Guest guest Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Wednesday November 30, 2005 - The Star Only one private reserve for Sabah BY RUBEN SARIO KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will only have only one private nature reserve although the state government has received many applications to set up such centres. Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat said the 25ha nature reserve run by the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort in Tuaran, about 35km from here, is adequate for the moment. " We would like to see this nature reserve grow in terms of the care given to the wildlife here and the facilities available to visitors, " he said yesterday when launching the resort's RM1mil nature interpretation centre. Chong, also state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said the nature reserve which opened nine years ago had worked with the Sabah Wildlife Department in rehabilitating 15 orphaned or abandoned orang utans to enable them to live in the wild again. Currently, six orang utans are being cared for at the hilly nature reserve, located adjacent to the resort. Among the other wildlife found there are mousedeer, bear cats, porcupines, long-tailed macaque monkeys and slow loris as well as a variety of birds, including hornbills. Earlier, Chong read out the speech of FederalTourism Minister Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad, who said the nature reserve had proved the effectiveness of a smart partnership on nature conservation between the public and private sectors. Rasa Ria general manager Alain Borgers said the nature reserve also served to provide an educational experience for students. He said it was unlikely that schools in the west coast of Sabah would be able to send their students to the renowned Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre at Sepilok in Sandakan. " We are proud to be able to play the role of a satellite centre for the Wildlife Department by welcoming students here, " he said, noting that this year alone, some 800 students and teachers had visited the resort's nature reserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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