Orang-utans, BORNEO
Airing Date: Jun 17th, 2002
Spanning 10,000 hectares, Sepilok is the world's biggest orang-utan sanctuary and you won't have to wait long to get your first glimpse of a man of the jungle - this is the Malay translation of orang-utan. One look at these special animals and you can see the name fits perfectly.
Most of the orang-utans at Sepilok have been injured or orphaned and are being nursed back to health or taught how to survive in the wild before being gradually returned to their natural environment.
Twice a day some of Sepilok's 300 or so orang-utans swing by to top up their natural diet with milk and bananas. Visitors are welcome at both feeding sessions.
The $15 entry fee to Sepilok helps pay for the care of the babies at Sepilok's nursery which is stage one of the four stage rehabilitation and training process.
The rangers then guide the orang-utans through stages two and three which teaches them what they need to know to survive in the jungle.
From the nursery it is a 20 minute hike out to the fourth and final stage of this orang-utan school. At this stage the group is semi independent and once they graduate this stage they are released back into the wild.
Sadly the number of orang-utans in the wild has halved in the last decade to 25,000 so Sepilok's success stories are an important part of ensuring the survival of this species.
To see orang-utans in the wild you will need to take two hour trip on the Kinabantangan River near Sukau.
The isolation of the area means that quite a variety of bizarre wildlife has evolved. On this tour you could expect to see animals such as monitor lizards, exotic birds and the pot bellied, droopy nosed proboscis monkey.
This is also an area where some of Sepilok's orang-utans are eventually released.
The facts
Malaysia Airlines flies to Kota Kinabalu. Prices start from $979 ex Sydney or Melbourne, from $946 ex Brisbane or Adelaide, and from $939 ex Perth. Additional taxes, levies and charges apply. These fares are on sale until March 31, 2003 for travel effective immediately and up until March 31, 2003. Seasonal charges apply.
Malaysia Airlines
Tel: 132 627
Wildlife Expedition's four day three night Wildlife of Bonero Tour includes a visit to Sepilok to see the orang-utans, a Kinabatangan River trip, transfers, accommodation, most meals, an English speaking tour guide, entrance fees and domestic flight. Prices start from $573 per person. Full details at the website.
Wildlife Expeditions
Book through Travel World
Tel: 13 14 35
