Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is located about 25 kilometres west of Sandakan in the state of Sabah, Malaysia. The centre opened in 1964 as the first official orangutan rehabilitation project for rescued orphaned baby orangutans from logging sites, plantations, illegal hunting or kept as pets. The orphaned orangutans are trained to survive again in the wild and are released as soon as they are ready. The centre has however attracted criticism for its tourism activities and rehabilitation efficacy. The sanctuary is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve which covers an area of, much of which is virgin rainforest. Today around 60 to 80 orangutans are living free in the reserve. It has become one of Sabah's tourist attractions. The activities of the centre have featured in television series including "Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans" and Animal Planet's "Meet the Orangutans". In October 2014 the centre opened a new section where visitors can view the nursery area where the younger Orangutans first learn to be outside and play on a large climbing frame. This consists of 2 large indoor seating areas with a large window that overlooks the play area. There is no additional charge to enter this part of the centre. The Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is neighboured to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre and shares veterinary facilities, personnel, parking, access roads and ticket gates. Entry Costs :
Adult- RM5/ RM30 Child- RM2/ RM15 Ticket is valid for the day of purchase, so you can attend both feeding times on the same ticket. Camera Cost: RM10 Opening hours: Saturday to Thursday- 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm. Fridays 9am-11am and 2pm to 4pm. Orangutan feeding times: 10am and 3pm. It is recommended to arrive 30 minutes before feeding time. Facilities: Souvenir shop, information center showing a video 6 times a day, cafe and toilets. Getting there: Many organised tours leave from around Sabah at varying prices. Public bus #14 departs from Sandakan taking approximately 45–60 minutes, costing RM5. The Kota Kinabalu to Sandakan bus can also drop you at junction Jalan Sepilok, around 2.5 km from the center. Journey approximately 6 hours from KK. Taxis are usually available outside the centre.
Criticism
The centre has been criticized for its tourism practices, including for not abiding by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Bestpractice guidelines for great ape tourism. In 2016 a tourist was injured in an attack by an orangutan at the centre. In another attack in 2017 a female tourist at the centre was stripped almost naked. The centre accepts paying members of the public to take part in rehabilitation of orangutans at the centre, organised by British company Travellers Worldwide. This practice however has gained widespread criticism and has been labeled as exploitation as rehabilitation of orangutans should be limited to a closed, qualified and stable group of people who always work with the same orangutans, ideally through their entire rehabilitation. Allegations of orangutans habituated to humans disappearing from the centre as a result of their continued harassment of tourists have been made. In a research published in 1999, Our Vanishing Relative, the centre was one of several labelled as a commercial venture exploiting wildlife and that it has become a serious liability to the survival of orangutans, rather than serving conservation. From 1996 the centre supplied orphan infant orangutans to a luxury resort five hours away, for rehabilitation. This was heavily criticized by an NGO which campaigned against this practice in 2015. The centre stopped the supply of infants to the resort in 2016. A study published in 2008 revealed that the infant orangutan death rate is higher at the SORC than in zoos. The authors of the study stated that the possible increase in disease transmission and aggression that resulted from frequent close encounters among orangutans gathered at the feeding platform at the SORC might be one reason for this high death rate.
