Semonggok Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, Kuching, Sarawak Malaysia

The orangutans at the wildlife center are fed twice daily between 9am and 10am & between 3pm and 3.30pm; visitors can witness this from a special visitors' platform. However, the sighting of orangutans is not guaranteed as the animals are often able to find their own food in the surrounding forests (which, of course, is a good thing). Currently, there are 26 semi-wild orangutans at Semenggoh in total; roaming free within a 740 hectare forest reserve. There is also a visitor's information center where you can find more information about the orangutans in Malaysia and the dire situation they are in. The biggest problem orangutan's face is the destruction of their habitat due to logging, mining and forest fires, as well as fragmentation of their habitat by roads. Too often orangutans are forced out of their natural habitat. Rehabilitated animals are released into the wild whenever they are ready. The main goal of Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is: "To rehabilitate confiscated wildlife that have been incapacitated or handicapped due to prolonged captivity by humans with the objective of releasing them to the forests eventually." Of course this implies that visitors should never touch, hold, feed or play with the orangutans.

Semenggoh Wildlife Centre can be reached by bus and taxi (or rental car). In Kuching; all taxi drivers know where to find the wildlife center. The following busses from the Kuching main bus terminal will take you to the nearby Forestry Department Botanical Research Centre: No. 6, 6A, 6B, 6C. Before entering the wildlife center you will have to pay the entrance fee of RM3 to get your valid entry permit. Inside you can pay RM40 for a guide (up to 5 people) that shows you around.