OR WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE WHALE SHARKS AND OTHER ANIMALS NOW?
Alert: And that goes for orangutans and elephants in rescue and rehabilitation centres I have met on my travels. See at bottom of post.
This is an extra bit on the whale shark post of 14 April. The rest is of a more bucolic nature….no not bubonic
Excerpt from my diary Alert: I’ve just been reading about swimming with whale sharks. There are two camps on this. I personally think that the fisherman who started this wily business venture already has his love affair with these creatures. They come up to his boat for the krill and seem to hang around for a snout rub. This fisherman made friends with them ages ago and his business has given the locals a decent way of life without killing these gentle giants. The industry feeds the village now and there are no longer rotting carcasses on the beaches skinned and de-finned in the old barbaric way. Their beautiful spotted skins stay on their bodies and they are thriving, so now Their skin is no longer being used for handbags and the fins for some Chinese medicine to make a mans dick stay turgid or whatever, at least not around Oslob. There are a lot that go on their normal migration, just this lot have swerved that being more opportunistic.
There is also the camp that says it is interfering with the migration of these big boys, and their natural instincts and feeding ability. They become fat and lazy and domesticated. I think these days that I’d just prefer for them not to be butchered.and obviously will be furiously protected by the village as a whole. Make of it what you will but I dread to think of their fate in these lean times.
How are all these beautiful beasts doing now?Very poorly methinks.
KANTA Elephant sanctuary.
Small groups are allowed in only twice a day where you can feed them sugar cane and give them a good old scrubbing in the river. When their afternoon “shift” is over on the dot of five they bugger off to the forest where they remain til they come down to the centre in the morning.
They are rescued and well cared for by vets and there are even classes as how they manage to slip them their meds in food. Their carers love them so much, and its written on their faces how honoured they are to be part of they magnificent giants lives. Post to follow.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
I visited Borneo in 2018 and had specifically gone their to get to this remote centre where they rehabilitate orphans and injured orangutans and moon bears from all over.The endangered moon bears that normally have been “pets” in small cages till the owners tired of them.
Although you can’t get close up and personal with these bad boys you can go to a small viewing platform to view their “feeding” platform. This is also twice a day and they warn you that none may turn up if they’ve done well foraging for themselves. The feeding platform is only for a drop in centre if they are hungry. There was only one who turned up in the morning and she seemed to be a regular as she was also there in the afternoon.
A short walk along a footway is the nursery where orphaned babies turn up on a regular basis due to the poachers cruelly killing their mothers. They have little notices of the names and history’s of the little ones along with their idiosyncrasies. It makes for charming reading. The reading of how they got there however, is hard to stomach. The keepers wear masks to avoid the animals catching anything from them which is bitterly ironic now.
Without the revenue one wonders how they will continue with this vital work especially as poachers now will be more determined.
I’m only writing about this as I give monthly donations and wonder if some of you want to give just a tiny bit…….
The Macaques are so naughty that at the time I had no time for them constantly bullying and nicking food but hey, who can resist even these mischievous creatures when settling down to nurse.
Old Bird Travels Solo! 