KUCHING: Pusaka KTS Forests Plantation Sdn Bhd (PKTS) will participate in the ‘Heart2heart with Orangutan’, a conservation initiative run by Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) in collaboration with the Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB).
Ting San
Held for the first time involving staff of KTS, the social conservation programme will be held at Matang Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre tomorrow.
Participants will be briefed on the ongoing conservation project, before a wildlife rehabilitation tour to familiarise them with the surroundings and conservation work.
Exposure through hands-on experience such as cage cleaning, food preparation and enrichment programme is part of the objectives to educate participants on the totally protected and endangered species.
The conservation programme, among others, aims to raise funds for orangutan conservation and rehabilitation programme, apart from extending ownership of the programme to the outside world.
It also aims to disseminate information on the conservation effort, which has been extensively carried out by the authorities in the state.
Active conservation programmes in the state include rehabilitation of orphans and displaced orangutans, apart from involving preservation and protection of their natural habitat.
PKTS had in 2009 donated RM30,000 to SFC for its ‘Orangutan Adoption Programme’ where PKTS adopted ‘Ting San’. It currently resides at the Matang Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
Born in 2005 and currently weighing around 25 kg, Ting San was brought to the centre at a very young age.
SFC created the adoption programme after realising the expensive nature of the conservation effort, which requires dedicated personnel to run the project.
Corporate adoption is divided into five categories — Platinum (RM100,000), Gold (RM50,000), Silver (RM30,000), Bronze (RM20,000) and Copper (RM10,000), while individual adoption will cost RM200.
The adoption package duration varies depending on the category, which is 10 years for platinum, five years for gold, three years for silver, two years for bronze and one year for cooper.
Packages will also include updates and news of the specific adopted orangutan, adoption certificate, media announcement, and complimentary single use of facilities such as auditorium, meeting rooms and others at both conservation centres.
The state is targeting to increase the number of orangutans by 4,000 with the current estimated population of more than 2,500.