RAGES in Borneo

Spending time saving Borneo Pygmy Elephants is the latest of the amazing projects that Debbie Mair of the Hutt City Rotary is involved in.  Two years ago Deb flew across to Borneo where she saw the first 2 rescued baby pygmy elephants arrive at Sepilok.  
Adult pygmy elephants are being hunted and poached for ivory or killed because they cause destruction in palm plantations, leaving behind orphan elephants with a minimal chance to survive. Death comes slowly.  Baby elephants will not take milk or food from humans. Locals are unable to help or assist.   The only chance for these orphans is that locals call the Wildlife Rescue Unit who have been trained in how to help these orphan baby elephants.
Sepilok is the location of the Discovery Centre, Orang-utan Centre and Sun Bear Centre, and hopefully very soon the home of the Borneo Elephant Conservation Centre.  These centres create employment for locals whilst educating visitors about the human/animal conflicts and rehabilitation processes and have 2000 visitors a day.  Currently there’s 5 orphaned baby elephants in Sepilok.
The Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU)mobilize to rescue and recover these elephants back to Sepilok with 3 vets and 8 keepers to care around the clock for them. The carers teach the orphans how to feed through trust, compassion and patience.  The WRU needs assistance to fundraise to purchase powdered milk formula.  Currently they are spending $200,000USD to purchase over-the-shelf local human formula per year.  Deb has spent 18 months trying to influence Fonterra NZ to be involved.  Fonterra decided to partner RAGES and has delivered milk powder formula for a 4 week trial in Sepilok.
 
In August 2016, Deb returned to collate the data from the Fonterra Milk Trial and organised to meet and build a relationship with the Director of the Sabah Wildlife Department.    She also met the Director of the Wildlife Rescue Unit and the President of the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu, extending the hand of friendship to promote Rotary where human and elephant conflict areas exist.
 
Together they started to lay the groundwork to promote conflict resolution, protect mothers and children and educate them, and minimize the dangers from human/elephant conflict.  Simple electric fences may be a solution.  Deb is fundraising to purchase GPS collars for trans located and wild elephants to learn about their movements and habitat loss to protect human life. Deb has challenged 25 secondary schools around Wellington to fundraise to participate their own GPS collar to educate local students regarding natural habitat, science and what is needed to save critically endangered species.  Click here to view the utube video of Deb tracking, capturing and collaring a wild female pygmy elphant named Koyah in Kinabatang.  Deb has the actual map of Koyah’s movements to show clubs & schools.
 
 
This is just the start of the story.  If you want to hear more and learn how Rotary in NZ can support this project contact Deb on dkmair@gmail.com  She is happy to come and talk to your club with marvelous photos and videos of where she has been and what is needed.
 
To join or contact RAGES see their website here.