Welcome & thank you...

The Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre is located near Sandakan, Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo. This centre was set up as a means of housing injured or orphaned Orang-Utans, caring for them and nursing them back to health before they can be released into the forest.

I have had an interest and a love for Orang-Utans for as long as I can remember and had dreamt about going to Borneo for years. I didn't just want to see them as part of a holiday though - I wanted to volunteer at Sepilok to enable me to work closely with these amazing animals in their natural habitat, learn as much as I could about them and play a small but important part in their rehabilitation and conservation.

After months of planning, saving and fundraising through the generosity of friends, family and colleagues, I finally lived my dream and experienced the most amazing 2 months!

Working both at Sepilok and at the Nature Intrepretation Centre at Rasa Ria, I fell in love with Orang-Utans even more than I thought I already was! The first time I held one of their hands, I cried. The first time I looked into their beautiful dark eyes, my heart melted. The first time I saw them playing together, I laughed. The first time one of them clung onto me and hugged me, I felt privelleged and honoured to be there. I wasn't prepared for how emotional it would be but similarly I wasn't prepared for how fantastic it would be.

I am now back in the UK and whilst there is always the comfort and familiarality of your own home that makes you love it, after only 2 weeks I am already missing Borneo. I miss the sights and sounds of the jungle, lying in bed listening to the most incredible storms (and the noises of the gecko that lived in our room!). I miss the warmth, generosity and hospitality of the Malay people, the fantastic weather, the beautiful sunsets. I miss the laughter with all the other volunteers and the rangers and I, of course, miss the gorgeous Orang-Utans.

There are things I can't explain as to what made this trip so special and unforgettable but I know that it's opened my eyes up even more to how much more there is to life and how much more of the world there is to see. It sounds so cliche I know but I once read:
"Life is too short to wake up with regrets. If you get a chance; take it.
If it changes your life; let it.
Nobody said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it".
It was so true.

A sincere thank you to everyone who helped me and made this possible.

 
 
Thank you for your donations and continued support.