Sepilok Rehabiliation Centre (2nd July 2007)
This morning (as I'm writing this) we reluctantly waved good bye to the K River area, but the journey back was just as beautiful again.... we spotted another wild orang utang and, even more impressive: a striking rhinoceros hornbill ('the only rhino that flies' as the guides like to joke). They have this amazing bright orange 'helmet' on their head which is quite something..... our guide had some great binoculars and the orange was very vivid. Probably one of the most unusual birds that I've ever seen I must say...
We then went to Sandakan's Chinese temple for a view over the whole bay, which was very nice indeed. I didn't really go inside the temple much because I find it hard to be impressed by some Bhudda statues since this is so against my personal beliefs.... as you well know.
From then on we went to the Sabah hotel for lunch, enjoyed another lavish buffet by a gorgeous swimming pool and then we made it to the world famous Sepilok orang utang rehabilitation centre. It is only open a few hours a day to the public and you can only view the 1st platform.
As the orphans gain more and more skills they are encouraged to move to platforms 2, 3, and 4 which are deeper and deeper into their natural habitat, till they decide never to come back. Well, some do, and some don't. Some always come back to some plaforms for food, it depends on their personalities. We were shown a video beforehand of how they are looked after and the time, energy and commitment of the staff is remarkable. They are bottle fed every 4 hours, they have their nappies changed, they have to wear clothes as babies to keep warm and avoid infections, they are taught how to hold ropes and swing, etc. All the things a natural mother would have done. Some babies are known to cling to humans endlessly.... or to each other. They are highly sociable as 'toddlers' and absolutely crave contact and attention. The TV reporter who had done the documentary spoke and said it is impossible not to get attached to them and be moved by the efforts of the staff to put them back where they belong.
Usually the orphans are brought in after being found in a palm tree plantation (Malaysia is the biggest producer and half of the land has been dedicated to agriculture which has wrecked countless hectares of rainforests in the process). As the mothers are such dedicated mothers, every time a baby is found alone, you can guarantee the mother is dead. Some farmers rescue them and because they look so adorable, keep them as pet, but this is totally illegal here and can bring a helfy fine and jail sentence to anyone who is found with one. The Sepilok workers usually get tip offs and fly to the rescue. Some farmers are genuinely unaware that what they have done is illegal, saying that.
Palm oil plantations are everywhere, I have NEVER seen so many palm trees in my entire life, and no wonder.... they are the number one producers of palm oil. But thankfully the Malaysian government has seen the light and with the increase in tourism has now declared that no more land should be devoted to agriculture as they are enough as it is. Tourism is the 2nd earner for the country and the focus is now on this to promote Borneo's natural beauty and assets.
Tomorrow we will be off to Mt Kinabalu National Park, and it will be another memorable day if the weather holds (we have been incredibly fortunate, it is glorious sunshine 80% of the time and hasn't really interfered with any activities), Mt K is the most diverse in the WHOLE world for plants and flowers, with a 1,000 different species of orchids alone. So, I should go mad with my photography... I have enjoyed taking pictures of the vividly colourful flowers as much as the scenery or wildlife.
London feels like miles away, needless to say as even the air smells so good here... when I read in your emails how bad things are getting over there, with bomb alerts and all sorts, it's like: I wish I could put the peace and beauty of this place in a bottle and take it back with me.
We have taken so many beautiful photos... we both say that we will have a heart-attack if for any reason the memory card gets damaged or my camera stolen. It'd be heart wrenching because I really want to SHOW you, through my photos, the appeal of this mystical place... Besides, I always feel I can put so much of my soul in my photography and that my feminine side shows too ! :)
I'd better sign off and head back for the hotel, next door-ish... Roberto's given up on me and has gone ahead. Keep on sending me some news, it's always good to 'connect' with you all. Tomorrow we'll be staying in a basic hotel so I don't anticipate having internet access there though ...
The saga shall resume in 48 hours then..... till then: BIG bisous! :)
This morning (as I'm writing this) we reluctantly waved good bye to the K River area, but the journey back was just as beautiful again.... we spotted another wild orang utang and, even more impressive: a striking rhinoceros hornbill ('the only rhino that flies' as the guides like to joke). They have this amazing bright orange 'helmet' on their head which is quite something..... our guide had some great binoculars and the orange was very vivid. Probably one of the most unusual birds that I've ever seen I must say...
We then went to Sandakan's Chinese temple for a view over the whole bay, which was very nice indeed. I didn't really go inside the temple much because I find it hard to be impressed by some Bhudda statues since this is so against my personal beliefs.... as you well know.
From then on we went to the Sabah hotel for lunch, enjoyed another lavish buffet by a gorgeous swimming pool and then we made it to the world famous Sepilok orang utang rehabilitation centre. It is only open a few hours a day to the public and you can only view the 1st platform.
As the orphans gain more and more skills they are encouraged to move to platforms 2, 3, and 4 which are deeper and deeper into their natural habitat, till they decide never to come back. Well, some do, and some don't. Some always come back to some plaforms for food, it depends on their personalities. We were shown a video beforehand of how they are looked after and the time, energy and commitment of the staff is remarkable. They are bottle fed every 4 hours, they have their nappies changed, they have to wear clothes as babies to keep warm and avoid infections, they are taught how to hold ropes and swing, etc. All the things a natural mother would have done. Some babies are known to cling to humans endlessly.... or to each other. They are highly sociable as 'toddlers' and absolutely crave contact and attention. The TV reporter who had done the documentary spoke and said it is impossible not to get attached to them and be moved by the efforts of the staff to put them back where they belong.
Usually the orphans are brought in after being found in a palm tree plantation (Malaysia is the biggest producer and half of the land has been dedicated to agriculture which has wrecked countless hectares of rainforests in the process). As the mothers are such dedicated mothers, every time a baby is found alone, you can guarantee the mother is dead. Some farmers rescue them and because they look so adorable, keep them as pet, but this is totally illegal here and can bring a helfy fine and jail sentence to anyone who is found with one. The Sepilok workers usually get tip offs and fly to the rescue. Some farmers are genuinely unaware that what they have done is illegal, saying that.
Palm oil plantations are everywhere, I have NEVER seen so many palm trees in my entire life, and no wonder.... they are the number one producers of palm oil. But thankfully the Malaysian government has seen the light and with the increase in tourism has now declared that no more land should be devoted to agriculture as they are enough as it is. Tourism is the 2nd earner for the country and the focus is now on this to promote Borneo's natural beauty and assets.
Tomorrow we will be off to Mt Kinabalu National Park, and it will be another memorable day if the weather holds (we have been incredibly fortunate, it is glorious sunshine 80% of the time and hasn't really interfered with any activities), Mt K is the most diverse in the WHOLE world for plants and flowers, with a 1,000 different species of orchids alone. So, I should go mad with my photography... I have enjoyed taking pictures of the vividly colourful flowers as much as the scenery or wildlife.
London feels like miles away, needless to say as even the air smells so good here... when I read in your emails how bad things are getting over there, with bomb alerts and all sorts, it's like: I wish I could put the peace and beauty of this place in a bottle and take it back with me.
We have taken so many beautiful photos... we both say that we will have a heart-attack if for any reason the memory card gets damaged or my camera stolen. It'd be heart wrenching because I really want to SHOW you, through my photos, the appeal of this mystical place... Besides, I always feel I can put so much of my soul in my photography and that my feminine side shows too ! :)
I'd better sign off and head back for the hotel, next door-ish... Roberto's given up on me and has gone ahead. Keep on sending me some news, it's always good to 'connect' with you all. Tomorrow we'll be staying in a basic hotel so I don't anticipate having internet access there though ...
The saga shall resume in 48 hours then..... till then: BIG bisous! :)
posted by Sylvie at 12:02 PM
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