I participated in the Ecoteer/MyCat Tiger Trail volunteer placement programme in July 2013. Here are some quick thoughts on the experience.
First off, it’s important to set expectations right in case you miss the fine print. The bulk of the programme doesn’t actually take place within the Taman Negara nature reserve, which is a protected area, but within an ecologically similar corridor of rainforest bordering the reserve that is critical as an animal migration corridor, and hence suffers from significant poaching activity. (That said, there are opportunities to walk in and visit the reserve e.g. when inspecting camera traps.) Does this matter? It didn’t for me, because the terrain was identical, and ultimately, we do the most good if we are where the poachers are.
This brings me to the fundamental basis of the programme – the hypothesis that many poachers (especially marginal or part-time ones) avoid areas of jungle frequented by other people. Hence, encouraging low impact adventure travel and trekking in these jungle corridors serves to deter poachers, while giving locals an alternative source of livelihood. Is this hypothesis warranted? MyCat expert Ash cites academic research in support, but the programme is still young and hence its impact has not been tested in a quantitative, rigorous way. More systematic empirical analysis (e.g. randomised controlled trials) could be done in Merapoh, so there is enough data to test alternative hypotheses and improve the impact of these anti-poacher treks. The MIT-JPAL methodology may be useful for this purpose.
On to the programme itself: participants take a 4-hour bus ride from KL to Merapoh, a sleepy kampong village where accommodation was provided at a basic but clean and very adequate dorm (two double decker bunk beds per room). The local chaps running the dorm are helpful, warm and friendly, and some speak fluent English. Once we were settled in, most days took the following form: breakfast, then transport to the route we would be patrolling that day for a 5 to 7 hour jungle walk (with short breaks and a lunch stop to consume our packed meals) looking for tell-tale signs of poachers (snares, traps, trails, camps) or animals of interest. We saw various skeletons of large animals such as a sun bear caught and killed by poacher snares. These sites are then recorded on GPS and reported to other NGOs and the Malaysian authorities to facilitate future enforcement action. All snares and traps are disarmed or taken away. Daily routes are designed by MyCat experts based on their operational needs and the fitness level of participants. Upon reaching the end of the route, we were taken back to the dorm to wash our gear and take a nice cool shower, then for dinner at a local kopitiam (café) or restaurant. Food is traditional Malaysian — rice and noodles-based, and can be spicy or not. We had some great meals and for those in the know, the sambal belachan chilli is excellent.
Some days were different — we visited a local limestone cave (Merapoh is apparently full of them, but only some are open to the public) for a good 4 hours of caving and spotting the interesting cave fauna. This ended with an abseil down a rock face to the exit (two safety lines and a soldier’s belay are used so it is very safe). On the final full day, we were taught how to set up, take down, and check the camera traps that MyCat installs to record both animal and poacher activities. We saw photos of elephants, a porcupine, some deer, wild boar and lots of falling leaves, but no tigers (a worrying trend and one that calls for more urgent action).
The highlight of the programme for me was visiting the Batek community in Merapoh. Members of the Orang Asli indigenous people of Malaysia, these Batek were recently resettled into villages by the government and still retain their jungle skills (many were born in the jungle). This was a unique and rare chance to meet, get to know, and go foraging with the Batek villagers, who hunt using blowpipes and poisoned darts, and harvest bamboo, edible plants, flowers and fibrous leaves for weaving mats from the jungle. The Bateks’ legendary skill at flitting through the jungle silently and effectively was evident as we tried to keep up, and we were all pretty tired by the end of it. We then conducted short English lessons for the youths and adults (most know a few words already). They are friendly and mostly keen to learn. On another occasion, we sat on piles of leaves in the jungle in the dead of night, lit with headlamps, learning Batek words and teaching them the English equivalents. It was a surreal yet amazing experience.
So in summary: were we hot, tired and bitten by bugs and leeches? Yes. Were there moments where things didn’t go so well? A few. But organiser and volunteer leader Dan Quilter is an amazing person — full of knowledge, warmth and sincerity, and eager to learn and do more for conservation in Malaysia. He was always cheerful and motivating, funny and in high spirits, and was completely at home with everybody from foreign volunteers to Batek tribespeople. He has several more volunteer programmes including one with sea turtles and I recommend you check those out on his Ecoteer website. All in all, it was well worth it and I would recommend this programme to those seeking an entry-level introduction to tiger conservation activities in Asia. More photos and this review are up on my travel website Sanctuaryseeking.com.
