We flew from Kuala lumpur to Tawau, we are going to the town of Sepilok
Tawau is a quiet coastal town in the Malaysian part of Borneo which we flew to from Kuala Lumpur. It does not stand out with anything special - it is like most towns in the poor region of Sabah. There are classic markets, a small seaside boulevard where the locals gather, and it is like everywhere - dirty. This is our base from which to visit the town of Sepilok for a visit to the Orangutan Hospital.
Our first breakfast was not successful, we bought Tom Yam soup with chicken. It was very tasty, but so hot that the sweat was running down my back. However, No. 13 brings bad luck.
Tawau Boulevard
Right after our arrival, we first visited the seaside boulevard. In the Malaysian part of Borneo, we bought Polish vodka in a Chinese store. This is a proven method of jet-lag, as we flew to Borneo from Europe non-stop, with many changes.
The first contact with wild nature
We're going to the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center in Sepilok
Maybe someone ask why Orangutans have a hospital? The reason is prosaic - they were harmed by people, mutilated. Those in the hospital can be very lucky, because most of the orangutans that stood in the way of man have been killed.
The living conditions are very decent. They live almost wild, walk freely in the jungle, which is quite lush, and throughout the resort. Very strange sensation to pass the monkey on the way.
Orangutan enclosure and feeding
Why is orangutans in Malaysia mindlessly mutilated and murdered?
All because of palm oil, which is an excellent commercial product. Huge land is needed in order to grow oil palms. For this purpose, the Borneo jungle is cut down by all methods, and the favorite and the method is arson. About 150,000 Orangutans have died in Borneo over the past 20 years. Malaysia earns about $ 30 billion annually from exporting this product. So extracting the oil is very profitable, and the methods do not matter. Currently, many concerns (including Nestle) have withdrawn from using palm oil in their food products.
