First day of the trekking rotation today. Got decked out in our sexy gear – including leech socks, which basically look like Christmas stockings for your feet. Firstly we collected leaves for the outdoor cage. Ceria was around – so our ranger James went in to cut the ginger leaves while we waited to carry them back. We then went a few kilometres into the jungle – you do get pretty sweaty, but we were going at a fairly slow pace, so it wasn't as bad as I imagined.

James has a machete that he whips out every now and again to hack through the bush. We saw four orangutan nests, some macaques, a giant grey squirrel and not much else. We ended up with a few leeches on our shoes, and James got a few on his arms, but nowhere else this time around. I was the first to get one – it is interesting watching them. They move in an arch shape, a bit like a caterpillar, and they hover out from the leaves waiting to jump on you. Some are so small (only a few millimetres) I'm not even sure I would notice them on me.

James has been working at the centre since 1979 and was telling us about the pirates who kidnapped some of the Wildlife Rescue workers a few years ago at Semporna. I asked him about the famous Rafflesia plant – which smell like rotting meat when they bloom - but it is too hot for them to grow around here. Then, on our way back to the centre, there was a real treat! We saw eight of the semi-wild orangutans – including the big female Mimi, Casey, Jack and Mariko (one of the mother's with a baby). We got some great shots of them swinging around above our heads. Mariko made sure to keep her distance from Mimi, who is a pretty tough female. We were out much longer than the other groups as a result – and got back around 11.30am.

In the afternoon we were responsible for cleaning the outside cage where the babies had been. It is a hot and sweaty job, and there are loads of flies hanging around the leftover leaves, food and poo. The task basically consisted of one of us sweeping all the debris from under the cage and collecting it in a wheelbarrow. While the others scrubbed the inside of the cage with brooms and sponges. Ceria was back out today after being locked away due to illness – so everyone was wary of him. But he attached himself to poor old Rosa and dragged her around all day, so thankfully he was amused enough to leave us alone.