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Wizards Out of the Office!: Pei Yen, Yi Pei, and Voon at Sandakan
At the end of March, our team, Pei Yen, Yi Pei, and Voon went all the way to Sandakan, Sabah for a week of exploration and thrilling wildlife fun!
We began the trip with an introduction into the peaceful town by visiting two schools, SMK Muhibbah and SK Saint Monica, where we met with the principles and learnt more about the schools and their histories. We also visited the Sandakan State Library, an active, community library that holds weekend events for children. We invited the children to participate in our Molly Cheeks drawing competition and donated some of our books to the library and the schools as a token of appreciation to the principles and state library head for showing us around their institutions!
Now it was time to step into the forest! Together with Nature Classroom, our schedule was packed with night walks, jungle trekking, birdwatching, forest exhibitions, and conservation learning at the Rainforest Discovery Centre.
We got to meet the rangers as well as the junior rangers, a group of young children learning about conservation and putting their wildlife knowledge to use by assisting visitors like us! They showed us around the exhibits that featured real specimens of native plants and preserved carcasses of animals. While exploring the forest, we saw so many animals that we had never seen before such as a spiny tailed gecko, white-lipped frog, elephant mosquito, Bornean tarsier as well as native trees like the super strong Belian wood or Bornean Ironwood.
The Rainforest Discovery Centre also has the longest skywalk in Sabah which spans 650 meters! It was incredibly fun and exciting to witness all the animals we could never have spotted in the city and learn about conservation and the interesting fun facts about rainforest. Before leaving, the junior rangers performed a Sabahan dance in their traditional attire and we conducted a small sharing on Molly Cheeks at the centre.
Next, we visited the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre which focuses on the rehabilitating of caught wild animals in Sabah. Started by Wildlife Wong, or Dr Wong Siew Te, he shared the history of the killing and capturing of sun bears in Sabah, emphasising the importance of learning about our wildlife in order to preserve the rich biodiversity. We prepared enrichment snacks for the bears by stuffing honey in tree logs and got to see them eat. The sun bears and orangutan were adorable and we also saw elephants!
After that, we went to Labuk Bay, a plantation near the mangrove where you can find a sanctuary for proboscis monkeys. The proboscis monkeys love eating the leaves of the mangrove apples, which is why they stay near mangroves! We enjoyed watching their amusing antics and got the chance to witness their feeding time.Â
It was a beautiful and unforgettable week in Sandakan as we not only experienced the nature, but also the people, food, customs, and culture. A huge thank you to Nature Classroom, Rainforest Discovery Centre, Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and Labuk Bay for your warm welcome and hospitality. Hope to see you guys again soon!Â
