Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is a renowned orangutan rehabilitation center located in the state of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo. It's about 20 kilometers from the city of Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. The center was established in 1975 as part of a program to rehabilitate orphaned or rescued orangutans and eventually release them back into the wild.
The primary goal of Semenggoh is to provide a natural environment where orangutans can learn or relearn the skills necessary for survival in the wild, such as foraging for food and climbing trees. The center covers an area of about 740 acres of protected forest, providing a semi-wild habitat for the orangutans.
One of the highlights of visiting Semenggoh is the opportunity to witness the orangutans during feeding times. Although the orangutans are semi-wild and roam freely within the reserve, the center provides supplementary feeding twice a day. Visitors can observe the orangutans as they come down from the trees to the feeding platforms to enjoy fruits and other nutritious treats.
Semenggoh Wildlife Centre also serves as a research and education facility, aiming to raise awareness about orangutan conservation and the importance of preserving their natural habitat. Visitors to the center can learn about the biology and behavior of orangutans and the challenges they face in the wild due to deforestation, habitat loss, and illegal hunting.
Overall, Semenggoh Wildlife Centre offers a unique opportunity to observe orangutans up close in a natural setting while also supporting conservation efforts to protect these critically endangered great apes