The Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is famous all around the world. The centre is founded in 1964 with only one goal: rehabilitate Orangutans into the wild that somehow couldn’t survive on their own anymore. The Orangutans living in the centre are orphaned and confiscated Orangutans. Because they haven’t got a mother to learn them the skills to survive in the wild, the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre does. The whole process can take up to 7 years. At this point (2019) the nursery takes care of about 25 orphaned Orangutans and around 80 Orangutans that live freely in the reserve.
Visit Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
The centre is open for tourism 365 days a year. Two times a day (10am and 3pm) the staff will drop food on the food platforms. Obviously this is a good moment to visit because a lot of the apes come to have a meal. But, good to keep in mind, it are still animals with a free will. So if they are comfortable in the jungle they don’t come down to the platforms. Beside the feeding platform there are various tracks throughout the forest. You can ask the directions when you’re there.
Also good to know is that you don’t have to carry around all your stuff in the park. There are free lockers available. Especially when you got a heavy backpack with you, this is quite a convenient thing.
Some general info about a visit:
Address:
Sabah Wildlife Department, W.D.T. 200, Sandakan, Jalan Sepilok, Sepilok, 90000 Sandakan, Sabah, Maleisië
Tickets:
- Non-Malaysian Adult: 30 MYR
- Non-Malaysian Child: 15 MYR
- Malaysian Adult: 5 MYR
- Malaysian Child: 2 MYR
- Camera Fee: 10 MYR (phones aren’t considered as camera’s)
Orangutan nurseries
Normally a Orangutan child stays with the mother for about 6 to 7 years. During this years he or she will learn how to survive in the wild. How to climb, where to find food, when do you have to flee etc.
The Orangutans who come to the center have lost their mother because of various reasons. The centre will feed the little ones provide them with medical care when needed and learn them what to eat and how to climb. This process can take up to 7 years and will happen in the closed environment of the nurseries. The nurseries aren’t open for visitors because of medical reasons. People can carry diseases which can be dangerous for the monkeys when transfered. Thereby, it’s not good for their development to get to familiar with people. There is a building were you can watch the playground of the nursery from behind glass. You can watch the little ones learning to climb here.
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre nursery playground – ©Travellers of Malaysia
The Kabali Forest Reserve
When the staff thinks the ape is ready to be on his own the Orangutan will be released into the wild. The wild in this matter means the 43 square kilometer forest reserve. They are free to live a live on their own but are also free to visit the centre when they feel like it. The centre drops food on a food platform every day and the released Orangutans are free to visit the food platforms whenever they want. It is an open environment.
