The Sanctuary

The company that my husband worked for had organized a family day for its employees . I appreciated such activities as it was an opportunity to be out of the house and be away for a while even if it was just for a day or two . It meant an outing for the whole family too .

The venue the committee chose was most appropriate . Held at a resort it boasted of many activities for everybody and for various ages too . Fantastic !!

However there was one place that we were attracted to …and that was the sanctuary for the orang utans …literally translated as ‘ people of the forests ” . It was real nice of the resort to develop one of the islands on the lake for these primates .

The Island ....The Sanctuary

Their main objective is to help preserve these orang utans from being extinct and to help create an environment they are used to . It makes sense as they have a stake in this world too and they need to survive as well . To deny them a place on this planet is most cruel and a disaster if we humans did not do anything to stop them from being extinct . The resort’s management hoped that the island could create a natural habitat for these primates to multiply as well .

The orang utans found here are those saved when their natural habitat was encroached for developments . They are hunted too and smuggled out of the country as there are people in the world who wants them as pets . Along the way some are killed and their babies left as orphans . Orang utans are mainly those from the island of Java and Borneo island.

From the main land , we took a ten minutes boat’s ride to the island . A guide welcomed and briefed us about the sanctuary .

The life vests ....not enough for everybody though.

Mind you ….for those orang utans born on the island , they are issued birth certificates …proudly displayed on the arrival walls . Their mother’s name was stated though in most cases the father’s name is left blank. Its pretty hard to determine who their father is …said the guide .

The guide rattled off some of the orang utans names . She pointed to who and who is …. …all these at a distance . We could see some of these primates sitting ….climbing up trees …eating ….relaxing in the sun and the color of their hair ……..its so strikingly bright …..it reminded me of some human beings who love this sort of color ……honestly don’t ever use or choose orange brown because you look so similar to each other .

I was dumb struck for a while when the guide mentioned the name of one of the orang utan as “ Polly ” . Or at least I heard her say that .

I shuddered when she said this Polly ( hopefully that’s how the word is spelt ) is from Borneo island …from Sarawak . Gee……such a small world …..I said to myself . Its like visiting my kinsfolk …If you know what I mean . ( Now if you remember my father’s name is a Poli too ) . I dare not ask where this Polly is from …I mean the town …….the coincidence is too much to bear . I don’t think I could take it .

We moved on taking in the sights and see how these primates strived to thrive in their environments . This was my first close encounter and we were not allowed to touch or hold them . But I was able to take some photos of them in various poses .

Catch me if you can .....

On your mark...get set .....go !!!

I am strong ....iI am invincible.....

I was lucky to be near the intensive care unit and saw a baby orang utan having her pampers changed .

What are you looking at ? An intrusion of my privacy .

There were at least two of them in this unit . Due to some reasons they were rejected by their own mothers and left to die . Found by the sanctuary’s workers they were rescued and nursed back to health . They had their own trained personals who cater to their every needs . How nice ……….!!!!!!!

Scratch my back ...and I'll scratch yours .

Till then ...smile and the whole world will smile at you .