Malaysia and Thailand Winter 2008-9

Jan 14 2009

Ray and I were assigned to Nocturnals this week. That means we got to know several more animals, although most of the time we saw them they were sleeping. Our duties started at 6:30 AM, just as they did for the monkeys and bears. In the morning, before they wake, we clean their cages and give them fresh water. We are becoming expert at removing all kinds of poo. This will go on our resume. In the late afternoon we prepare and distribute their food. Sometimes this is a bit tricky as they are waking and active so we have to be quick.

The tiny Slow Moving Lorises win the cute prize. With grey or light brown fur and huge dark eyes they look like a cross between a kitten and a squirrel. Their name is apt. They seem to feel their way down their sleeping tree to their food, rather than leap from branch to branch like the other monkeys. Their paws have individual fingers and opposable thumbs for clutching food or branches. Their food, a combination of fruits and vegetables, must be cut up into small pieces. They also like grubs so one day Billy, one of the volunteers, got a whole bowlful of huge, fat grubs from the elephant compost pile. Yum! Most of the lorises are curled up into a small ball at the top of a tree when we come by but one small one is usually active and curious as to who is coming with the goodies. As a defense mechanism, a loris produces a musk which they lick onto their fur. The musk can cause an allergic reaction if touched, so no petting these animals.

Loris

Wild leopard cat

There are several wild leopard cats to feed. They sleep during the day and wake to feed at night. About the same size as a domestic cat and spotted like a leopard, they like a diet of cat food and raw chicken, much as your pet kitten, but they are wild and would bite if petted.

We have to peel and chop all the fruit and veggies for the civets. There are both Common and Masked Palm Civets at the center. They remind me of a raccoon with a slightly more pointed nose and longer, slender tail. When alarmed, a civet sprays a secretion from an anal gland, like a skunk. We have not witnessed this at the Wildlife Center.

Masked Civet

Binturong or Asian Bearcat

Sandee is a Binturong, also known as an Asian Bearcat. She is similar to a civet, only bigger and all grey instead of striped. Binturongs, like the civet have a scent gland under their tail but it is not as fould smelling. Both the civets and Sandee have small trees and logs set at angles in their enclosures. These animals are arboreal and love to climb.

Besides the nocturnals, there are many other animals to care for. A gang of us had the privilege of cleaning Sam the horse's pool one day. Sam was discovered abandoned on a beach near here in very bad condition. He had earned his keep as a Beach Pony, taking tourists for rides. When he got old and sick, he was abandoned to die. The Wildlife Rescue Center took him in thinking he had no more than five months to live. That was five years ago, but he is ailing again. At least he had a pleasant last five years of his life.

the porcupine and Sam are friends

Olivia and Ollie have their own pond

Ollie and Olivia are otters. They have a nice enclosure complete with pool, washing tub and slide. Olivia was found, kept in a small cage with no access to water. Usually the mother otter teaches her babies to swim, but Olivia was taken from her mother at too early an age. Ollie took over the role of the mother. He taught Olivia to swim by floating on his back and supporting Olivia on his chest. It worked. Olivia now swims like a pro.

Dundee the crocodile had a strange existence before coming to the Center. He lived as a pet in a suburban backyard, until one day he escaped. The neighbours called the police and Dundee was relocated to a new home at the Center.

Dundee

Miao

Near the nocturnal area lives Miao the tiger in a large enclosure filled with shrubs and trees. His first home was chained behind a gas station, not an ESSO station. He was fed very poor food and suffered nerve damage as a result of the nutritional deficiency. When he was first taken to the Center he could not sit up or walk. Eventually he recovered but still cannot walk properly. He can often be seen lazing in the grasses near the fence or on a hot day, submerged in his pool.

Also in the area between Meow and the nocturnals lives a Golden Jackal. He rarely comes out during the day but Ray spied him one late afternoon prowling along the fence waiting patiently for the Thai staff to deliver his dinner.

Oh, did I forget the 19 dogs that need to be cared for and the large aviary housing many species of birds, many with special needs. We got a chance to work with both.

Randy the hornbill

Planting trees

A recent addition to the Center is a reforestation horticultural project. Seeds of several different trees are collected, germinated and planted at the beginning of the rainy season, which was July this past year. Part of the project is funded by a new not-for-profit organization based in Bangkok, Plant-a-tree-now. Several of the volunteers were recruited to help Sue, a Thai specialist working for the organization. This was the six-month visit to check on the condition of the saplings planted. Our job was to measure the width of the root, the height and breadth of each tagged tree. Later in the week we had a chain gang to water the saplings as it is now the dry season and we have not had any rain since arriving here.