The primate star of Borneo is the orang utan, pronounced "oh-rahng ootahn." It's from the Malay "orang hutan," which means people of the forest. You may know them by the bland American pronunciation of the smashed-up one word, orangutan. No matter what they're called, orang utans are only found in two places in the world, Borneo and the island of Sumatra.
Near Kuching in Malaysian Borneo, you can go check out orang utans in the semi-wild, at the Semenggoh nature preserve. Orphans arrive from various places and the center feeds and trains them to get them back to the jungle one day.
The main way to see orang utans is to be there for one of the daily feedings. No cages, just a viewing area, a nearby feed platform, ropes and goodies to eat.
Morning customers. Three orang utans, a big boy, smaller mama and a baby.
Audience in captivity.
It's not all orang, all the time. The center has lovely jungle and garden areas.
And bamboo, bonus!
As close as we could get to an orang utan, the entrance greeter. Imposing.
