Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sights & Activities
ANIMAL SANCTUARY
Sepilok Orang-Utan Rehabilitation Centre (SORC)
( 089-531180; soutan@po.jaring.my; Jln Sepilok; admission RM30, camera fee
RM10; 9-11am & 2-3.30pm, walking trails 9am-4.15pm)
One of only four orangutan
sanctuaries in the world, this place occupies a corner of the
Kabili-Sepilok Forest
Reserve
about 25km north of Sandakan. The centre was established in 1964; it now cov-
ers 40 sq km and has become one of Sabah's top tourist attractions, second only to Mt
Kinabalu.
THE WILD MAN OF BORNEO & HOW TO HELP
HIM
The term 'orangutan' literally means 'man of the wild', or 'jungle man' - a testament to the local reverence for
these great ginger apes. Traditionally orangutans were never hunted like other creatures in the rainforest; in fact,
Borneo's indigenous people used to worship their skulls in the same fashion as they did the heads taken from en-
emy tribesmen. Orangutans are the only species of great ape found outside Africa. A mature male is an impress-
ive, not to mention hairy, creature with an arm span of 2.25m, and can weigh up to 144kg. Dominant males also
have distinctive wide cheek pads to reinforce their alpha status. It was once said that an orangutan could swing
from tree to tree from one side of Borneo to the other without touching the ground. Sadly this is no longer the
case, and hunting and habitat destruction continue to take their toll; it's estimated fewer than 15,000 specimens
now exist in the wild.
If you'd like to get involved with the work of the Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre, contact
Sepilok
Orang-Utan Appeal UK
(
www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk
)
a UK-based charity. The Appeal's orangutan adoption
scheme is a particular hit with visitors: for UK£30 a year you can sponsor a ginger bundle of fun and receive up-
dates on its progress; see the Appeal's website for details. If you're really taken with the place, Sepilok has one of
the most popular overseas volunteer programs in Malaysia. Apply through
Travellers Worldwide
(
www.travellersworldwide.com
)
; as of recently, the cost of an eight-week volunteer package, including accom-
modation, meals and a number of excursions, was UK£3345.
Orphaned and injured orangutans are brought to Sepilok to be rehabilitated to return to
forest life. We have to stress: while thousands of people see orangutans during feeding
time at Sepilok, there is a chance you won't. These are, after all, wild animals. On the
