(MY) risking life for animals

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Risking life to save animals - New Straits Times

01 Nov 2006

 

 

 

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SANDAKAN: Coming up close to a king cobra ready to strike and getting

chased by wild boars have been some spine-tingling moments in Elis

Tambing's 18 years of animal rescue and translocation.

 

But Tambing, a wildlife officer at the Sepilok Orang Utan

Rehabilitation Centre, is game to carry on with his duties of

translocating orang-utans despite the obvious dangers.

 

" I once came face to face with a king cobra. It was 'standing' and its

hood was full blown, staring straight at me. It came up to my height.

Luckily for me, the snake left after a while.

 

" Even orang-utans we tried to rescue have bitten me. The best thing

you can do is not to panic. That is why we don't do this job alone.

You must go in a group.

 

" We also have to chase after orang-utans, and sometimes we get chased

as well. But once we are able to tranquilise an orang-utan, we will do

a quick physical check to see if it's sick or wounded. Healthy ones

are translocated to the wild, and sick ones or orphans are sent to be

rehabilitated, " Tambing said.

 

For fresh graduate and wildlife veterinarian Dr Cecilia Boklin, her

daily routine is to check on the health of the orang-utans and other

wild-life, such as sea eagles and sun bears.

 

Despite being pint-sized and smaller than some adult orang-utans,

Boklin doesn't fear the wildlife she has to care for.

 

In fact, her living quarters are located in the same compound as the animals.

 

" I have always loved wildlife so it's not too difficult. One thing

that I do daily is a general inspection of the orang- utans. If one

looks dull or down, I will conduct a physical examination and, if

necessary, take faecal and urine samples for the laboratory to

analyse. "

 

Boklin said some orang- utans contract malaria when they are in the

wild, and some are brought to the centre with other diseases,

including worms.

 

The centre has an isolation room to keep sick animals away from the

healthy ones.

 

Apart from caring for orang-utans, the centre also conducts outreach

programmes to educate students on the importance of protecting the

primate.

 

Senior wildlife assistant Sylvia Alsisto said two orang- utans, which

go by the name Naru and Sogo-Sogo, were " adopted " by the Sung Siew

School in Sandakan.

 

" Sen, the baby orang-utan, was brought to the school. I told them that

he was an orphan and that our goal at the centre is to give every

orphan a chance to survive, " she said.

 

Alsisto said the students were so touched by what was happening to the

orang-utans that they raised RM1,016, more than double the RM500

target set.