Orang Utan Island, is located at Bukit Merah LakeTown, Perak the world’s first orang hutan conservation and rehabilitation centre. The Island is formally known as Pulau Panjang. We took the Lake Cruisers at Marina Village’s Jetty to the Island which took around 10-minute boat ride. Ticket costed RM15 per person.
Soon as we get to the Island, we were given a warm welcome from the keeper with an introduction about the program and a tour around the island. We walked around 100-meter steel cage tunnel to get an up-close and personal look. at how they live and interact with their surroundings and each other
Then, we came back to the jetty, where baby orang utans were kept. There were 2 babies at that time in baby cots with diapers on! Next to it, is a mini school for orang utan. This was where the infant were trained on how to survive in the wild, how to climb, forage for food and prepare their nest. They must passed this school before they would be released in the open area on the island.
There was only 1 Alpha male in the Island, as he would dominate the group. There were also alpha females or leading females in the group, with the alpha female having dominance over all females in the pack and possibly some of the lower beta males or omega males.
Orang Utans are categorised as endangered species according to the IUCN Red List. Thousands of orangutans don’t reach adulthood due to human disruption. Orangutans are killed for food while others are killed because of disruption in people’s property.
Hopefully the Orang Utan Program will help improving numbers of these species as they are near extinction. Their survival depends on our awareness.
References :
http://www.orangutanisland.org.my
http://www.bukitmerahresort.com.my/orangutan.htm
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