KUCHING: Sarawak's first wildlife rehabilitation center, the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, has been awarded the Malaysia Tourism Quality Assurance (MyTQA) 2017 - 2020.
Sarawak Forest Corporation Kuching Regional Manager Zainal Abidin Abdullah said the award was meaningful and significant to the centre as it was the first time they had taken part in the MyTQA.
"The assessments were done by several independent panels. The assessors came privately and without our knowledge.
"As such, we are very proud and honoured to receive the award as a recognition of our staff's commitment and efforts," he said.
He said it was not an easy achievement as the criteria covered all aspects, such as information, attractions, facilities, safety, staff attitude as well as sustainability.
"It required teamwork from everyone; not just for a day but every day," he said.
"The (award) has also given us more confidence to submit more national parks for next year's award," he added.
Among the potential sites are the Gunung Gading National Park, Matang Wildlife Centre, Bako National Park, Mulu National Park and Lambir Hills National Park.
"We will be proposing these national parks. The decision will be finalised by the top management," said Abidin.
Meanwhile, centre manager Chong Jiew Han said Semenggoh, located about 30km from the city, was established in 1975 to cater for wildlife that had been rescued, confiscated or found injured in the forests or kept as illegal pets.
"Thanks to our success in the rehabilitation programmes, especially the Orang Utan, (where there no more Orang Utan have been surrendered or confiscated over the years), our centre has evolved into a place to study the biology and behaviour of these animals," he said.
The centre, he said, is also a safe haven and natural habitat for dozens of semi-wild Orang Utan.
"They are semi-wild as we still feed them fruits twice a day," he said.
Currently, there are a total of 28 Orang Utan, aged between 46 to 1-year-old, at the centre.