The Malaysian state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo, is larger than the entire peninsular Malaysia. Famed for its natural beauty, beaches, national parks etc, it is also home to several species of exotic and endemic wildlife of which the Orang Utans are a large part.
One cannot visit Borneo and come away without saying hello to the Orang Utans. Native to these regions of the world and with a DNA that is almost 97% similar to humans, these beautiful animals are supposed to be the closest match to humans. As my guide put it – The only difference is that they do not drive and we do not swing from trees ????
They are an endangered species and there are various sanctuaries in Sarawak for their protection.
Semengohh Orang Utan Rehabilitation center –
The Semengohh Orang Utan is one such sanctuary which is a rehabilitation center for displaced orang utans. This is a popular tourist spot, being easily accessible from the city.
The park is very large and only some portions are accessible to the public.
There is a viewing gallery where there is information about the orang utans.
They also have a souvenir shop and very clean washroom facilities.
The park also has some unique flora that makes for great photography.
The chances of viewing the Orang Utans are good only during feeding times of 9-10 am and 3-4 pm. When we visited in July, we were told that being fruiting season, the prospects were slim since the animals have enough to forage within the forest and are not enamored by the coconuts and papayas that are offered by the forest ranger. In fact there had been no sightings for the past week. However, we were very lucky to have not one but two of them grace us with their presence and as we stood on the viewing deck, they swung, jumped, clambered, cracked coconuts, ate and even scratched themselves, to our great delight ????
We were exhorted to remember that these animals are wild and hence we had to respect the space between us and them.
Each orang utan here has a name and our hosts for the day were Edwin (the big male) and Seduka (an old grandmother).
The orang utans are nomadic and build nests high up on trees on a daily basis, moving from tree to tree at will. I was told that they also sleep in a sitting position (one more similarity with social media addicts like me ???? )
Semengohh also has a crocodile enclosure with a couple of camouflaged sleeping specimens :-D
This is a very nice park to visit and should not be missed while in Kuching.
If one fails to spot Orang Utans here, there is the option of Matang Wildlife center at Kubah National Park, 33 km away from Kuching.
This post was originally published on Currylines
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