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20 | FireFlyz
MargaretHisted
wanderstoSepilokinBorneoandisenthralled
by the showmanship of the rescued orang-utan.
WANDER
Welcome To The Jungle
T
he
orang-utan rehabilitation centre at Sepilok in Borneo rescues young
orang-utans which have been orphaned or captured for pets as the ancient
rainforest is cleared to make way for palm oil production. The babies
usually spend their first six years with their mothers, learning how to
climb, build nests in the trees and find food, so all these skills must be
taught to them in the centre before they can be released. Some are never
seen again but others visit the feeding platform for years afterwards.
The man of the forest
The rope quivers briefly and lies still. The chattering crowd falls silent, all eyes fixed on
the point where it disappears into the trees. Now the rope is moving again, twitching
energetically this time, and the atmosphere is electric with excitement. Something’s
coming!
A figure emerges from the foliage
and makes its way slowly along the
rope, one of half a dozen strung from
the surrounding trees and converging
on the feeding platform. A rounded
body covered with reddish brown
hair like a giant coconut, it moves
along underneath the rope, cable-
car fashion, pausing occasionally to
release its grip and dangle by three,
two, or even one of its elongated limbs.
The man of the forest, the orang-utan,
has come out of hiding.
Monkey antics
A loud skittering and several monkeys
scamper along another rope and reach
the platform before the orang-utan.
Some are mothers with tiny babies
clinging to their bellies, and they all fall