Welcome To Orang Utan Island At Bukit Merah
By Nurul Halawati Azhari
BUKIT MERAH, July 9 (Bernama) — The infants drink milk via feeding bottles and wear disposable diapers. They are pampered and sleep in comfortable cots, similar to that available in any paediatric ward, and are watched over by a “nanny”.
However they are not human babies, but Orang Utan infants from the Borneo species (Pongo Pygmaeus) at the Bukit Merah Lake Town Resort’s Infant Care Unit. (ICU).
The ICU took shape in 2004 when the resort, located some 15 km from Taiping, created an Orang Utan island in the middle of Bukit Merah lake.
The facility was established to conduct research and provide visitors with knowledge on this species, now threatened with extinction.
The fact that the resort is the pioneer for such a project is something to be proud of. Especially the success at breeding the Orang Utan at the island.
ISOLATED AFTER BIRTH
According to the resort’s public relations manager Aileen Tan Wan Min, for their own safety, the Orang Utan babies born on the island had to be separated from their mothers.
Tan said these Orang Utan babies were shunned by their mothers, who refused to suckle them. As a result, the Orang Utan babies suffered from severe malnutrition.
Several of them later developed life-threatening diarrhoea.
“If the infants are not separated (from their mothers), we are worried that they may die. They are given appropriate care, treatment and attention according to a schedule drawn out at the unit.
“The Orang Utan babies are cared until they reach four years old when they would be released on the island, to join the other adult Orang Utans,” she said.
At this unit, the Orang Utan babies’ vital signs are monitored.
These include the blood oxygen content, blood pressure and pulse. The infants are given a balanced nutrition including vitamins. For those suffering from diarrhoea, they are clothed in disposable diapers.
The Orang Utan babies are also sponged with an antiseptic body wash every morning and have adequate sleep between of 15-22 hours daily. They are weighed and their stool samples taken for tests.
The infants are monitored round-the-clock by the resort’s trained veterinary personnel led by its resident veterinarian Dr S. Sabapathy.
Tan said researchers are among the visitors at the ICU and Orang Utan Island. They are there to study the Orang Utan’s infants, their habitat, behaviour and other related aspects.
THREE MAIN SECTIONS
The ICU has three main sections — an infirmary, a recovery room as well as a development unit.
The infirmary is equipped with facilities for routine treatment and clinical diagnosis. Treatment is carried out by the veterinary personnel.
The recovery room is the facility where the resident veterinarian administer drugs and other medication to the Orang Utan babies. It is also used for the Orang Utan babies to recover from fatigue.
As for the development section, the Orang Utan babies are trained to acquire basic skills needed to live in their natural habitat. The first step is to introduce the Orang Utan babies to the jungle environment. Equipment like ropes and other necessary materials are provided.
LEARNING TO LIVE IN THE JUNGLE
Visitors to the island will be awed watching 4-year-old Orang Utan Adam and Sonia frolicking and swinging from one branch to another.
According to Tan, both Orang Utans were the pioneers to be born here and they have passed through all development and training stages held at the ICU.
She said, both were suffering from malnourishment and ill health when they were abandoned by their respective mothers four years ago. But after receiving treatment and care at the ICU, they have fully recovered and they are now healthy.
They are now undergoing the final phase of training before being released to join the adult Orang Utans on the island.
Both Adam and Sonia have learnt how to survive in their natural habitat, climbing and swinging effortlessly from tree to tree in search for food and water.
Apart from Adam and Sonia, there are other baby Orang Utans at the ICU. They are 3-year-olds Carlos and Paulina as well as Malik and Ilyas who are two and half years old. They are currently undergoing phase four of their training.
Ilyas and Malik are still shy of visitors. Upon being approached, both are quick to scuttle to the embrace of their minders. At times, Ilyas appeared to be tugging at the shirt of his minder, trying to hide his face in the man’s uniform.
ORANG UTAN ISLAND
The World Conservation Union (IUCN) classifies the Orang Utan as critically threatened by extinction, while according to the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) estimates, there are only some 3,000 Borneo Orang Utan left in the world.
The promate may look sluggish and “dumb”. But looks can be deceiving! Studies have revealed that they are indeed intelligent. In fact, they have 97 percent human DNA.
Take for example the 25-year-old Mike, the dominant male Orang Utan on the island. Due to hormonal changes, Mike has developed cheek-packs on his face.
In a group of Orang Utans, there is only one dominant male. Weighing over 80 kg and with long and reddish hair, Mike stands majestically as the “numero uno” among the Orang Utans on the island.
Mike is nonchalant and appears to be unconcerned with the surroundings. Slowly and calmly, he moved along picking up the fruits placed in his domain.
He is not bothered by the presence of visitors or their calls, occassionally rewarding them with a fleeting glance.
The visitors walk in a 500-metre-long cage-like walkway to view the Orang Utan on the island. The irony is that the visitors appear to be the “show pieces” for the Orang Utans to view.
For those who are keen to watch the Orang Utan, a visit to the Bukit Merah Lake Town Resort is worth the effort.
The package is priced at RM15-RM19. From the resort’s main jetty, visitors will be taken on a 10-minute boat cruise to the island.
The 14-hectare wide Orang Utan Island is formerly known as Pulau Panjang. Two hectares of its area has been converted to become a “sanctuary” for the Borneo species of the Orang Utan who are allowed to move freely within the enclosure.
According to Tan, since it took shape some four years ago, the island now has 22 Orang Utan including 10 who were born there.
However last May, two of these Orang Utan — BJ, a 17-year-old male, and Jerangkong, a 23-year-old female, have been returned to the Sarawak Forestry Department.
This project, fully sponsored by the Emkay Foundation, is hoped to be the catalyst for other corporate entities to be involved in the conservation of the wildlife in Malaysia.
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