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Sun Bear Rehabilitation
Experience
Volunteer
Destination
Borneo
Duration
2 to 4 weeks
188 others looking at this too. Next opening is May 2025, with limited spots.
$2,895
$495
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Book now, pay later. Cancel anytime.
Trip overview
Ever heard of a sun bear?
Not only are they the smallest bear in the world, they’re also right up there for the cutest-bear-ever prize.
But, unfortunately, they’re under threat. And you can help.
This trip is all about contributing directly to the rehabilitation of sun bears, the conservation of their habitat, and educating people about how to help these vulnerable animals.
It’s also all about exploring the vast Bornean rainforest, getting to know the Malaysian culture, and using these experiences to become the best version of yourself.
On this trip, you’ll have a huge impact on sun bears while you live and volunteer in this tropical paradise.
Break out of your day-to-day routine and embark on an adventure that will make the world a better place and help you grow as a person.
On this volunteer trip, not only do you get to live and volunteer with a trusted partner organisation in Borneo, but when you go with Global, you get:
- Volunteer project placement – Guarantee your spot at our screened and vetted project partner in Borneo. Start your volunteer journey without spending months searching for a reputable organisation on the other side of the world.
- Comfortable accommodation – You’ll stay in a comfortable twin-share room with a bunk bed and a fan (crucial to a good night’s sleep in hot & humid Malaysia).
- Meal allowance – You’ll receive a meal allowance on your first day. So it’s up to you: you could enjoy authentic (and cheap) Malaysian meals from the nearby canteen or cook meals together with your fellow volunteers.
On this trip, you’ll be smack bang in the middle of a vast Bornean rainforest helping previously captured sun bears prepare for their release back into the wild.
Your days will be spent enriching and feeding the most adorable sun bears. The smallest bear in the world is vulnerable to extinction because of its popularity in the illegal wildlife trade – so your contributions will help turn this situation around.
Like all reputable wildlife rehabilitation centres, this is a HANDS OFF centre, which means you won’t come into direct physical contact with a sun bear.
When you’re not volunteering, you can explore the endless walkways and trails through the sprawling adjacent rainforest, visit the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre next door, or explore the nearby Sandakan town for some Malaysian culture.
The rainforest biome is shrinking around the world, and sun bears are just one of the innocent victims.
With your help – and the guidance of the local staff on the ground – we can mitigate these issues and contribute to a wilder world for all of us.
For a lot of people, getting a glimpse of the elusive sun bear is a bucket-list experience.
Although most people don’t get the chance to experience something like this – contributing directly to meaningful projects in the heart of the Malaysian wilderness.
And when you go with Global, you get the full experience for a fraction of the hassle. Your volunteer placement and accommodation is sorted before you leave, so you know exactly what you’re getting into.
Inclusions
Tap to expand
Volunteer project placement
Comfortable accommodation
Meal allowance
Return airport transfer
Dedicated Trip Coordinator
Pre-Departure Guide
Trip visa guidance
Personal Travel Concierge
Certificate of completion
Ongoing local team support
Global Emergency Line
gWorld access
Global Academy
Marketplace deals
Social
Qualification
To qualify for this trip you must meet the following requirements:
- Be between 0-0 years of age
- Be a citizen of an eligible country
- Have no criminal convictions in the past 5 years
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Got questions or need to know more? Ask us here, we're online 24hrs Mo-Fr.
Requirements
You don’t need any wildlife experience for this trip. Just a good attitude, a willingness to learn, and motivation to get stuck in.
The general requirements for this trip are being at least 18 years old and passing an interview to make sure you’re a good fit for the project.
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Purpose & impact
Malaysia is home to the smallest (and probably cutest) bear in the world: the sun bear.
As with most adorable and rare animals, the sun bear is a hot target for poachers and for the illegal wildlife trade.
That’s where you come in.
On this trip, you’ll be working closely with a Malaysian conservation project that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases (where appropriate) sun bears that have been victims of the illegal wildlife trade and poaching.
In the rehabilitation phase, these sun bears live on the project site (which includes more than 1 hectare of forest where the bears can roam free) where they have a safe space to recuperate before their reintroduction to the wild.
Your impact will include:
- Creating environmental and food enrichment to improve the conditions of the sun bears’ enclosures
- Working closely with the local keepers to raise the quality of the standards at the current conservation centre
- Raising awareness around responsible living and travelling among tourists and the local community.
Basically, you’ll be caring for the bears as a bear keeper’s assistant.
You can expect your duties to fall under the following categories:
Husbandry
This basically involves cleaning cages and feeding the bears. While you’re doing your rounds you’ll be checking on the facilities for general maintenance issues.
Enrichment
Animals get bored too. Especially wild animals in captivity. So your enrichment duties involve coming up with ideas to stimulate the animals and improve their captive habitat in order to mimic their natural habitat as closely as possible.
Some enrichment activities include:
- Providing leaves for bedding and nesting
- Buying a variety of fruit to vary their diet
- Making fun and varied rope work for the animals
- Hiding food in the enclosure to encourage foraging behaviour
- Trekking through the jungle to find termite mounds for the animals.
You’ll be involved in designing, preparing, and recording the efficacy of the enrichment activities.
Construction
You might design and help build small construction projects to improve the night dens or enclosures. This could include building new extensions, adding furniture, or painting existing infrastructure.
Education
There’s an education centre and library on site. You’ll learn all about the sun bears so you can pass this knowledge on to tourists and locals.
You may be asked to talk to school kids and visitors to the centre or to prepare displays and information. Volunteers will be in charge of updating the blog and recording data in our records.
Direct contact with the bears is NOT allowed. These are wild animals and can be unpredictable.
Accommodation & meals
Once you arrive, our partner will be waiting with their private van to take you straight to your included accommodation.
You’ll stay in a twin-share room with a bunk bed and a fan. Bathrooms are shared as well as the communal living area. There’s an equipped kitchen and laundry for your use too.
With your accommodation sorted, what will you do about food?
You’ll get a meal allowance on your first day, which means you get to choose where and what you eat.
There’s a local canteen nearby selling cheap, authentic Malaysian staples. Alternatively, you can team up with your fellow volunteers to prepare team meals in the available kitchen.
The kitchen has a fridge and gas stove for you to use. It’s basic, but it has everything you need to prepare your own meals.
Trip itinerary
Before you leave
Your volunteer placement – including accommodation and a meal allowance – is confirmed and organised before you leave home.
You’ll have to take part in an interview before you’re accepted into this volunteer program.
Arrival
When you arrive at Sandakan Airport, a member of our partner team will be waiting for you. You’ll be taken straight to your twin-share accommodation.
At 6pm you’ll have a briefing and welcome dinner to bring you up to speed with the project.
Take some time to relax and settle in, get to know your new friends, or explore the area.
Day 2
You’ll visit the rehabilitation centre for your health and safety briefing before taking a tour of the centre. After lunch you’ll be taken shopping at the nearest supermarket. Your project coordinator will then give you a briefing on enrichment before you start your volunteer duties.
Day 3+
On project days your working hours will be from 8am - 5pm. Each day will be different depending on the needs of the animals and the centre, so no ‘norm’ can be given here.
Although all your responsibilities are centred around husbandry, enrichment, construction, and education.
You’ll have a total of 2 days off during your 2 week stay. These days might fall over the weekend, but this will depend on your duties and the needs of the centre. You may discuss your days off with your project coordinator.
Once your placement is over, you can choose to stay in the area to explore what else Malaysia – and South East Asia – have to offer.
Whatever you choose to do, we can help make it easy.
We’ll be in touch with you throughout your stay. If you ever need advice or support our team is available to answer your questions. And our 24/7 emergency support line will help with urgent matters.
Don’t go alone. Go with Global.
Why choose us
We take care of pretty much everything so you don’t have to. You’ll arrive in Malaysia totally prepared with a plan of action and trusted people helping you along the way.
Our volunteer trips are designed to help you make a real change in critical causes around the world. All while experiencing off-the-beaten-path locations with passionate locals. Our goal is to save you time, money, and stress while eliminating the risk of returning home early. Here’s how we do it:
We’re on your side from the moment you get started.
You’ll be assigned a dedicated Trip Coordinator. They’ll guide you through the next steps and answer all your questions. They’ll also help you with the pesky visa. No guesswork – only the right paperwork, approved the first time, in your hands before you leave.
Your Personal Travel Concierge will help with flights, insurance, and any add-ons you’d like for your trip. These are real humans too – no robots here.
We maintain relationships with a huge network of screened and vetted partner organisations all over the world. We know they’re trustworthy and that you’re in good hands because of all the successful trips Global Travellers keep having with our partners.
Our team is well travelled so you can rely on our experience. We’re with you every step of the way.
Join 100,000+ travellers – giving us 10000+ 4 & 5 star reviews – by choosing Global to make your travel dreams come true.
Most travellers book their trip 6-12 months in advance. Dates are flexible, but spaces are limited. So if you’re serious about volunteering in Malaysia, don’t delay.
With our Book Now, Decide Later feature, you can get started with a small deposit today, and take a full year to choose your dates.
We’ll take over from there, helping you with visas, flights, accommodation, and setting you up with our partner in Malaysia.
This is the trip for you if you’re after the ultimate volunteering experience in Malaysia, complete with everything you need and 24/5 support.
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Frequently asked questions
Why are you the best company to choose?
As the world’s leading gap-year and "work & travel" company, we pride ourselves on providing a premium service for Global Travellers. Choose from a variety of awesome experiences worldwide, and let us assist you with visas, pre-departure preparations, flights, insurance, and tours. Throughout your journey, our cool tech features will support you every step of the way. As a Global Traveller, gain access to gWorld, our personalised app designed to enhance your travel experience. Keep important documents and trip details handy, and take advantage of exclusive Marketplace deals, a vibrant social network, language learning resources, side trips, meet-ups, and more. It's like having all your favorite travel apps merged into one, but even better! But our support doesn't end there. With four international offices, over 100 dedicated staff members, a 24/5 emergency team, and the backing of over 90,000 Global Travellers who have turned their travel dreams into reality with us, rest assured you're in good hands. We also proudly boast the most and best reviews in the biz, and maintain a massive following on our social channels including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Embark on your next adventure with confidence and ease. Join us and discover the world in a meaningful way!
Are flights & insurance included?
While we would love to include flights and insurance in our trip packages, it is not feasible to have a fixed price due to the diverse destinations, trip durations, and individual coverage needs of our travellers from around the globe. However, once you register for the trip, we will assign you a dedicated Travel Concierge. They will work closely with you to arrange the ideal flights and insurance tailored to your specific adventure. Rest assured, our team is here to ensure you have a smooth and hassle-free travel experience from start to finish!
Why should I book now?
After the last unexpected disruption to travel caused by the..c word..people are now more eager than ever to venture out and explore the world, determined not to miss out on any experiences. Global Work & Travel works on a first-in-best-dressed basis. Booking earlier ensures that you don’t miss out on the best intake, season, placements and more! We recommend our travellers take 6-12+ months to plan their trip for a reason - to make sure you’ve got everything organised perfectly, stress-free. As a Global Traveller you’ll get exclusive access to gWorld, our personalised app where you can keep all of your important documents and trip details in one spot and gain insider access to everything Global. This is where you will find exclusive Marketplace Deals, a unique social network to connect you with other like-minded Global Travellers, access to our Academy with an ever-growing range of skills & languages, and so much more. Think all of your favourite apps merged into one, but like, better? Why not give yourself something to look forward to by booking that trip!
Can I travel with a friend or partner?
Yes you can! Simply tell your Trip Coordinator after booking that your friend is also going and they can link your profiles. For most of our trips we should be able to have you and your friends placed together or nearby. Meaning that you can live, work, play & travel together! But wait there's more! Not only can you travel the world with your besties at your side, you can also earn some extra cash towards your own trip just by referring your friends to Global Work & Travel. You can learn more about the great referral rewards program inside your gWorld account once you join. And for those who decide to go-it-solo, we’ve made it easier to meet other Global Travellers in the same region as you. Just like any other social platform, you’ll be able to interact, share, chat and meet with some really cool people who are doing trips just like you!
Can I bring my pet along?
At Global Work & Travel, we share a deep love for animals and fully understand the special bond you have with your pet. We recognise the challenges of embarking on a trip without them. Due to travel restrictions, requirements, and limited pet-friendly accommodations among our host organisations, we regretfully cannot facilitate their inclusion in the journey. However, many of our customers choose to entrust their pets to a family member or friend, embark on their adventure, and return home to wagging tails and furry cuddles.
What happens if I need to cancel my trip?
We know that life can get in the way of travel, so all our trips come with a great deal of flexibility. In most cases, if you cannot travel on your selected date, you can place your trip on hold to deal with whatever is holding you back, and continue in the future without incurring any penalty. You may also have the option of transferring to an entirely different trip and destination as well, or even transferring your trip to a friend or family member. In the event that you need to outright cancel your trip, if you give us 84* days notice you can do so with only a 50% cancellation fee. Your refund of the balance will come in the form of a Store Credit which you can put toward any other trip that we offer, including tours through third-party providers, as well as holidays through DealsAway.com, and is valid for 2 years from date of issue. As international travel can be complex, your options are based on the progress of your trip organisation and our support team can assist you in finding the best solution for your needs.
How it works
1. Choose a trip style
Find your dream experience & destination, then secure your spot with a flexible & low deposit. Activate your gWorld to unlock some cool perks. Well done! The hardest part’s over!
2. We become friends
Book a time to meet your dedicated Trip Coordinator who knows all the ins & outs of your trip. They’ll be by your side and working behind-the-scenes to pull everything together.
3. Time to go!
We’ll get your tickets, accommodation & transfers ready. Our in-country team or partner will have everything prepared & waiting for your arrival. Get on the plane with no worries!
4. Global support
Never stress, knowing we’re there with you when you need us with ongoing & unlimited local team support. And just in case, we’ve got an emergency team on stand-by, 24 hours, Mon-Fri.
How it works
1. Choose a trip style
Find your dream experience & destination, then secure your spot with a flexible & low deposit. Activate your gWorld to unlock some cool perks. Well done! The hardest part’s over!
2. We become friends
Book a time to meet your dedicated Trip Coordinator who knows all the ins & outs of your trip. They’ll be by your side and working behind-the-scenes to pull everything together.
3. Time to go!
We’ll get your tickets, accommodation & transfers ready. Our in-country team or partner will have everything prepared & waiting for your arrival. Get on the plane with no worries!
4. Global support
Never stress, knowing we’re there with you when you need us with ongoing & unlimited local team support. And just in case, we’ve got an emergency team on stand-by, 24 hours, Mon-Fri.
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With over 15 years in the industry and a team of over 90 passionate pros, you can bet we know our stuff better than anyone else.
Partner network
We have over 1,200 partners around the globe, so we have access to plenty of exclusive opportunities to make your trip the best it can be.
Flexible trips
The unexpected can happen sometimes. Can't travel right now? Swap your trip, gift it or save it for later with our Lifetime Deposit Guarantee.
Worldwide support
Know that someone is always ready to assist throughout the journey & they’re only a call, tweet, comment, text or double tap away, 24/5.
We're the experts
With over 15 years in the industry and a team of over 90 passionate pros, you can bet we know our stuff better than anyone else.
Partner network
We have over 1,200 partners around the globe, so we have access to plenty of exclusive opportunities to make your trip the best it can be.