Shouting from the Hop

Tiger Wood - Rasa Ria Resort, Sabah, Borneo, 2004

I love orang-utans. We've been to Borneo twice and seen them up close a few times - even been touched by them. Unlike that TV advert where a women fulfils her dream by feeding a baby orang, you are not meant to touch them. The problem is that, unbelievably, many unsuspecting "westerners" buy orangs as pets; this is illegal in Malaysia! When they are found (and when they grow out of the baby stage, that happens quite quickly usually), they are taken to one of two sanctuaries in Borneo and slowly re-introduced to the wild. The larger sanctuary (Sepilok) has mostly older orangs and/or those, thankfully, not very domesticated. The smaller sanctuary is within hotel grounds on the other (west) side of Borneo, and has the orangs that have become quite tame, and are used to being around humans. They live in the forest, and are fed and shown to the guests a couple of times a day (if they can be bothered to turn up, the orangs, not the guests!). At all times you must not touch them, and if they want to stay, leave, pee or fight, then that's what must be allowed. They can touch you, but you cannot touch them.

The first time we went to this hotel (2001) we were lucky enough to be followed on a nature walk by Mr George (they are all given western names, hence Tiger Wood...); initially, he swang through the trees and undergrowth hoping for food, keeping his distance etc. When we reached the hill top lookout post, the rain was really bucketing down, and Mr George took refuge under the hill summit shelter with us. He was very calm, sweet in fact. On the walk down ten minutes or so later, he followed us along the path, as we marched in line. When he was more confident, he pushed me and others out of the way and started to make his way past us all toward the front of the troop. Amazing, being pushed aside by an orang! At the bottom, he was given a towel to dry himself off - which he did! Orangs get colds just like humans, and suffer quite badly; another reason we shouldn't get too close to them in the wild.

A year or so after our trip, Mr George, plus Miss Romaria, and the other two orangs we saw that trip were transferred successfully to Sepilok, and a new batch given to the hotel to look after.

Tiger was quite young when he arrived just prior to our arrival in 2004, but very sweet when we met him. There's more to this thread/story - I'll relate it and post other pictures when I get reminiscent again one day...