Volunteer with bears in Borneo

Planet

Protecting local wildlife
The sanctuary is passionate about the well being of the animals in its care. Human contact with the sun bears is limited, ensuring that they do not become dependent on humans. They are well fed, well cared for and encouraged to live out in the wild. Volunteers are dissuaded from wearing sun cream and insect repellent, which cause problems for the bears. Instead volunteers should wear long-sleeved clothing to avoid sun burn and bites.

Protecting the world
We insist that all participants bring their own water bottles when they travel with us, and clean free water is always available. We have even created a water bottle that can be purchased before departure and encourage people to use it at all stages of their journey including at the airport, on flights and whilst on their project. We are striving for all of our projects to be free of single use plastic.

People

Campaigning for change
The project works with the local community to educate about the importance of their work. Sun bears are a protected species, however many are dying out in deforestation work or due to being kept in captivity. It is essential to work with locals to ensure that fewer sun bears die each year.

Supporting the local economy
The project helps the local economy and community. Our participants spend money on food and leisure in the local area, staff are employed from the area to work as volunteer coordinators, and rent is paid to the local guest house.

Cultural sensitivity
Our pre-departure briefing includes a special session entitled ‘Responsible Tourism’ where we discuss cultural differences and sensitivities as well as advising volunteers on appropriate cultural conduct. People are encouraged to learn some of the local language and briefed on what is considered polite in terms of eating, greeting and dressing.