Best conservation centres for families

This is the only sun bear conservation centre in the world, and the team cares for, rehabilitates and reintroduces rescued sun bears into their natural habitat. Education outreach programmes are also conducted, and visitors can watch the bears in a natural forest environment. Volunteers are welcome to work with biologists onsite, helping with enrichment programmes for the bears and more. The Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre is just around the corner from here.

Established by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) in 1989, this centre is home to orphaned elephants as well as rescued elephants from Thailand and Myanmar. Visitors can help bathe and feed the gentle giants while learning about the importance of preserving the species and their habitat. Good to note: no elephant rides here. 

The MTCC is located within the Sungai Dusun Wildlife Reserve, and is home to about a dozen tapirs. The centre is equipped with facilities for researches to study and observe the animals onsite, and visitors can opt to stay over to continue observing these gentle creatures.  

At this reserve, visitors can stroll along boardwalks and try to catch sight of orang utans roaming free within set areas. If not, feeding time is a great opportunity to watch the animals. The centre was founded to rehabilitate orphaned and displaced orang utans with the final goal of releasing them back into the wild, and ‘adoptions’ are available if you want to contribute. Check out the nearby Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre as well.  

Sumatran rhinos are the smallest rhino species, and have been around for millions of years. However, in Malaysia they were officially declared extinct in the wild and there are only two left, both living at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary – Tam and Iman. The team is still doing their best to save this species by setting up breeding programmes and cooperation with other countries. Check out their website to see how you can help.