The Orangutans of Sabah

Anyone who has seen Richard Attenborough’s mesmerising series ‘Secret Lives of Orangutans’ will have fallen in love with this ‘person of the forest’ (the literal meaning of orangutan in Malay).

A century ago, orangutans lived in forests all across south-east Asia, from southern China to the Indonesian island of Java. Today they are only found on two islands: Sumatra and Borneo and are at serious risk.

The primary threat to orangutans is the extensive loss of their natural habitat due to logging, agricultural expansion and infrastructure development. Deforestation fragments their habitats, isolating populations and limiting their ability to find food and mates.

But things are changing thanks to conservation projects such as The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, close to Sandakan in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. Established in 1964, Sepilok was the first centre in the world to dedicate itself to the rehabilitation of orangutans. This vital place cares for young orangutans orphaned as a result of illegal logging and deforestation, as well as for those who have been illegally caught and kept as pets.

Today around 60 to 80 orangutans live independently in the rainforest reserve and approximately 25 orphaned orangutans are housed and cared for in the nurseries. Here they learn the basics of how to be an orangutan - skills such as tree climbing, nest building and foraging. This area is not open to the public due to the vulnerability of these orangutans,

Older, more advanced orangutans live in the outdoor nursery where they have free access to the forest and are encouraged to explore using ropes. Visitors can watch the orangutan play and eat from a purpose built observation building.

While some of the orangutans raised as pets can never be returned to the wild, others can be rehabilitated. This is a long and expensive process, taking up to seven years but it is vital to the long term survival of one of the world's most endangered primates.

A visit to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is a highlight of our Captivating Holiday to Singapore & Gaya Island Resort, Malaysian Borneo.