SEPILOK ORANG UTAN REHABILITATION CENTRE

Young Orangutans are cute. We drive our new Viva to Sandakan just to see the Orang Utan at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center.


Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center is 25 Km from Sandakan. The Center is easy to find because of big clear signboards along the road.



The center is surrounded by 4,000 plus hectares of Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve.Divided into several sections :
1) main reception,
2) information center
3) animal clinic
4) quarantine section/area
5) enclosures for different animals
6) offices


A diligent staff group of more than 30 members – Wildlife Officer, Wildlife Rangers, Veterinary Doctors and workers.



This rehabilitation was established in 1964 for the purpose of caring for the orangutans and making sure they can returned to the wild where they can live on their own.


Those baby orangutans in the Centre are saved from village people who keep them as household pets. Some are rescued from illegal poachers. Some from forest sites where trees are being cut down and forests destroyed.


While at the Sepilok Orangutan Center, the baby orangutans are cared for and trained so that they are able to survive in the wild once they are released. The number of orangutans housed in the reserve at a time range from fifty to about a hundred.



The center has become a favorite destination of tourists who would like to be able to view these orangutans up close and personal in a setting that is very close to their natural habitat.

It is not everyday that you can encounter an orangutan. But even if this is the case, one must remember that this is still a Rehabilitation Center and all animals are meticulously cared for. Because of this, people who visit are restricted to certain areas to view the orangutans.

A particular walkway leads to both the viewing area and the feeding platform where one can observe the orangutans feed.

Feeding schedule is done at around mid morning and mid afternoon. Some people usually depend on the zoom lenses of their cameras to capture the orangutans from the walkway.


After viewing the orangutans, adventurous visitors usually join trekking tours while in Sepilok. It is a fine idea most especially since Sepilok is surrounded by lush forests.

There are other animals that can be viewed during the trek including certain species of lizards, birds, and insects.


Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center not only concerned about the welfare of orangutans but also taken responsibility of educating the public on the conservation of animals and their environment plus more intensive research to protect and breed endangered species.