The Piers Mott Ranger Station was built in 2008 and is instrumental in continuing the release programme of 3 juvenile orang-utans: Mamu, Ting San and Doris the same year.
Rangers have to spend up to months at a time with the baby orang-utans in the jungle to ensure smooth transition from their familiar night dens to the open jungle.
Like humans, these juveniles are afraid of the unknown and much conditioning has to be carried out before a release can be done successfully. Taking these orang-utans to a removed location deep in the jungle is as much about eliminating other forms of conditioning as it is training them to their natural habitat; after long periods spent in cages and around humans, natural settings with only one or two trusted keepers where they can stay uninterrupted for several months – helps to break the ‘institutionalisation’ of captivity and humanising consequences of being around large numbers of humans.
With at least 5 more orang-utans due to be released, 4 of which are two mother-baby pairs, one more ranger station needs to be built urgently with ideally another two following shortly afterwards.
Orang-utans are semi-solitary animals in the wild and it is not always desirable or possible to release multiple individuals in the same location. There can be incidences of fighting and bullying between them; males will also mate with females whenever there exists an opportunity to do so, some of the younger juveniles are simply not ready to look after offspring as they still need to learn much to look after themselves.
One ranger station is required as a release site for the two mother-baby pairs and a large dominant male as soon as possible.
The other two would be for future orang-utans and also to rotate the areas where existing animals are being trained. Whilst jungle may look all the same to human eyes it can differ massively in flora composition; different naturally occurring food items can be found in each location and it is ideal to be able to show trainee orang-utans each and even familiar ones in different settings.
Lastly, orang-utans can be very destructive to plants when moving and feeding in the wild; over a naturally large range this has no real impact on the forest. However during training where orang-utans will not initially wander very far from their human trainers the impact to the immediate forest area they are in can be pronounced.
As such multiple locations have the added benefit of being able to leave one area ‘fallow’ so as to allow plant re-growth while the orang-utans can continue, natural, destruction elsewhere on rotation.
Participate or contribute to the building of the Ranger Stations. 
With the financial contribution of past volunteer, Heather Roberts, WOX built a sun bear enclosure and comprehensive attached night den structures within Matang Wildlife Centre. 4 sun bears were moved from the very small cages where they’d spent more than 5 years into this enclosure; which has resulted in the reduction of previous stereotypical behaviour as well as a remarkable improvement in natural behaviour including tree climbing and foraging for food.
Furthermore, the new purpose built enclosure has allowed for a, first of its kind, rehabilitation program to be undertaken for this highly endangered bear; which was previously considered impossible mostly owing to the lack of facilities.
In addition and as a result of improved conditions and training regimes, the sun bears have begun to mate frequently, even giving rise to the first baby sun bear bred in captivity in the state and one of only a handful worldwide.
Encouraged by all these results, WOX aims to build a few more enclosures to give each sun bear pair more space and more opportunity to breed and be rehabilitated. This will also make it possible for the centre to receive and care for more confiscated sun bears which is currently impossible as the current enclosure is running at full capacity.
Participate or contribute to the development of the Sun Bear Enclosures.
Many Pig-Tailed and Long-Tailed Macaques are brought into the centres as abandoned pets, babies separated from their mothers or found by villagers roaming injured, hungry or alone. Macaques live in groups / troops / families and don't usually live well alone; indeed they would not survive in the wild outside of a troop.
However, individuals brought in are usually extremely hostile towards each other and will have to go through a period of familiarisation before they will even behave in a friendly manner towards each other. This is a consequence of being held in cages or micro-territories, where all will become dominant alpha male/female types as they lack the social pressures of other group members to control their behaviour.
Our plan is to build a first of its kind enclosure, or integration chamber, that would encourage such integration and troop behaviours. Without proper planning for an integration or troop development scheme, the macaques will have little chance for rehabilitation and release, resulting in a lifetime spent in small cages.
Participate or contribute to the development of the Macaque Integration Cages.
At the Lower Kinabatangan Corridor of Life, WOX, in partnership with several organisations, has access to over 25 acres of land that require urgent reforestation. Pygmy Elephants, 10 primates including the endangered orang-utan, proboscis monkey, gibbon and western tarsier, hundreds of birds and reptiles, tens of thousands of insects and plants depend on the Kinabatangan River and the forests fringing it for livelihood, propagation and survival. Reforestation of the areas will bridge the segmented forest, providing a larger, continuous protected zone for the wildlife to roam and proliferate.
WOX participants have begun the challenging task of not only planting new trees, but to maintain and provide assistance to ensure faster growth and propagation. Participants also clear invasive weeds and work with the villagers and local communities in their forest nurseries, collect seed and seedlings, prepare mulch and compost as well as monitor the growth of the trees at selected sites.
Acre, by acre, hectare by hectare, fast growing, fruiting, floodplain trees such as the bongkol, sepat, simpoh air, bayur, kayu malam etc. are planted to create canopy cover. Once the pioneering trees have grown to approximately 8 to 10 feet, they would provide a nice shady area that would protect the growth of other trees, plants and dipterocarps naturally brought in by wildlife feeding off the fruits and leaves produced by the plants.
Participate or contribute to the Reforestation Programme
| The Great Orangutan Project and Great Marine Project are made up of several programmes:
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