Wow! Where does the time go? Hari Merdeka, Malaysia’s Independence day was celebrated on 31^st August and enjoyed be all. The people of Kuching prepared huge celebrations for the event which marks 50 years of independence for Malaysia. Some of the volunteers and Keith spent Merdeka at a local village with some of the local staff experienced a huge and heartfelt welcome! Great cultural exchange.

This month we had a very special visit from a female Proboscis Monkey (pronounced pro-boss-iss), who seemed to be an ex pet. She appeared healthy other than a mildly paralysed right leg and arm and a deep puncture wound to her right hip, but X-rays showed no breaks. Sadly she succumbed to parasites after a few days, deteriorated and died shortly after.

Two wonderful people have been here all month; Heather (ex-volunteer from February) and her husband Gareth have been here to oversee the building of the new sunbear area. Also this month volunteers have been having fun at The Rainforest World Musical Festival and visiting the local village for our monthly Longhouse dinner as well as spring cleaning the information centre, repairing the boardwalks and recommending a simple de-worming protocol.

We really appreciate all the hard work that our volunteers put into the Centre and enjoy updating you on the wonderful progress that is made! We cannot name all individually, but we trust that you know how much your efforts and energy is appreciated by us!