Orang Utans and Semenggoh Wildlife Centre (Kuching)

Aerial acrobatics - mother teaching offspring the ropes

On our recent trip to the US we learned that a friend has a goal of seeing orangs utans in their natural habitat. Since we want our friends to discover the many wonderful things in Malaysia we have kept our eye out for orang utan information. Probably the best source of information is at a Lonely Planet site where readers regularly share their experiences of visiting wildlife areas in Malaysia and Indonesia. What I learned from the site is that seeing orang utans involves trade offs. No one place is likely to satisfy everything a person wants.

Before we went, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre seemed a bit hokey - visitors show up either at 9 or 3 and watch orang utans come in from the jungle and get fed. From trip advisor reports posted a few days earlier we knew that we would see orangs, and we knew from the Lonely Planet site that our pictures would show more than an orange patch barely visible in the trees. (We shot a 2 minute video too large to post here. You can see it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW7ICUT5vQc. While you are at youtube you may want to check out other videos, including OrangUtan and Flying Lemur).

The first arrival

At 9 (or 3) park rangers put food at the feeding stations, call for the orangs (think dinner bell), and see who swings in from the jungle. July is the dry season, and the orangs are more likely to take advantage of the centre's food, since less food is available in the jungle. When and if orangs show up depends on whether they are are hungry or not. Although visitors converge at a feeding site no one spot seems better than others for a good view or pictures.

Around 9:30 a juvenile orang came swinging through the trees, used the guide ropes and grabbed food. The SOP for eating seemed to be grab food, go up the ropes, gobble it up, and spew peels and uneaten bits downward.



Later a mother with a baby on her back arrived and went through a similar routine.

After the orangs had eaten, a line of squirrels made its way down the ropes - the centre should describe the activity as "orang utan and squirrel feeding." As we were leaving we went to another site and watched the mother instruct a juvenile in aerial acrobatics.

Prior being allowed into the feeding area a  ranger spoke - primarily on rules and warnings about an alpha male. While we waited his talk and opening access to the feeding area there wasn't much to do. The centre had a few cages with crocodiles - I have no idea why they were there. Our guide also pointed out pitcher plants, a carnivorous plant that is common in Borneo.

Pitcher plant - plant produces its own fluid in which it drowns its prey the cap
keep the rain from diluting the fluid

Crocodile is feed once a week - an event we prefer to miss

Logistics: It is possible to get to Semenggoh by a public bus, which requires a 20 minute walk from the bus stop to the centre. The buses leave on a fixed schedule, with a long interval between trips; a bus rider may have to sacrifice orang watching to return to Kuching. (There is virtually nothing at Semenggoh to entertain the visitor between or after a feeding session.) Taxis are a possible alternative. We booked a tour; a guide picked us up at our hotel and told us a bit about the centre. A private tour may add little value beyond convenience. In the parking area we met Mawi, our guide from Bako; his stop at Semenggoh was part of a longer tour - an alternative a tourist might want to consider.

Based on our experiences, especially in India, we are learning more about viewing wildlife. In India the park officials remind visitors that the park is to protect the wildlife and visitors should consider themselves lucky if they see wildlife. That being said there are seasonal considerations that improve the probability of seeing wildlife - for elephants in India and the orangs utans in Sarawak dry season is better. During rainy season the animals have food and water close at hand. At the Danum Valley in Sabah fruit season was recommended because the resort was in a heavily fruited area where the wildlife came down to eat.

As we grow older we realize that being in close proximity to wild animals may be naive for anyone other than wildlife biologists. Many of the animals are shy and visitors are intrusive. While Semenggoh and similar places may seem little better than a zoo they allow visitors to get a close up view of orang utans in the wild and appreciate their strength and dexterity. (We had a similar experience in Lao at the Elephant Conservation Center, That is, we were in a sanctuary for limited number of elephants rather than elephants that happened to be roaming in the forest. Not chance of being nuzzled awake by an elephant.) Each centre provides a different experience which can add up to a complete picture.