Meeting our cousins at Orangutan Sanctuary

---

Orangutan Sanctuary at Sepilok

One learns a lot about people when watching orangutans. Especially some of the people I know.

I spent this afternoon at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre in north east Borneo, watching our cousins feed on bananas. They were all juveniles and aged: the rest were out hunting fruit in the forest and creating havoc in sugar cane plantations.

At 3pm the local rangers bring out a few bunches of bananas and other assorted goodies to a viewing platform to bring the orangutans for us tourists to gawk at and for the orangutans to gawk at us silly tourists. The orangutans get better seats.

About ten showed up - eight juveniles and two oldies - which is more than you would see in a week in the forest: orangutans are solitary animals, only socializing for sex. All families consist of single mums and one or two kids. Sort of like the way our society is heading. Except orangutans don’t have any politics, lawyers looking for loopholes, or corporate bloody bankers. One wonders who evolved from whom.

I watched them for about two hours - the same length of time I spent watching the football the same evening - and they seemed a lot more relaxed and intelligent than the French captain.

The youngsters arrived first, swinging along the rope provided - they prefer traveling above the ground and spend almost all of their time in the tree - seemingly in no hurry and stopping to watch the six dozen humans on the provided platforms. Given that there are people at every twice daily feeding, they probably think the wood platforms are our natural habitat.
They stuffed themselves in an orderly manner until granddad arrived and confiscated the remaining food for himself. He didn’t show any aggression or annoyance; he simply took what he considered his bananas by divine right. A bit like my old boss. Asshole. Sensibly, the youngsters didn’t object at all. I have much to learn.

After dinner they wandered off individually, some stopping for a piss on the way and others simply shooting mid-swing.

It sounds a bit like a trip to the zoo. It was really, except this zoo is in the middle of a rainforest and has no fences.

The rest of the rainforest walk was pretty uneventful because it wasn’t a zoo. The animals have worked out that humans don’t carry any food here (there are big signs warning us not to) and give us a wide berth.

Not the best afternoon I’ve had, but far better than playing pool, working, or having a long lunch.

---

Photos

Pull my finger
Even orangutans like fart jokes. Now this definitely reminds me of someone.

Comments

[Michelle Ng]

Great journal
Hi, I was looking for "Uncle Tan" camp side info and found your site. I think your journal is great. The way you write is humorous and interesting. Great job~