EVERY newborn is a bundle of joy for parents. It is no different in the animal kingdom.
So when a female orang utan, Saddamiah, gave birth to a healthy offspring in February, the joy was shared among the colony of 27 semi-wild primates housed in the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, 20km from Kuching.
The arrival of the yet-to-be-named baby orang utan was literally announced by Saddamiah on March 7, when she brought the cute infant to the feeding platform to the surprise and sheer delight of everyone at the centre.
This is Saddamiah’s third offspring, aside from 10-year-old Ruby and five-year-old Sigat.
When news of the newborn broke out on the Sarawak Forestry Corporation’s (SFC) Facebook page, the world got excited. Visitors from near and far came to the centre to catch a glimpse of the infant, as the orang utan is a totally protected species.
The birth was another milestone and testament to the success of SFC’s conservation efforts and that of the Sarawak government.
As wildlife officer Muhammad Azizi Ahmad Zaini said, “The orang utan in Semenggoh might be heading into the fourth generation.
In 1975, the Sarawak government opened Semenggoh to rehabilitate wild animals, including orang utan and sunbears, that are found orphaned, injured or confiscated from the public. — ZulaZhar Sheblee/The Star
“We are now in the third generation since conservation started in 1975. The population of the third generation of orang utan is getting bigger and they have reached maturity to produce offspring.”
New births happen every four to five years in Semenggoh, which are more frequent than in the wild.
In Semenggoh, the male and female apes have more chances to meet and mate, especially during the twice-a-day feeding time.
“In the wild, it mostly depends on the fruiting season. So there are fewer chances of meeting.
“It is the female which makes a wild call to the males. These calls can be heard one to two kilometres away,” explained senior conservation officer Sundai Silang.
The fruiting season in the wild lasts only three months, from November to January. At the centre, the orang utan are fed sweet potatoes, bananas, coconut, papayas, oranges, sugarcane, pineapples and hard boiled eggs.
The oldest orang utan at the centre is 52-year-old female Seduku, also called the grand old lady of Semenggoh. She had three offspring including Saddamiah, who in turn have produced seven more orang utan.
Other orang utan at Semenggoh include Ritchie (42 years old), Analisa (27), Anaku (17), Ganya (15), Ruby (10), Nora (42), Edwin (27), Arnroma (26), Kidding (11), Roxanne (18), Minah (35), Baka (15), Dr Kok (13), Dayung (eight), Manap (22), Jubilee (10) and Lela (41).
The centre serves as a habitat for orang utan and also a place for visitors to learn about the endangered rare species.
They were named after famous persons or places.
Sundai recalled that since 1975, a total of 28 orang utan were born from the initial 11.
“Before that there were 32 of them. But after 10 years, when they did not return for feeding, we assumed that they had either died or had moved elsewhere,” he said.
Sundai said the 652ha forest in Semenggoh presents a perfect place for orang utan to reside and populate.
“The good thing is that the Semenggoh forest has huge trees of between 150cm to 200cm in diameter,” he said.
In 1975, the Sarawak government opened Semenggoh to rehabilitate wild animals, including orang utan and sunbears, that are found orphaned, injured or confiscated from the public. After their rehabilitation, they are released into the wild, particularly in totally protected areas.
Currently, the centre serves as a habitat for orang utan and also a place for visitors to learn about the endangered rare species.
The orang utan brought to Semenggoh have to undergo quarantine of up to 90 days and subsequent stages of training dubbed kindergarten, primary and secondary before release.
“We train them how to climb trees when they are young. We only release them once they can fend for themselves. The ‘alumni’ will be monitored closely to ensure they are in good health and are coping well after the release,” Sundai said.
Community involvement has also played a pivotal role in the success of Semenggoh.
To date, 81 individuals and corporate organisations are doing their part in biodiversity conservation by being involved in the orang utan adoption programme.
And as a result of an awareness programme, the community around Semenggoh has learned to live harmoniously with the orang utan.
“Semenggoh is just like an island surrounded by villages and residential areas. The local community now appreciates the presence of orang utan. They do not harm or disturb them as the orang utan are part of the community.
“For example, during the fruit season, the people do not consider orang utan as pests eating their fruits,” Sundai said.
The community also helps to alert the centre on orang utan sightings in their area.
This information is important as the centre will know whether the primates are from Semenggoh or from the wild.
“We have seen orang utan outside Semenggoh up to 12km away. If we can’t identify them, then they must have been born outside Semenggoh,” Sundai said.
The colony of semi-wild orang utan in Semenggoh is accustomed to human encounters. At the feeding platform, some playful orang utan may sit alongside visitors while others hang out further back in the trees.
There are between 2,000 and 2,500 orang utan in Sarawak. Of the number, 90% are found in the Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary.
SFC has reaped success in ensuring the continuous growth of the orang utan population.
As Sundai said, “In Semenggoh, we are now managing semi-wild orang utan. We no longer have orang utan in captivity.”
