Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MATANG WILDLIFE CENTRE
Situated at the western edge of Kubah National Park, the
Matang Wildlife Centre
(
082-374869;
www.sarawakforestry.com
;
admission incl Kubah National Park RM20;
8am-5pm, last entry 3.30pm)
has had remarkable success rehabilitating rainforest animals
rescued from captivity, especially orang-utans and sun bears. The highly professional staff
do their best to provide their abused charges with natural living conditions on a limited
budget, but there's no denying that the centre looks like a low-budget zoo plopped down
in the jungle. Because of the centre's unique role, it's home to endangered animals that
you're unlikely to see anywhere else in Sarawak.
Sights & Activities
VISITORS CENTRE
Interpretation Centre
Most of the display panels illustrate orang-utan rehabilitation. Inside the new HQ build-
ing.
Rescued Animals
Some of the creatures here were orphaned, some were confiscated and others were sur-
rendered by the public. Unless they're needed as evidence in court, all are released as
soon as possible - unless they lack survival skills, in which case returning them to the
wild would be a death sentence, either because they'll starve or because, having lost their
fear of humans, they're liable to wander into a village and get eaten. (Unless it's a Malay
village, that is - Malays, as Muslims, do not consume most rainforest animals).
Among the most celebrated residents of Matang is Aman, one of the largest male
orang-utans in the world. Known for his absolutely massive cheek pads, he hit the head-
lines in 2007 when he became the first of his species to undergo phacoemulsification
(cataract surgery). The procedure ended 10 years of blindness, though it did nothing to re-
store his tongue, removed after he chomped into an electric cable, or his index finger, bit-
ten off by a rival dominant male.
Matang is home to three bearcats (binturongs), two of them females, that are too old to
be releases. This extraordinary tree-dwelling carnivore, whose closest genetic relative is
the seal or walrus, can tuck away a fertilised egg for months and perhaps years, delaying
pregnancy until sufficient fruit is available (the trick is called embryonic diapause).
Other animals that live here include two clouded leopards and nine of the happiest cap-
tive sun bears in the world. In horrific condition when brought here, they are undergoing a
rehabilitation program that's the first of its kind anywhere.
WILDLIFE RESERVE
