Couple set to save orangutans in Borneo

An adventurous couple from South Lanarkshire are getting ready to save orangutans from cruelty on a rainforest trek through Borneo.

Angela Wood and Iain McArthur leave Scotland on November 3 for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)’s Borneo Jungle Explorer trek.

The Bothwell duo will have to journey through the Kalimantan rainforest and climb mountains in the heat and humidity in order to reach the Nyaru Menteng sanctuary.

The Nyaru Menteng sanctuary is the world’s largest orangutan sanctuary and rehabilitation project and contains over 1000 traumatised, orphaned and injured orangutans.

Keen hillwalkers Angela and Iain have been following a four month fitness regime in preparation for the trip.

Angela, a hypnotherapist, said: “I was quite excited about the trip up until this week when I’ve been getting lots of injections and having to get mosquito nets and wear in my boots.

“It's all getting so real - I'm concerned about the humidity and the heat, the closer I get to the actual trip the more I think about all the negatives, like the creepy crawlies and leeches which are a big problem.

“The mosquitoes are really bad and I’m taking lots of tablets for malaria at the moment, it’s not like mosquitoes in Spain or Tenerife, these have serious consequences.

“I know it will be worth it though. The sanctuary saves hundreds of orangutans and I can tell I’m going to cry when I get there. It will be very emotional.”

All the orangutans at the centre in Borneo are in need of physical and emotional care. Before arriving at the sanctuary many have been injured in machete attacks, rescued from the pet trade or found starving.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Couple set to save orangutans in Borneo
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Sarawak and Kalimantan urged to work together on adventure tourism

KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu has suggested that Sarawak and Kalimantan collaborate in developing adventure tourism in the region.

He said the two states in Borneo had the potential to be among the most attractive destinations for adventure tourists from around the world.

Adventure tourism in Sarawak and Kalimantan could be divided into urban settings and interior rides or walks.

“The experience can be enriched if the tourists interact with local people. There are many ethnic groups in the interior of Sarawak and Kalimantan and their cultures are attractive components of adventure tourism,” he said at the launch of the Screensaver Photography: Kalimantan, Sarawak, Europe exhibition here on Tuesday night.

Jabu said the exchange of cultural troupes and expeditions between Sarawak and Kalimantan should be enhanced.

He said he had always enjoyed his participation in the exchange of cultural troupes between the two states over the years.

Travel through the interior of Sarawak and Kalimantan was an unforgettable experience of culture and nature, he added.

Continue reading at: Sarawak and Kalimantan urged to work together on adventure tourism

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