Program Reviews

I volunteered at the wildlife centre Joga for two week in January and it has been an amazing to work with the staff and meet and learn about all the incredible animals they have here. The mornings here start with a wake up call from the gibbons, macaques,orangutans and birds- what better way to start the day! The animal keepers are very welcoming and have answered any questions I have had about the centre, Java and most importantly the animals themselves, this is also true of the project co-ordination Renea who has made me feel extremely welcome as well as being a great source of knowledge about the culture,traditions and language of Java and Indonesia.
You are provided with everything you need at the centre good accommodation, amazing food, great company and incredible animals, the local people are very friendly and accomdating and I settled into the way of life with ease.

They have over 150 animals at the centre and I loved meeting all of them, but my favorites were defintely the orangutans they are just incredible animals and are cared for very well at the centre. Enrichment for the animals is also a large and very rewarding part for the programme, stuffed bottles, bamboo fruits parcels and frozen treats are but a few of the food enrichment treats we gave to the animals, frozen treats being a particular favorite of hot and humid days.
I would definitely recommend the programme to anyone who loves animals, wants to learn and try something a bit different. My experience here has been one the most rewarding trips I have ever had and provided me with more confidence and experience to continue my studies and career in working with animals.

First off I want to say; Merapoh is an incredibly beautiful place, filled with wonderful people and even if you are not considering working there, you should visit none the less!

I originally signed up to stay at the Merapoh Community & Conservation project for 3 months; I soon found that that was not long enough. After another 3 months, I have decided that yet again I am not ready to leave, so will be returning in February, when the project reopens after the monsoon dies down.

Working with the Batek is an incredible experience, their willingness to share their vast knowledge of the forest and its inhabitants is, at times, humbling. Communication with them can at times be challenging for non-Malay speakers, as they do not speak English, so I would advise doing some homework and learning some basic Malay before joining the project, if possible, to allow you to hit the ground running. That said, there are Malay speakers at the project already, so there will always be someone to help out if you can’t understand.

My six months working with Fuse-Ecoteer have allowed me to do some pretty incredible things; trekking, camping, caving just within Merapoh for a start. I have helped organise trips for groups of school children and university students, I have taken part in an exhibition in KL’s Eco Film Fest, all the time with accommodation and transport being provided. I have also been able to visit our other projects in Ipoh; where I was able to do white water rafting and I was given a chance to stay on the Perhentian Islands; where I spent days submerged in the crystal clear waters surrounded by fish of all shapes and sizes.

Dan and Pavin are both great guys who share a genuine desire to help people and to facilitate others to come and help too. Communication can sometimes be a bit lacking, but that is forgivable knowing how busy they both are. I’d also like to highlight Merapoh’s team leader Azee, who has done a fantastic job over the last six months, and I look forward to working with her again next year.

So to close, I’d like to thank everyone in the Fuse-Ecoteer family that has made the last 6 months so enjoyable, can’t wait to get the team back together and get started again in February!

Words cannot describe the first time you lay your eyes on a Tigers pug mark. You may have seen it many times in pictures or in documentaries. It’s still pretty impressive. But to have one right there in front of you, with the print so deeply embedded in the dirt leaves you speechless. Firstly, just knowing that you are walking down the same track that this magnificent creature walked along just days before is an honour in itself. Secondly is the feeling of pride, that you are on the front line of Tiger conservation, protecting one of nature’s greatest creations. It is an experience I never thought I would get to have. But thanks to Fuze-ecoteer’s intern programme, it is one that I shall never forget.

For me, ever since I was young; nature, wildlife and conservation have always been a passion. But finding a way to turn that passion into a career in conservation is extremely challenging. So if someone told me four years ago that I would be setting up camera traps, collecting data on animals such as Leopards, Sun Bears, and Elephants. Or that I would be spending my weekends camping with the Batek, one of Malaysia’s Orang Asli groups, learning about their culture and history. I probably would have laughed in their face. But life has a funny way about it.

Interning with Fuze-ecoteer has provided me with a wealth of knowledge and unforgettable experiences, in the field of conservation and community development. Whether that is teaching English to children who have dropped out of the education system, to being able to search for snares and traps or any other illegal activity plaguing Malaysia’s rainforests. Being a part of such an organic, grass-roots organisation that strives to make a positive impact, leaves you with a sense that you are a part of something incredible. Surrounded by people who are equally passionate only motivates you even more, which is why I decided to extend my internship for another three months. The trust and confidence given within this role is exceptional, where time and space is given to make a difference within the surrounding communities and environment.

We had a tiger walk during Eco Leadership Programme from 29 October to 1 November 2015. We set up mock camera trap, identify animals mark, learning about animals behaviour like sun bear, elephant etc.

Really happy to connect with mother nature and also doing great things in tiger walk, to increase awareness about the poaching activities near to the borderline of Taman Negara - Sg Yu Tiger Corridor.

Thank you Ecoteer and MyCat for the great effort.

I went into the Tiger Conservation work with no experience and not even being a massive nature girl.

I knew I wanted to do some voluntary work and experience a different, more personal side of asia, away from the package tours, sitting on a tour bus, following a yellow/red umbrella.

What I experienced at Merapoh, exceeded all my expectations!

We went jungle trekking to set up cameras traps and to look for pugmarks. My personal favourite was Sun bear prints on tree barks, love the way they slide down them! Other days we went caving, slept under the stars in the jungle, had amazing home cooked traditional Malay dinner at a family’s home, and taught English to the Batek tribe.

My week in Merapoh went by so quickly, but it was filled with so many memorable, magical moments. I honestly loved it and would recommend it to anyone.

The Merapoh team/ family were all lovely, supportive and knowledgeable. I truly hope that our paths will cross again. I thank them all for such an epic adventure!

I spent 2 weeks in merapoh and they were jam packed. I experienced hands on conservation, tracking foot prints and putting up camera traps and reviewing the photos. Also working closely with the batek tribe made the experience even better. The kids were amazing and eager to learn and the elders have lots of forest knowledge to pass on. All of the staff from ecoteer made me feel right at home and answered all my questions and adapted the time table to fit in caving, trekking and attending eco film festival and promoting their plastic brick press to help combat the world's plastic problem. The team were great and I would definitely recommend this site.

I was travelling for 7 months and participated in quite a few volunteering programmes, none however quite match the potential and impact of this this one!

The week i spent with the team in Merapoh was awesome. They were all great to work along side and as it was their first week in this new location it was great to see things getting started. It showed me how much potential, and how much good the work they are doing there has and will continue to have on the local Batik community and wildlife in the area.

The area itself is absolutely breathtaking! Coupled with the hugely diverse list of activities we did during the week and you have yourself a life changing experience.

Whether we were hiking through the rain forest and camping out under the stars or climbing our way through caves and battling over waterfalls, there really was no end to the beauty and diversity the area has to offer.

Our time spend with the local community was very particularly special. Watching this bond develop between the local Batik community and the team there was very encouraging. It great to see how much of a difference these sessions had on the kids. However, it was not only the kids that benefited from the sessions with the teams. As many of the adults there had very little or no interaction with outsiders before it was nice to see them getting involved with the activities. We played a game of football with them, and its safe to say that we didn't stand a chance against some of these wannabe professional players. I would have loved to stay longer to have seen these relationships develop.

On our last night we had a picnic ontop of a peak overlooking the whole area. Safe to say that the view could bring a tear anyones eye.

And the food was to die for! We had a home cooked meal prepared for us by some local Malay women and ate with their family which was an experience in itself.

I could literally talk for hours and write paragraph after paragraph about the Tiger Conservation and Trekking Programme but if you don't go and experience it for yourself then you really are missing out.
Go and give it a go! I promise you will not regret it!

I want to send a huge thanks to the team out there! You really made my week (which was way to short) the most incredible week of my whole 7 months travelling. Thank you. :)

I have been at ecoteer's Wildlife Rescue Centre Jogja project for 7 months now as their intern volunteer coordinator. I came here with the focus to improve the volunteer program. Since I have been here we have included cultural engagements and extended wildlife release education programs for volunteers. While I love all of the animals here and want to see the best for them. We also have a unique opportunity to benefit a low economic area with extended education problems and help small traditional business' in the area (e.g gamelan lessons and batik lessons). These were simple things we are able to provide that had been ignored in the past. I have had so many opportunities here to develop personally and I feel more confident in my abilities. But I never came here for myself. I came here for this community and for my volunteers. And I constantly see the amazing opportunities both are offered and the life changing impact it has had on both.

We had a great time trekking through the jungle (I was part of the Elephant crew:)

Learnt a lot as well as re-connecting with nature

And nature (well, the leeches) re-connected with me too - but as I'm a believer in the health benefits of "bleeding", i just let them do their thing and get their fill

They drop off after a while ...

Teaching, eco-snorkeling, beach cleans, Malay dinners, kuih sessions, painting, gardening and so much more... Volunteering at this project gives you a total view of island life, while making a small difference. And if you don't make a difference on the island itself, it's you as a person that changes. I don't think I've ever stayed in a village that is more welcoming than Kampung Pulau Perhentian. And that's exactly the reason why I decided to come back for a couple of months in 2015, after volunteering here for just two weeks in 2014.

How great was it to have neighbours sending over the most delicious meals through our window; to save marine life while picking up so many pieces of rubbish; to run camps; to guide school groups; and to inspire travellers to care just a little bit more about the crazy world we live in. On top of that I was blessed to meet heaps of people that inspired me and taught me lots of different things. It the place to be with like-minded people... A big hug to everyone I met during my stay!