A picture of me in front of the Semenggoh Wildlife Center entrance sign
One item that was not on my list to see in Borneo was any orangutan center displaying semi-wild orangutans. I prefer seeing wild animals over semi-wild or captured in a zoo as it is more of an adventure. However, the Semenggoh Wildlife Center was on my itinerary as it was convenient to schedule with Gunung Gading National Park, which was the next stop.
Although it was not an activity that was a priority for me, I figured it would be in a beautiful jungle area and it would be cool to see orangutans even though they were not technically wild. I ended up enjoying the place much more than I thought.
The trail leading to the feeding platform at Semenggoh Wildlife Center
Semenggoh Wildlife Center is about a half hour south outside of Kuching in Sarawak, Borneo. The Center was set up in 1975 to care for injured, orphaned, or animals previously kept as illegal pets. It has been a resounding success with a stable orangutan population that has even seen numerous offspring born to rehabilitated mothers.
The best time to come is during feeding time, which occurs at 9:00-9:30 a.m. and 3:00-3:30 p.m daily. I was there in early December. I was told that since there was so much natural fruit available to the resident orangutan population that they may not come for their 9:00 a.m. meal. I hoped I would not be shut out.
The orangutan paparazi enjoying the view at the Semenggoh Wildlife Center
I arrived to the Wildlife Center and walked up a gravel trail through a thick jungle canopy. About a quarter mile up the trail was a viewing area with about 40 people clicking away. The object of their photo fascination was a feeding platform about 50 yards away manned by a park ranger and a large female orangutan.
A female orangutan hanging over the feeding platform
On the platform was various fruits like bananas and other goodies. Descending down from the trees were these metal wires, which allowed the animals to easily access the platform and back up into their treetop environment. Hanging on to one of these wires was the orangutan. It had its back to us and had one arm and leg securely on the wire and the other one was scooping up fruit and feeding itself.
I was immediately amazed by this animal. What struck me the most was the size and strength of its arms. Their arms were longer than their body. Their hands were also big and strong too as it easily grasped the chord to keep itself suspended in the air.
Mother and baby orangutan suspend in the air over the feeding platform
The orangutan pivoted its body in mid air at one point to show that it had a freeloader. A baby orangutan was hanging from its stomach. Mom grabbed some food and offered it to her baby. Quiet oohs and ahs were uttered from the orangutan paparazzi.
Mom feeds baby orangutan at Semenggoh Wildlife Center
Another shot of mother and baby
Then another animal joined the scene. He came cruising in from the jungle doing somersaults in the air while holding on to the metal chord. He descended onto the platform and quickly grabbed a bushel of bananas and stuck them in his mouth and then climbed back up to the safety of the trees. He looked like he had banana teeth.
Look at the arm on this guy
Banana teeth enters the platform
Although seeing orangatans at Semenggoh Wildlife Center was not as unique as the thrill of seeing a wild animal in its natural wild habitat, it was still a cool experience I felt fortunate to have. I would not have signed up for this on my own, but since Planet Borneo set this up in conjunction with another tour that day, I was able to experience this. Sometimes it is good when fate plays a hand in your travel plans and other forces overcome your stubbornness, and you end up enjoying a trip you might not have even begun.
Mr. banana teeth looking for a quick getaway with a whole bushel of bananas
Even if you are a diehard wilderness purist and only like seeing wild animals in wild settings, if you have an afternoon free in Kuching, I would recommend a trip to the Semenggoh Wildlife Center. The place is so interesting they added another “g” and an “h” for good measure to emphasis that you should ggoh.
In the safety of the treetops Mr. banana teeth begins to consume his prize
One last look at mom and baby at Semenggoh Wildlife Center
During my stay in Kuching, I was a guest of Planet Borneo who also provided this tour. My thoughts on this tour were not swayed by their hospitality. The thoughts, pictures, and bad ggoh pun was purely my own. I do highly recommend them for tours and for your stay in Kuching.
Adventure on!
The goal of Traveling Ted is to inspire people to outdoor adventure travel and then provide tips on where and how to go. If you liked this post then enter your email in the box to receive an email newsletter each week with new stories and adventures. There is no spam and email information will not be shared. Other e-follow options include Facebook (click on the like box to the right) or twitter (click on the pretty bird on the rainbow above). On the right sidebar is a donate button. If you would like to donate in order to support the site, it would be appreciated. All donations would cover travel expenses and improvements to make the site better.
i have never seen an orangutan and i believe this is the place to see them and picture. its really a beautiful place to be.
Jeff recently posted..Is Air Travel Really the Safest Way to Get to Your Destination?
Great pictures Ted 😉
I am impressed with the arm shot. I recently read a great book – The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary and learned that a chimp pound for pound was about 4X stronger than a human and their grip strength was many orders of magnitude greater as well. I’m thinking the same goes for orangutans.
Looks like a very interesting tour.
Leigh recently posted..Getting Active in Montreal: 10 Fun Winter Outings
We recently watched a really old documentary that featured this place… while I’m with you about not really being into seeing semi-wild animals, I’m more than willing to support restoration efforts and see some really cool animals at the same time. Sounds like you had a blast 🙂
Jade – WT&B recently posted..Driving Through Yellowstone With Real Life Cartoons.
Its a beautiful place. thanks for posting your views. I am surely visit to my upcoming vacations….
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I don’t mind going to reserves or places where the animals are “kept” as long as they are in an environment that is pretty equivalent to where they would live and if they are well taken care of. And I aggree, that is one longg arm on that oranggutan!
Raul (@ilivetotravel) recently posted..Top 14 Items to Bring When Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro
You kill me. “ggoh”? “free loader”? “Banana Teeth”? LOL! I’d feel just as conflicted going to such a place, as I am not a fan of keeping animals in captivity. But what an experience! And those arms are ridiculously long.
Francesca (@WorkMomTravels) recently posted..I went to New York City and saw nothing
Hi! The orang utans at Sememggoh r indeed wild. They live freely in the forests and come entirely of their own accord to the clearing for food only when they can’t find food in the wild. If they can find food in the forests they don’t come to the clearing, resuting in disappointed visitors on those days. Btw their arms r indeed long – and strong. They can rip open the hard shelled durians with their bare hands. The park warns visitors not to resist them if they grab for things that one is carrying, eg bags holding food – so leave those tidbits behind in your car.
I’ve always been fascinated by these guys. Watching them has always been my favorite part of visiting zoos. I’m not sure my wife would go for attempting to see them out in the wild, so this would probably be the best we could do.
Trips By Lance recently posted..In Pictures: Escape the Cold In Miami Beach
I was born n grew up in Sarawak but it was not until last year that I visited Semongoh. If one hasn’t been there I would say this would be one of the most fascinating things that one could do in this part of the world. There r several other orang utan parks, including one in Sandakan and I think one at least in Indonesian Kalimantan. Animals created by nature or God if you are religious r infinitely more interesting. If Jane Goodall had studied the orang utan she could have come up with equally interesting conclusions. One last point if I may: ‘orang utan’ is the local phrase meaning ‘humans of the forest ‘。That should suggest how fascinating these ‘creatures’ are.
you know what would have helped mr. banana teeth? a fanny pack.
the lazy travelers recently posted..no travel required: #traveltuesday
I never consider the problem zoo or “wildlife” centers, it is the fact we are destroying all the habitat they live in and they might only be in Zoos in the future…
Ted, I love the fact you want to be in the wild, see them in the wild… hopefully your mantra will make your fans will follow you deep into the jungles with their fanny packs and experience it the way it was intended…
stay true to yourself and stay adventurous, Craig
Craig Zabransky recently posted..Are There Beaches in Singapore? A Visit to Siloso Beach in Sentosa
i’m just not sure how i feel about wildlife to be honest. they look cute enough i guess 😉
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