Orangutans & Sun Bears

Today we visited two wildlife sanctuaries which are side by side a half hour from Sandakan. We left Bilit Rainforest Lodge at 7 am bound for Sepilok Orangutan Centre. The goal of the Centre, with the support of tourists, & foreign organizations, is to rehabilitate these primates, so they can return to the wild. Along the way we spotted this very photogenic Eagle. Hadi told us there are an estimated 42000 wild orangutans left on the island of Borneo. We arrived a half hour before feeding time. We walked slowly to the feeding platform, hoping to see other wildlife. We did get a fleeting glimpse of a red leaf monkey, some geckos, butterflies and various insects, including a pair of lantern flies. At feeding time, a mother and a baby orangutan came. A troupe of pig tailed macaque monkeys cleaned up the rest. We were lucky because yesterday no orangutans came to eat, meaning they’re managing to find their own food, which is the ultimate goal of the program. We then walked to a glassed in building where we could look through one way glass as baby orangutans were fed. We literally walked across the parking lot to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservative Centre, home to the world’s smallest bears. They were doing what North American bears do on a hot day, & that is relaxing in the shade which meant for tough photo opps. We managed to get a glimpse of a Pygmy elephant, a tiny poisonous snake, & a bigger non venomous snake. Both were quite beautiful. A local guide captured a great pic on Kim’s iPhone of stingless bees, that make honey which the sun bears enjoy. Our visit ended with some excitement, as an adult male bear made his way very close to where some juvenile bears are being rehabilitated. Some fast work by the Rangers using some fire extinguishers saved the juveniles from being killed, as sun bears are very territorial, even in captivity.Read more