Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre: Meet (Don’t Greet) the King of Orang Utans in Borneo!

5.0 stars
Published on 05:41am 02/15/2008 by frieda

National Park, Nature Reserve in Sandakan


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My name is frieda. I'm 40 years old, female and currently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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If you have read my tip “Visit World’s Largest Orang Utan Rehab Centre in Sandakan”, then here is another tip related to it.

There is a leader in the orang utan community at the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehab Centre or Sanctuary. The he-primate is called Raja, or King in English. I’m not sure how he looks like but for sure, Raja really acts like one. During my trip there, I missed seeing him completely.

But if you have a ranger of the Sanctuary with you, he or she should be able to point Raja out for you. That is, if you are lucky and Raja happens to be in the immediate neighbourhood as the sanctuary is some 11,000 acres of virgin forest land. I heard Raja is very elusive….and naughty!

Naughty how?

I heard Raja can recognise a female tourist. And he likes to cuddle female humans who amble too close to him.

One famous Raja story in Sepilok is about ten years ago, in which, Raja had hugged a woman visitor who had ignored the warning not to get close to the primates. Raja just suddenly pulled and hugged the woman! There is no fence to separate you from the orang utan, like in a zoo.

The worst thing is, the woman had also lost her handbag. But she didn’t need to worry coz Raja wouldn’t know how to use her credit cards.

Another tip - try to wear a green shirt. If you are dressed too colourfully, chances are the orang utans, especially Raja, would be attracted to you and approach you. They are a curious lot and they love colourful things.

A green shirt will help you blend in in the green forest. Hopefully, Raja will give you no notice. Any other colour such as black or grey will also make you less attractive to the primates. Believe me girls. Sepilok is the only place you want to look dull and unattractive.

Remember the above tips, unless you want to be like Charlize Theron in Mighty Joe Young or Naomi Watts in King Kong! ;-)

So, who knows, if you ever come to Sabah, the Gateway to Borneo, and visit Sepilok, and you have the one-in-a-million chance to spot Raja, just admire him from a safe distance.

Don’t get too close! I’m not worried about you falling in love with Sabah or Raja.

I am just concerned Raja will fall in love with you!


Tags for this Travel Tip: sabah sandakan raja



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Comments
Yes, Raja is the King of Orang Utans in Borneo. I love animals but when I travel I always try not to go to the ZOO, maybe because I had bad experiance with the zoo in my contry and I dont like to see them face in capture. But this in Borneo is different and if I get chance I`ll visit Raja and his friends. And about scirt, I will never wear scirt evan for Raja and it doesn`t matterer the colour :-))). Good tip.

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Very Interesting Tip.

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This sounds wonderful! Thank you for the tip.

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Hahahaa! Raja has a good sense huh! Thanks for the invitation. I like this tip! Very descriptive...

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I wish I made it to Sandakan. I only saw the orang utans at Rasa Ria and Raja wasnt there :(

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Great tip...nice to see a sense of humour too! :-)

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cheeky king kong ;)

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Do you know how many orangutans on Sepilok ?

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Thanks guys ofr the comments.

Dian: I am not sure how many orang utans there are now at Sepilok. There are either hundreds or thousands. I'll check it up later.

MIle: I understand your feeling. But the good thing is Sepilok is not a zoo. It's a sanctuary! There is no fence like in a zoo. Great you have been to Rasa Ria. I have too!

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Great tip. Very funny too.

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I will certainly wear a green shirt should I ever visit. Sounds like a great place to go!

Cynthia

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Tatiana, Raja is in Sepilok, east of the state of Sabah. Rasa Ria is a holiday resort in Kota Kinabalu, west of Sabah.How was your trip at Rasa Ria?

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I like your story. Very good!

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I was at Risa Ria 3 years ago and I hung out with some cute orangutans there. Watch out!.. they like to grab cameras also! Cute :)

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I love monkeys and orangutans, they are sooooooooooooooo cute :D

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Great tip Frieda!

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I've heard of this place; one of my friends had a sandal stolen! Great tip, Frieda.

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