Author: Hayley Maurice
Placement: 1 month at placement 0208
Period: August 2007
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The programme made me feel as if I was making a difference and that I achieved a great deal more than just donating money. I enjoyed the hands-on approach and everyone working together as a team. I liked working with all of the animals, especially the Orangutans - they are such intelligent creatures. I enjoyed all the manual activities, like digging trenches, making cement etc, things that I would not normally do at home! It was also good to work with the locals and to go to the longhouse and spend an evening with them, they are such friendly and unassuming people, it made me feel quite humble.
I was surprised by how well the animals are cared for - I suppose you get a pre-conceived idea of how things are going to be. All of the animals looked extremely well looked after and seemed to have struck up great friendships with their keepers. It is nice however to know that they will, at some point in the future, be released.
I will be able to use what I have learnt at Matang to communicate to other people in the UK, spreading the word and encouraging other people to show an interest in this type of project.
There was nothing that I can say I didn't like or want to
change about the project apart from I wish I could have stayed longer – the
month went by really quickly. The project has made me want to go on more
volunteer projects in the future and feel that I can do something worthwhile for
endangered animals and make a bit of a difference."