At the centre of the Great Orangutan Project lies our volunteer programme and the Borneo Wildlife Centre Project. This is of such great importance because we need more viable rehabilitation and release centre for orangutans.

There are a few in Indonesia that have performed an amazing job but are fighting a losing battle against a Government that talks big but does incredibly little on enforcement. a few years ago, forest fires rages in Indonesia and an estimated 500 orangutans perished. This year, the forest fires burned once again, and whilst the resultant smog carried over into Malaysia and choked our lungs and reduced visibility to 0.6 km, an estimated 1,000 orangutans died.

Malaysia has its problems, but they are minor in comparison with Indonesia, and the Government is far more committed to protected our great ape cousins. This is why we at the Great Orangutan Project believe that the future of wild orangutan populations lies in Malaysia. If we can rehabilitate and release orangutans into the jungles of Malaysia, then their descendants will live to thrive, unlike in Indonesia where their survival is endangered.

So establishing new populations in Malaysia is important, and this is only possible with functioning rehabilitation centres. Sabah has a great rehabilitation centre in Sepilok and it is up and running successfully. They have a volunteer programme but since Sepilok as all the resources and finances it needs, it is difficult to see why they need volunteers. Sarawak, the neighbouring state in Malaysian Borneo, has a rehabilitation centre called Matang wildlife Centre but it has been virtually dysfunctional for the last 3 years. Sarawak also has new areas into which orangutans can be released which have not been looked at.

When it was first opened Matang Wildlife Centre was a great success. The enclosures and visitor centre took years to build and were state of the art for Borneo in 1998. Animals were brought over from the old rehabilitation centre at Semonggoh (which still bares the name Semonggoh Rehabilitation Centre though it hasn't released orangutans for years) and a small number of orangutans were released, 7 in all. However, big changes in the management shook Matang and virtually the whole staff resigned, took redundancy or were sacked. It was a time of great upheaval and the staff that came into replace the old staff were not qualified in animal management. Although they have done a great job considering they were planners, former loggers, draftmen and the like, Matang Wildlife centre descended into a state of disrepair.

When we arrived last year, we found animals being kept in conditions that would not be acceptable in the UK, with no rehabilitation programme and animal management practices that were lacking. This is the main reason why we now work with all the animals at Matang, not only the orangutans. For all the bad points however, there were some very good points too. We found staff and management to be welcoming, aware of the deficiencies and willing to work hard with us to improve the situation and turn the Centre back to its former glory days.

The people of Sarawak are warm and friendly, and care deeply about their natural heritage. The will to protect and preserve the orangutan is present, and in a country the size of England there are areas for new introductions, and that is why we send volunteers to work with orangutans there. We also have a great team of experts at Matang that work to improve conditions. The project is tough and we have had our ups and downs, but it is above all meaningful and can act to safeguard future populations of orangutan. As long as we continue to strive for realistic conservation goals, with the help and cooperation of local communities and the Sarawak authorities, with respect towards their culture and their developments needs too, then volunteers will achieve a great deal at Matang.