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Published: March 31st 2013
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Orangutans of Semenggoh
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo Semenggoh Wildlife Centre
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre was established in 1975 to rehabilitate injured, orphaned, or confiscated illegally held wild animals. The centre is situated just south of Kuching, in Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo, in the small Semenggoh Nature Reserve. The reserve covers about 6.8 square km of rainforest and is really beautiful, but really small.
Semenggoh centre has cared for over 1000 endangered animals of all types but it is best known for its work with orangutans. There are currently 27 semi wild orangutans living in the park, 11 who were rescued from captivity or were orphaned, and 16 of their offspring. 5 of the adults are now completely wild and you probably wont spot them, but the others often swing by for the feeding sessions in the morning and afternoon to snack on fruit and vegetables, eggs and medications.
Orangutans are solitary creatures. Babies will stay with their mothers until they are around 7 or 8 years old before starting to venture off on their own. This means mothers will only have one baby every eight or nine years. Orangutans also only reach sexual maturity at around 12-15 years of age, so they are slow breeders.
Orangutans of Semenggoh
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo It is estimated that for every baby Orangutan stolen for the pet trade, five adults are killed. The babies are worth about $100.00 to a poacher, but they can fetch up to $50000.00 on the international market and are especially popular in Saudi Arabia and Japan. When they are little they are very cute, but at around five years old they stop being cuddly, and captive orangutans are usually put down at this stage. It is a very sad story that we all know too well.
Orangutans are now found only in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. The Sumatran species is critically endangered, and the Bornean species is also endangered. These animals spend most of their time in trees, and with trees disappearing so fast, it is no wonder that there are only about 54000 (estimated 2004) of these wonderfully shaggy red haired creatures still to be found in Borneo. But this is an optimistic figure. Numbers have been declining rapidly since 2000, and when we were in Borneo, some of the figures came out at only 15000 Orangutans left in the wild in Borneo today.
The sanctuaries and rehabilitation centres in Borneo are actually very effective
Orangutans of Semenggoh
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo and successful at reintroducing rescued Orangutan into the wild, in fact Semenggoh has now had to stop its rehabilitation work because it has no more room in its tiny forest for more animals. So the problem is no longer only poaching, but mainly availablity of habitat. Semenggoh has relinquished its previous role to Matang Wildlife Centre in the Kubah National Park, which is nearby, and by all accounts also doing a great job on the little funding it receives. Sadly Kubah is only 22square km in size. Not so big eh?!
Sarawak Forestry Corporation calls Semenggoh "too successful". I call Sarawak Forestry Corporation blinkered, short-sighted and a sham. You have to protect the forest first otherwise there is nowhere for wildlife to live, and they are NOT protecting the forests. How can you grow an Orangutan population in two small bits of forest like this? This is the story of Borneo's orangutans. They are going to go the same way as their Sumatran cousins, for no other reason than loss of habitat. It seems that the only great apes who will win in this situation is humans planting oil palms. What a loss!!
Borneo is the first time
Orangutans of Semenggoh
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo that I have met orangutans and as I've said before, they are inspirational to watch. Semenggoh is a fantastic place to see them and by no means do I wish to belittle what they have achieved; but it all starts to feel a little like a farce when you start to scratch the surface of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation.
But, it does draw tourists.....
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