Berry Bear Abroad: Week 3 & 4: Orangutan Teacher

Wow… First off I must apologise for doing the complete opposite of what this blog is meant for – keeping you all updated! My time in the jungle was so unbelievable and took over my life for 2 months. It was really amazing!! I’ve done a lot in the last 2-3 months since I last blogged so I’ll dedicate this one to updating you all on my jungle experiences..

In my second and third rotations I did ‘Indoor’ and ‘Outdoor’ as they are known. In Indoor we had to look after the smaller orangutans. First thing in the morning we would put on our gloves and masks, start cleaning their living quarters and prepare any food or milk necessary for that day. The orangutans at this stage of their lives are a lot like baby-toddlers (depending on how old they are). Their behaviour ranges from wanting to be super clingy, to being very cheeky and running away from us, to being completely uninterested and wanting to explore the nursery. The nursery ropes are built purposefully to introduce the babies to climbing. They aren’t too high so they don’t get scared and if they so happen to fall won’t hurt themselves. They extend partway into the forest meaning they get their first taste of their new home. Our job was to encourage them to climb as much as possible, as well as providing them with foliage to help them practice nest building. An orangutan will build a new nest every night in the wild, making it an essential skill for their survival. These are behaviours that in the wild they would learn from their mother. Some days were more challenging than others with the little ones. Sometimes they would decide to be cheeky and jump off the ropes, we would have to race after them into the undergrowth to put them back up. They don’t realise that the soil is full of microbes that can make them very ill, so keeping them off the ground is essential for keeping them healthy and teaching them good practice for staying away from predators. Some days they simply decided they didn’t want to climb and wouldn’t hold onto the ropes – you can imagine how difficult it is to get a baby orangutan to climb who doesn’t want to. But other days, they climbed like heroes and we witnessed them progress and find their confidence. It was so moving to watch them grow and learn in such a short space of time. I didn’t realise we would be able to see results so quickly. Each of them was unique: Beryl was a master nest builder, Bidu Bidu was a real bully, Peanut loved playing with sticks, Sepilok loved pretending to be a baby to get attention, Goman was an ace climber and cared very little for us. Of the babies, Coco was really independent, Ospi was a clinger and Archie would climb the same few ropes over and over. Of them all, I was really proud of Sepilok who went from being super clingy and a bit useless at climbing, to finding his independence and venturing further into the forest.

In outdoor we looked after the older guys, from ~5yrs +. Here we had to be much more hands off. They are learning to be totally independent orangutans and associating with humans too much can impair their learning. This is also the age in which their mother would push them away. The morning routine is pretty similar to indoor, mask + gloves, clean their living quarters and prepare their food for the day. We also have to rake the viewing area for the tourists, as they opened up outdoor to viewers a few years ago. It made me laugh that I had to rake the 4 or 5 leaves that fell overnight. When I asked Beddy (ranger) why, he said because otherwise the tourists complain that it looks dirty. I can promise you it did not, but it really made me think about what the tourists expected from the centre. How can you come to a rehabilitation centre IN THE JUNGLE and complain about leaf litter.. Strange.. But maybe that’s just me. I’ll keep that in mind from now on when I’m being a ‘demanding tourist’. So we would spend the day watching the orangutans, making sure they were climbing properly and watching out for any wild orangutans. The centre classifies the orangutans as either ‘in the program’, ‘semi-wild’ or ‘wild’. The semi-wilds are ones that have left the program but still hang around the centre occasionally. The wild ones are born and live within the Sepilok rainforest. We have to let the wilds and in program orangutans interact naturally. They have to figure out for themselves who is dominate & subordinate. We are simply there to make sure the in program orangutans don’t get hurt. It was really interesting to see them interacting with one another. Everyone definitely has their own personality; some bullies, some shy, some totally independent, others loners. They really are just like us! We had 6 orangutans for most of our time: Kalabatu, Boogie Boy, Chikita, Gelison, Wulan and Cinta. Itinban joined us in the last 2 weeks of the program. He was really beautiful! He was much paler than the others, had lots of wrinkles and a big droopy mouth. We could not believe how strong he was though!! Luckily he was extremely gentle with us but his strength will definitely bode well for him the wild. He found his feet, made friends and I hope he is still doing well.

My time working with the orangutans was completely unbelievable. Every day I would wake up with a smile on my face knowing that I would be working with volunteers, rangers and orangutans who were all amazing. We were surrounded by the forest and got to explore the place that these primates call home. We had daily visits from wild orangutans who would try to steal the milk or food we prepared for the others. We got chased, bitten and slapped by them, but it was all part of the job. Working in the jungle, surrounded by wild animals comes with its own risks. We worked in 35°C+ and 80%+ humidity in masks, gloves, wellingtons and long trousers, but it all added to the experience. I feel like I definitely learnt so much about how I believe animals should be looked after. Sepilok set a high standard for animal care. These orangutans have been given a shot at life. They all arrived with their own tragic stories – most from plantations but some from being kept as pets – and are looked after daily by intelligent people who genuinely care about their success in the forest. I’m so glad I got to be a part of their lives and help them on their path to becoming wild orangutans, as they should be. I have so many little memories that I will hold on to for the rest of my life. Now it’s time to say goodbye and move on to my next adventure.

If anyone has been inspired by my post, please consider adopting an orangutan: https://www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk/adopt

S x

* I would recommend to anyone to go and visit the centre. If you do, please contact me! I would love to hear about your experience and can answer any questions you may have.

* All photo credit goes to Brooke (one of the volunteers) who is an amazing photographer!

Boogie Boy Swinging

Boogie Boy is very independent and loves climbing

Cinta is the oldest female in the program at 11

Cinta can be identified by her long fingers and toes


Gelison is very playful and has no problem approaching wild orangutans

Gelison always stands and holds a rope when eating

Wulan posing for the camera

Kalabatu was my favourite

Kalabatu has dark fur and beautiful big brown eyes

Itinban is much paler than the others


Itinban had an accident as a baby and lost all his teeth. He now has new ones but they don't fill his mouth enough, leaving lots of saggy skin.

Matimis is very intelligent and she enjoyed stealing bananas from the kitchen

Poogle is the wild dominant male

Poogle is very gentle and a great teacher to the 'in program' orangutans

Ringo is a wild male. He is extremely timid.

Salamat is gay and lost his partner not long ago to a chest infection. Due to the trauma he lost all his hair. It is now in the process of growing back and he is doing well