Lost in the forest Sadly, Ceria’s story is a common one in Borneo. As more of the island’s forests are cut down to make way for planting oil palms, many young orang-utans are finding themselves alone in the forest – their mothers killed by poachers, or scared away by machines and loggers, as


Jason helps an orang-utan


companies clear the


trees they call home. These vulnerable


orphans are often sold or kept as pets by the


local people, although it’s illegal to own orang-utans on the island. The apes at Sepilok are the lucky ones, because they have been rescued by the Sabah Wildlife Department, and taken to the centre.


Learning from Mum In the wild, orang-utans usually stay with their mums for around seven years, and during that time, the young apes learn how to survive in the forest. Mum teaches them what’s good to eat and where to find it, how to build their nightly nest to sleep in, and how to climb and swing. “If an orang-utan loses its mother when it’s very young, they can’t master all the essential skills they’ll need to thrive in the wild,” explains Jason. But the centre at Sepilok is


giving these orphans a second chance. Under the watchful eye of specially-trained volunteers, Ceria and his ape mates are learning how to be wild orang-utans!


Wild work out Every day, the young apes leave their enclosures where they sleep overnight, and head to Sepilok’s jungle gym. This special area has ropes, swings and trees where the orang-utans can improve their climbing and balance in safety. “Orang-utans naturally want to climb,


and it’s important, as they rely on trees for food and shelter,” says Jason. “The great thing about the jungle gym is that it allows us to see how the orang-utans are developing, and which ones would be able to survive in the open forest.”


Path to freedom The young orang-utans stay on this rehabilitation programme at the centre until they are around six years old and then – if their jungle skills are up to scratch – they’re released into Sepilok’s surrounding forest. But the apes are still free to return to the centre’s feeding platforms twice a day to feast on fruit! “As the orang-utans become more


accustomed to life in the forest, they begin to visit the platforms less and less,” Jason tells us. “This is a really good sign, as it means they are managing to look after and feed themselves.” Thanks to the programme at the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, orang-utans like Ceria now have a path back to the wild...


The orphaned orang-utans have a fruit feast on the feeding platform


Mum’s the best! In the wild, young orang-utans learn from their mothers


18 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS


Swing over to


orangutan-appeal. org.uk to see how


you can adopt Ceria, or other orphaned orang-utans at Sepilok.


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