The Orangutan of Borneo

The Orangutan, one of the world's largest primates, does still exist in the wild in Borneo. Some say there are more than 50,000. Borneo itself says only 20,000. But everyone agrees that their habitat -- the treetops of the Borneo rainforest -- is shrinking every year due to development and logging.

Their name means "people of the forest," and these "people" are an endangered species, protected by international law.

It's rare for a visitor to see the Orangutan in the wild. Adults are solitary individuals, rarely leaving the safety of treetops. They roam the deep forests by day and build a new nest each night to sleep in the safety of the forest canopy 50 or 60 feet above the ground.

We didn't see any of these huge creatures (an adult male stands 5 feet tall and weights up to 220 pounds) in the wild. So we had to be satisfied with a visit to the Semenggoh Orangutan Rehabilitation Center outside of Kuching. Here Orangutan that have been rescued from captivity are reintroduced to the forest, cared for, and live in safety. Although in most cases they are not able to return to the wild, they do live as close to a natural Orangutan life as possible.

The Center provides food at a feeding station twice a day. But it is a sign of success if no one shows up to eat. That means the former captive or injured Orangutan are readjusting to life in the forest and learning to forage for food.

However, during our visit to Semenggoh, Delima, a 25-year-old female, decided to bring her latest offspring to the feeding station for banana treat.