Sunday, 08 October 2017 - MULC Paws : Zoo Negara Volunteering & Visitation

 

 

On Sunday 08/10/2017, MULC Paws organized an animal welfare volunteering event held in Zoo Negara. The objective of this event was to expose MULC members to wildlife animal welfare and allow participants to experience the daily tasks of a zookeeper.

Early in the morning at 7am, MULC members started to gather in the foyer of Monash University Malaysia. Registration was carried out, while light breakfast was being distributed to the participants. Upon arrival of all the participants, a briefing was then delivered by the Organizing Chairperson (OC). 10 minutes later at 7.30am, we departed from Monash University Malaysia headed to Zoo Negara, Ampang, which is situated north-east of Selangor. We arrived at our destination at around 8.15am after a 45-minute journey on the road. Once arrived, we assembled at the staff entrance and were greeted by the person-in-charge, followed by a briefing. During the briefing, we were informed that Zoo Negara has a strict attire rule that volunteers must obey, and that our break time was scheduled at 10am. After the briefing, we were then divided into 3 separate groups, which were Bird Aviary, Children's World and Savanna respectively.

At around 8.45am, all 3 groups of us started our respective work. The friendly zookeepers delegated tasks such as cleaning the animal enclosures and feeding the animals to us according to our capabilities. An hour of relatively intensive work later, it was time for the aforementioned rest time. As we were given a 45-minute break, we decided to have a short tour around the zoo. We visited several parts of the zoo, but due to the massive size of the zoo, it wasn't long before it was time to resume our volunteering work. We headed back to our respective work area to pick up where we left off. At 12.30pm, it was finally time to conclude our volunteering work. We expressed our heartfelt gratitude towards the zookeepers for all the assistance given to us while we carried out the jobs. In return, they expressed their appreciation towards our volunteering work in Zoo Negara as help is always needed to maintain the animals' welfare.

After the completion of our volunteering work, we were given approximately an hour of free and easy time. During this time, we continued our tour of the zoo in groups. We were able to cover most of the places of the zoo. Of course, it would be an absolute waste if we didn't visit the panda enclosure, so we agreed to spend the rest of our time at the Giant Panda Conservation Centre. At around 2pm, we've decided it's finally time for lunch. We headed to the staff canteen to fill our stomachs with some local delicacies. After a well-deserved lunch, we shared our experiences of being a zookeeper among each other. It was then followed by a group photo session. Once we were done with the group photo session, we finally bid farewell to Zoo Negara and began our journey back to campus. At 3.30pm, we safely arrived at Monash University Malaysia. This memorable event was then ended.

To finalize, it was a heart warming event as I was able to contribute in taking care of the welfare of both domestic and wildlife animals. It goes without saying that animals should never be hurt, both physically or psychologically because they are worthy of every bit of love and respect that they show us unconditionally. From this event, I was able to gain a valuable and memorable experience as a zookeeper. The daily tasks of a zookeeper might not be remarkably noticeable to some, but their work requires acknowledgement and appreciation from all parties because the little things that they do everyday play a big role in animal conservation.

Friday, 22 September 2017 - MULC Tropicana : PD Beach Cleaning + PD Ostrich Farm Visit

On Friday 22/09/2017, MULC Tropicana organized a beach cleaning volunteering event held in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. The objective of this event was to develop the habit of taking care of the environment among MULC members. In conjunction with the beach cleaning activity, this event also included a visit to PD Ostrich Farm.

Early in the morning at 7am, MULC members started to gather in the foyer of Monash University Malaysia. Registration was carried out, while light breakfast was being distributed around. After all the participants of the event had arrived, the leader of Tropicana subgroup and the Organizing Chairperson (OC) gave a short briefing and allocated the participants to respective transport. At 8am, we departed from Monash University Malaysia in a convoy of two formations. We first set our journey headed to Pantai Saujana, Port Dickson for beach cleaning activity. One and a half hour of car ride later, we arrived at our destination. Once arrived, we assembled nearby a hut and a briefing was given by the OC of this event. In the meantime, cleaning tools and equipment were distributed and the participants were divided into 3 separate groups covering different areas of the public beach.

At 10am, we started the cleaning tasks in groups. We were astonished by the cleanliness of the beach because to our surprise, the beach was generally without any noticeable unwanted trash. We were further informed that despite the beach being a popular picnic attraction for families, the cleanliness was kept at an acceptable level by a team of cleaners hired by the city council. However, the beach wasn't 100% clean as there were still tiny bits of rubbish scattered around, with some of the waste being recyclable items. Thus, we proceeded with our assigned cleaning tasks. The weather was fairly good for a day out at the beach, therefore it didn't cause much of a strain for us. After an hour of cleaning, we've finally decided that it was time for a rest. The beach cleaning activity was then called to a halt and we were given a free and easy time.

During this free and easy time, some of the participants enjoyed a relaxing walk along the beach, while others engaged in beach sports which include frisbee and volleyball. About an hour of fun and relaxing activities, it was time for lunch. We gathered around a shady spot and enjoyed a mini picnic with the relaxing sounds of the waves and the refreshing wind from the sea breeze accompanying us throughout the duration of our lunch. At 1pm, after our stomach were filled, we started to pack up our belongings and carry on with the next agenda in the itinerary - PD Ostrich Farm visit. But before leaving the sandy shores, we managed to take a group photo for our memories. At 1.10pm, we left Pantai Saujana and set trail to PD Ostrich Farm with the same convoy of two formations.

Around 35 minutes of journey by car, we've finally arrived at PD Ostrich Farm. We were greeted by the person-in-charge and were given a briefing. At 2.30pm, we started our tour around the farm, where we were given opportunities to feed the animals. Besides, the person-in-charge was kind enough to grant us chances for free rides on animals and free tasting of freshly-plucked fruits. The tour was time-consuming, which took up about 100 minutes of our scheduled event. We were supposed to volunteer in assisting the farm handlers and get involved in farm management works such as cleaning the animal enclosure once our tour was completed. However, due to the fact that it was late and we were tired (as observed by the person-in-charge), the volunteering activity was cancelled.

After the tour, we took a group photo with the person-in-charge and he expressed his gratitude towards our visit to the farm. We took a short rejuvenating break and without further delays, we set path to a PD Famous Cendol, a dessert stall nearby the farm to indulge in a taste of the refreshing local dessert. At 5pm, we finally bid farewell to Port Dickson and were headed back to campus with, once again, the same convoy of two formations. The journey back took around 90 minutes and at last, we safely arrived at Monash University Malaysia at around 6.30pm,. This fun and relaxing event was then concluded.

To sum up, it was indeed an enjoyable event. I've learnt that in order to take care of the environment, we must first understand and appreciate the beauty of mother nature. Each and everyone of us should carry out our responsibility and do our part in maintaining the picturesque environment's well-being because we're all a member of the Earth.

Fun fact : Do not attempt to visit animal sanctuaries with bright-coloured attire.

Sunday, 10 September 2017 - MULC Tropicana : Urban Hijau Visitation

On Sunday 10/09/2017, MULC Tropicana organized an urban agriculture event held in Urban Hijau. Urban Hijau is an organization with a purpose of encouraging people to bring environment sustainability to life. The objective of this event was to enable the participants to gain extra knowledge on urban agriculture.

Early in the morning at 7am, MULC members started to gather in the foyer of Monash University Malaysia. Registration was carried out, while light breakfast was being distributed around. Half an hour later, a briefing was given by the Organizing Chairperson (OC) of this event. We then departed from Monash University Malaysia headed to Urban Hijau located at Kampung Sungai Penchala. The journey took approximately 30 minutes. When we arrived at Urban Hijau, the sky was very gloomy and it was raining as well. However, the rain slowly turned into a light drizzle and soon came to a stop. We were then greeted by the person-in-charge and were given a briefing on the background of urban agriculture.

At 8.30am, we started off our volunteering activity with some cleaning tasks. As Urban Hijau was located at an urban community area, there were impractical items lying all around the place. Thus, we were separated into several small groups to clean up the trash as much as possible. After some tiring cleaning workout, we were given a short break where we had some refreshments to revive our energy. It was around 10am when we were called to assemble again. This time, we were assigned to move piles of wood chips from the entrance to a specified location. We formed a productive human chain to transfer the wood chips to the designated area more effectively. 

Another short break was given to us at 11am, followed by a farming activity. We were given a briefing and demonstration by the person-in-charge on the process of making a compost. We participated alongside as well and we were given step-by-step guide on the function of each process. 45 minutes later, we were done with the compost. It was about time to call it a day, and not to be forgotten the time for a group photo with the person-in-charge. They expressed their heartfelt gratitude towards our participation in this volunteering activity. At 12pm, the event was officially ended. 

As the scheduled end time for this event was at 2pm, we had ample time to head for lunch. We decided to fill our stomachs with some fast food at McDonalds. Due to the fact that we were exhausted, we decided to stay a little longer at McDonalds to have some bonding session. At 1.30pm, after our well-deserved lunch and a mini chat & chill session, we hit the road and began our journey back to campus. At 2pm, we safely arrived at Monash University Malaysia. This educational event was then concluded.

To sum up, it was indeed an educational event where I was able to gain a whole lot of extra knowledge on urban agriculture. From this event, I was able to understand that we can all benefit from the social impact of urban agriculture. By carrying out environmentally-friendly farming practices, we are able to create a sustainable and improved environment that enhance the well-being of the community.