Believe it or not, we actually did do something in Borneo besides hang out at the pool and play at the beach. One afternoon we visited an orangutan rehabilitation center, which was located on the resort grounds within a 64-acre nature preserve. There, we got to see orangutans very, very close up. The picture below isn't very good, but I'm including it to give you an idea on just how close we got. That’s me in the skirt (no, it didn’t make any sense to be wearing a skirt and flip-flops in the jungle): 
Lydia was a little freaked out since the guide had just told our group to hold on to small children because the orangutans think kids look like fun playmates and will try to carry them away!
The rehabilitation center takes in injured or orphaned orangutans, as well as those that have been confiscated from the illegal pet trade. When the rescued orangutans arrive at the center, they are often sick and in need of medical treatment. They are nursed back to health and taught how to forage for food, climb trees, and generally fend for themselves. They are then released into the nature reserve. Once the rescued orangutans reach a sufficient level of stability and independence, they are transferred to a larger rehabilitation center in Malaysia and are eventually returned to the wild.
The orangutans we saw were very cute and playful – no wonder people want to keep them as pets!
Wild monkeys, which weren’t as cute, invited themselves to the orangutans’ lunch.
We left the rehabilitation center just as a storm moved in. We thought the water and sky looked pretty amazing.
It was a wonderful day in nature!
No comments:
Post a Comment