Bukit Lewang is a charming tourist town located on the edge of the huge Gungung Leuser National Park.  Many people visit for the Sungai Bohorok to go tubing down the river.  Others visit to go on jungle treks in the lush primary rainforest.  Most visitors come to Bukit Lawang, however, to see the orange men of the forest--the Orang-utan!

We spent three days  in Bukit Lewang, and enjoyed the orang-utan, the river and the rainforest.

Bohorok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Center

Orang-utan is Indonesian for "Men of the Forest".  These fascinating creatures belong to the Great Apes family (along with the chimpanzee and the gorilla), which is man's closest relative.  They evolved from the same evolutionary tree as man, and studying them helps us to understand our own origin.  

However, the very existence of these orange men of the forest has been threatened for many years now.  Eighty percent of the Orang-utans' habitat has been destroyed over the past twenty years as man cuts down trees and clears away primary rainforest.  Furthermore, the adorable and passive orang-utans have been well-sought after pets, even though captivity of these apes has been against the law for decades.

Coming to the aid of the Orang-utans, two Swiss zoologists named Monica Borner and Regina Frey created the Bohorok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Center in 1973.  They gained support by the World Wildlife Federation, and made huge progress in the rehabilitation of Orang-utans that they recaptured from captivity or from forests that were being swiftly destroyed with no regard to the animals that lived within.

Borner and Frey were deeply dedicated to their cause.  They worked around the clock with the apes as they took them through the four stages of rehabilitation:

(1)  Removal from captivity
(2)  Quarantine (usually lasting 3 months)
(3)  Release into the Semi-wild forests around the center
(4)  Taken deep into the rainforest to be released into the wild forever.

The Bohorok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Center has now been taken over by the Indonesian government.  Visitors can come to the rehabilitation center to see the orang-utans who have been released into the wild.  To assist in their transition to the wild, there are two open feedings a day, during which the orang-utans may come swinging through the jungle for a free meal.  The hope, of course, is that with time, the orang-utans are finding enough fruit in the jungle on their own so that the free meal is no longer necessary.

We waited a long time during our first morning before a few orang-utans came to the feeding platform for breakfast.  We were relieved to find out that the forests are now rich with fruits and leaves, and therefore, the orang-utans are able to gather their own food.  This means that the orang-utans are becoming less dependant.  

When some orang-utans did come to the platform, they made themselves at home, drinking milk and peeling their own bananas and eating them.  They are very human-like.

After a good hearty breakfast, the orang-utans had fun together as they swung from branch to branch--

and later came close to the river's edge to dip their feet.

Thirty-five ex-captive orang-utans currently live in the rehabilitation center in the semi-wild and are free to roam through the forests as they wish.  Eight are currently in quarantine.  The center is not taking in any more captive orang-utans, for the time being.  One of the issues with the rehabilitation center is the growth of tourism in the area.  Many hotels have sprung up too close to the forests, thereby increasing the apes' exposure to human beings.  Some tourists and forest guides feed and pet these orang-utans, making rehabilitation for the wild impossible and exposing them to human diseases.  If these problems continue, it will be necessary for the center to relocate.  Although it was tempting to stay in close proximity to the rehabilitation center, we stayed in a hotel that was further away from the center and up above the river.  The Bukit Lawang Cottages are actually owned by Regina Frey and they work hard to improve the environmental status of the area.  Another bonus is that the resort-style rooms cost around $4 per day.  

If you are interested in learning more about the adorable and friendly orang-utans, the Bohorok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Center and other rehabilitation centers in this area, a wonderful web site is:  www.grungyape.com/primates/sos.html 

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