Taronga Keeper Alison Smith has been chosen to join the Team Taronga Trek for the Wild, a 10-day Sumatran travel adventure that will help support vital wildlife conservation projects in Sumatra.

Taronga Zoo has teamed up with Inspired Adventures to create Team Taronga Trek for the Wild, giving adventurers the chance to trek through Sumatra’s last remaining tropical rainforest and support Wildlife Protection Units on the ground in Sumatra.

Habitat destruction and poaching pose a serious threat to a number of critically endangered species in Sumatra, with less than 400 Sumatran Tigers, 7,000 Orang-utans and 200 Sumatran Rhinos remaining in the wild.

A Primate Keeper at Taronga Zoo, Alison said she was excited to have the opportunity to share her ecological knowledge with Team Taronga on the ground in Sumatra.

“I will be trekking with a group of adventurers through one of the world’s most diverse and intact rainforests, containing many unique species,” said Alison, who has also worked with Taronga’s Sumatran Tigers.

“I’m fascinated by the behaviour and biology of Sumatran Tigers and Sumatra’s complex ecosystem, which also includes Gibbons, Sun Bears, Clouded Leopards, Sumatran Orang-utans and Asian Elephants.”

In the lead up to the trip, members of the Team Taronga Trek for the Wild will be raising funds to support Taronga’s vital conservation projects in Sumatra, including Wildlife Protection Units in Bukit Tigapuluh and Way Kambas National Park.

“These Wildlife Protection Units work with local communities, educating people who live in and around the forest on how to live alongside these endangered animals and share their environment,” said Alison.

“Our fundraising efforts will help make a real difference in the fight to save Sumatra’s remaining wildlife and habitat.”

No stranger to trekking, Alison has previously completed a six-day trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, a five-day trek to ‘The Lost City’, Ciudad Perdida, in Colombia, and a seven-day trek to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. 

This adventure is a rare chance to visit Sumatra at a pivotal time in the eco-history of this remarkable island and directly support conservation at the same time.

If you’d like to join the trek please visit: http://bit.ly/1wyqAT7