping 84 metre boardwalk up to the feeding platform (closed to the general public) so no more slipping and sliding during the rainy season.

As much work was achieved with the other animals at the Centre. One of the quarantine cages was rigged out with logs and a platform for a sunbear (forget his name), another cage was turned into a psychodelic 60's chill out room with bamboo ladders and mad swirly gren, blue and yellow patterns for the macaque named Boboy. The macaque enclosures have been finished - concreted and lots of wood erected to fill the space 3 dimensionally. A cat and gibbon enclosure have been newly built and 2 gibbons and 2 cats moved in. And finally a straw-headed bulbul, that little brown-jobbie with the beautiful voice, was released back into the National Park to fill the air with song.

Phew, so the animals are happy. But I'm happy too because there were 2 new additions to the team; Nick Briant is now our volunteer coordinator and Matt Simpson who will join our primate Keith Lloyd as an assistant. Also confirmed 2 more experts were coming to help out for 2 and half months with the bears (who have been in terrible conditions) at the beginning of 2007.

All in all a wonderful month. It's been hard work but the results speak for themselves. Things are really moving on at Matang. So much so that the manager of Semonggoh, Jen Sangell, who was in Matang for a training session even promised to send 2 of his male orangutans to the Centre in the coming weeks for rehabilitation and release. Enough to bring a smile to any conservation lover.