This morning we left from the camp at about 6, getting up at 5:30 to pack up and take down our hammocks. Then it was back to the jetty for breakfast (which included much-missed banana fritters), time to change quickly out of our jungle gear and rearrange stuff from our main bags to hand luggage and vice versa (cue usual bag-packing frustration/trauma) and then we were onto the coach for about an hour and a half before we reached Sepilok.
We paid the extortionate price of RM 10 for a camera permit (the even more extortionate entry fee of RM 15 had already been paid for us - seriously, where in England could you get into one of the country's main tourist attractions for £3?!) and headed into the video room where a member of staff spoke to us about the work they do at Sepilok rehabilitating orangutans, and then we watched a video explaining more.
Sepilok is government funded and has been open since the 1960s, when the Malaysian government realised that they needed to act quickly to save the orangutans of Borneo before it was too late. There are only around 15,000 orangutans left in the wild, and it is estimated that unless drastic action is taken, they could become extinct within 10 years. The thought that I might one day be telling any children I may have stories about this expedition, but then have to explain that the incredible animals I saw with my own eyes are now extinct, really is heartbreaking. Since Sepilok opened, they have rescued and cared for hundreds of orphaned orangutans and successfully rehabilitated over 600, releasing them back into the wild.
After we had watched the video we headed out to the feeding platform. There we waited for a little while in silence (well, we were all quiet - a lot of the other tourists there weren't) until a ranger came and piled fruit onto a separate platform a few metres away from us. After a few minutes, we saw a rope hanging from one of the trees wiggling around and then came an orangutan swinging through the trees and onto the platform for a munch on some fruit.
After we had watched the video we headed out to the feeding platform. There we waited for a little while in silence (well, we were all quiet - a lot of the other tourists there weren't) until a ranger came and piled fruit onto a separate platform a few metres away from us. After a few minutes, we saw a rope hanging from one of the trees wiggling around and then came an orangutan swinging through the trees and onto the platform for a munch on some fruit.
Sepilok works by rescuing orphaned orangutans who are then kept in the 'nursery', where they are taught vital skills, such as how to swing around and spend time in the trees, as in the wild babies spend 6 years with their mothers, so it takes a while for them to become independent. When they have grasped these skills, the young orangutans are let loose in the reserved area of rainforest owned by Sepilok so that they can spend time out there alone in the wild, but can return to the sanctuary for food and such until they are independent enough to live by themselves, at which point they no longer return. Although Sepilok has been really successful in helping orphaned orangutans, it is clear that more action still needs to be taken to try and prevent them becoming orphaned in the first place, which is due to various reasons such as deforestation and hunting in order to keep the orangutans illegally as pets.
Once we had stood watching the feeding for a while, we progressed to the outdoor nursery, which we could view through glass from inside a building to minimise the chance of the young orangutans becoming distracted by humans and their behaviour. However, there are rangers who help the orangutans, such as by encouraging them up onto the jungle gym equipment rather than spending too much time on the ground - this is because in the wild, orangutans spend over 90% of their time up in the trees, so it is important that they learn this from an early age.
At 11:30 we regrouped and then went into the Sunbear Sanctuary just across from the Orangutan Sanctuary. It was only small - just some steps up to a platform which overlooked the sunbears' enclosure - but from there we could see around seven sunbears roaming around, although there were probably more out of sight. I'd honestly never even heard of sunbears before this trip, but apparently they're the smallest bears in the world and get their name from the marking around their neck.
With the morning finished, we headed to the B&B where we're staying for the night, and when we got there we dumped our bags in our rooms and headed straight for lunch. The rest of the afternoon has been free time for all of us to relax. I've made use of the time with a 2 hour nap and I also took the opportunity to completely empty and repack my bag ready for the plane, with everything I'll need over the next couple of days conveniently near the top. It took me forever, but I did it, with no trauma at all this time! (I really, really hate packing...)
The accommodation here is really nice (although maybe my opinion of luxury has been simplified/downgraded somewhat during the month out here!) and the shower was beyond beautiful - I'd almost forgotten that pressure existed! And it's ensuite toilet and shower between 4 of us, which definitely is a luxury!!
Since dinner we've all just been sitting chatting on the deck area with the usual persistent sound of bugs in the background - I think I might actually miss that sound once I'm back at home!
In the morning we're on our way back to Kota Kinabalu, where we're staying in a hostel again until the 28th, when we'll be heading home. So that makes today officially our last programmed day of this expedition and I simply cannot believe that in four days time I'll be back in England once more.
Once we had stood watching the feeding for a while, we progressed to the outdoor nursery, which we could view through glass from inside a building to minimise the chance of the young orangutans becoming distracted by humans and their behaviour. However, there are rangers who help the orangutans, such as by encouraging them up onto the jungle gym equipment rather than spending too much time on the ground - this is because in the wild, orangutans spend over 90% of their time up in the trees, so it is important that they learn this from an early age.
At 11:30 we regrouped and then went into the Sunbear Sanctuary just across from the Orangutan Sanctuary. It was only small - just some steps up to a platform which overlooked the sunbears' enclosure - but from there we could see around seven sunbears roaming around, although there were probably more out of sight. I'd honestly never even heard of sunbears before this trip, but apparently they're the smallest bears in the world and get their name from the marking around their neck.
With the morning finished, we headed to the B&B where we're staying for the night, and when we got there we dumped our bags in our rooms and headed straight for lunch. The rest of the afternoon has been free time for all of us to relax. I've made use of the time with a 2 hour nap and I also took the opportunity to completely empty and repack my bag ready for the plane, with everything I'll need over the next couple of days conveniently near the top. It took me forever, but I did it, with no trauma at all this time! (I really, really hate packing...)
The accommodation here is really nice (although maybe my opinion of luxury has been simplified/downgraded somewhat during the month out here!) and the shower was beyond beautiful - I'd almost forgotten that pressure existed! And it's ensuite toilet and shower between 4 of us, which definitely is a luxury!!
Since dinner we've all just been sitting chatting on the deck area with the usual persistent sound of bugs in the background - I think I might actually miss that sound once I'm back at home!
In the morning we're on our way back to Kota Kinabalu, where we're staying in a hostel again until the 28th, when we'll be heading home. So that makes today officially our last programmed day of this expedition and I simply cannot believe that in four days time I'll be back in England once more.
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