Friday, August 25, 2017

Travel Happy Girl: Borneo’s Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre


The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Malaysian Borneo is one of the best-known places to see orangutans.

While it is possible to see orangutans in the wild – and no doubt rewarding – it is of course much more difficult.

Unfortunately, I only had five days in Borneo.

After flying into Kota Kinabalu in Sabah I realised I’d have to take either a long bus or another, internal, flight just to get to the rainforests populated by the great apes; my main motivation for visiting the island.

I had just enough time to visit the centre, but sadly not enough to wander freely into the jungle.

Although I planned to see the orangutans in partial captivity, I was careful to research the facility beforehand and ensure that it is a genuine sanctuary that rehabilitates orangutans, rather than functioning entirely as a tourist trap.

Satisfied, I went to visit the centre in Sepilok.

It certainly appeared that the centre was well run and ethical.

Seeing orangutans in their natural habitat is something that features on the bucket list of many, and it was an experience that didn’t disappoint this animal lover.

I like their unique, human-like faces and gentle, graceful movements, and they looked so at home in the rainforest, a mystical and magical environment to me.

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