The Orang-Utan of Borneo
“No. Once and for all Hollywood people in particular,there are no gorillas in Borneo; at least not of the great apes family anyway. We do have orang-utans though.”
Who they are:
Orang-utan in Malay and local dialects mean person (orang) of the forest (utan) or more simply “man of the forest”. Scientists however refer to these great apes as Pongo Pygmaeus of which they are two groups: Pongo Pygmaeus Pygmaeus who lives on the island of Borneo ( round faced and covered in dark red hair) and Pongo Pygmaeus Abelii who lives in Sumatra (narrow face and a clearer coat).
Where they live in Borneo:
In the wild,they roam the tropical rain forest and low-lying swamps.
In captivity, understand rehabilitation centers set up in sanctuaries: Sepilok, near the town of Sandakan in Sabah; and Semmongoh and Kubah near Kuching in Sarawak. Indonesian Kalimantan has its own program too.
What they look like:
Like men of the forest dressed in a red furry coat. Large body, thick neck, long and very strong arms, bowed legs, no tail. They can weigh 50 to 90kg.
What they really are:
Great Asian apes or perhaps Maias, the name given to the local Big Foot?
How long they’ve been around:
20 million years it seems!
How long they live:
About 50 years in captivity, which is longer than it is in the wild.
How long they are going to be around:
It very much depends on us. In Borneo (Sabah/Sarawak) there are only about 12 000 of them left to live in the wild.
How fast they reproduce:
Rather slowly. It takes 7 to 10 years for a female to be able to reproduce. It takes about 9 months for her to deliver her baby. One single baby! It takes another 4 years at least before she mates again as she has to look after her first or youngest child who will stay with her for as long as 6 to 7 years. Daddy does not stick around. Luckily the eldest helps with the newly born sibling.
What they eat:
Mostly plants and fruit and sometimes insects and small birds; they are omnivores.
What they drink:
Water trapped in branches or leaves.
Where they sleep:
They build platform nests in the trees using twigs and leaves and they build a new “bed” every night; a good idea to prevent infestation by insects or unwelcome visits by snakes.
How they move around:
From branch to branch; this is called brachiating. They are great swingers!
How to help Orang-Utans:
You can visit WWF Malaysia website and donate.
These pictures were taken at:
Semmongoh Centre (by yours truly). I am so fortunate to live only 5km away from the centre so that I can visit the orang-utans as often as I want to..
Who they are:
Orang-utan in Malay and local dialects mean person (orang) of the forest (utan) or more simply “man of the forest”. Scientists however refer to these great apes as Pongo Pygmaeus of which they are two groups: Pongo Pygmaeus Pygmaeus who lives on the island of Borneo ( round faced and covered in dark red hair) and Pongo Pygmaeus Abelii who lives in Sumatra (narrow face and a clearer coat).
Where they live in Borneo:
In the wild,they roam the tropical rain forest and low-lying swamps.
In captivity, understand rehabilitation centers set up in sanctuaries: Sepilok, near the town of Sandakan in Sabah; and Semmongoh and Kubah near Kuching in Sarawak. Indonesian Kalimantan has its own program too.
What they look like:
Like men of the forest dressed in a red furry coat. Large body, thick neck, long and very strong arms, bowed legs, no tail. They can weigh 50 to 90kg.
What they really are:
Great Asian apes or perhaps Maias, the name given to the local Big Foot?
How long they’ve been around:
20 million years it seems!
How long they live:
About 50 years in captivity, which is longer than it is in the wild.
How long they are going to be around:
It very much depends on us. In Borneo (Sabah/Sarawak) there are only about 12 000 of them left to live in the wild.
How fast they reproduce:
Rather slowly. It takes 7 to 10 years for a female to be able to reproduce. It takes about 9 months for her to deliver her baby. One single baby! It takes another 4 years at least before she mates again as she has to look after her first or youngest child who will stay with her for as long as 6 to 7 years. Daddy does not stick around. Luckily the eldest helps with the newly born sibling.
What they eat:
Mostly plants and fruit and sometimes insects and small birds; they are omnivores.
What they drink:
Water trapped in branches or leaves.
Where they sleep:
They build platform nests in the trees using twigs and leaves and they build a new “bed” every night; a good idea to prevent infestation by insects or unwelcome visits by snakes.
How they move around:
From branch to branch; this is called brachiating. They are great swingers!
How to help Orang-Utans:
You can visit WWF Malaysia website and donate.
These pictures were taken at:
Semmongoh Centre (by yours truly). I am so fortunate to live only 5km away from the centre so that I can visit the orang-utans as often as I want to..
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