Founded as early as 1964 the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is not only one of the most iconic conservationist initiatives in Malaysia but one of Asia’s most popular wildlife reserves as well. Occupying pride of place along the fringes of the Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve the venue is easily accessible to AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort and other centrally located hotels in Sepang. Home to nearly 80 orangutans the sanctuary is a free roaming reserve for its furry inhabitants.
Although the centre is now a rehabilitation hub for orphaned orangutans the venue in North Borneo was once a Game Branch which was commissioned by the Malaysian Forest Department back in 1963. The area of 43 square kilometres was subsequently turned into a state of the art rehab centre for the ape species and now serves as one of the top visitor attractions in Sabah District.
Visitors can only visit the more than 24 orphaned young orangutans in the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre during their tour of the parkland but also witness the many free roaming adult orangutans living in the sanctuary. Built specifically for the care of the friendly ape species the centre is equipped to offer medical or veterinary care to confiscated and injured animals in addition to a variety of other species found in the Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. The centre has successfully rehabilitated not only its main residents but also sun bears, elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros as well as gibbons.
As rehabilitation is the primary goal of the venue visitors are kept at a safe distance from the recovering animals so as to facilitate an environment conducive to healing although tourists and locals alike can learn a great deal about the habitats and lifestyle of the mammals with a tour of the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. Supplementary food such as milk and bananas are also provided for the animals in recovery although the centre does try to keep the food varieties they offer the inhabitants uninteresting so the orangutans will feel the need to forage for different types of fruits on their own.
Caleb Falcon is a travel writer who specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travellers.