Spotting wild animals is one of the great joys when you're on an adventure holiday.It makes it even more special when that animal is almost extinct. Ans so it was when my wife and I saw our first Urang-utan in the wild on our honeymoon in Sumatra.
There are only 2 places in the world where one can spot these animals in the wild, in Borneo and Sumatra, Indonesia.
Bukit Lawang is one of the most accessible places to spot the Urang-Utan(Malay word for 'person of the forest') as it is on the eastern edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park,where there is a orang-utang conservation programme.
It is estimated that there are around 5000 of these endangered species left in the park.
The orang-utan is an arboreal(living in trees) mammal. They are mostly vegetarians,eating mainly fruit,shoots,leaves,tree bark and nuts. Occasionally they eat insects,small mammals and eggs.
These animals can get up to 30 to 40 years old in the wild but they breed very slowly with the females reaching sexual maturity at about the age of 10 and having only one baby every 6 years.
Due to the continued loss of habitat to logging and agriculture,researchers fear that the few remaining urang-utans will not survive.
The fact that the responsibility and organization of the Gunung Leuser National Park has been passed on too the Indonesian government is not promising for these mammals.
Bukit Lawang was extensively damaged by floods in November 2003,which killed 280 people and destroyed much of the riverfront development and with a 96km long trip on a road with holes where a truck can in disappear, lesser people visit this beautiful spot.
For information on traveling and accommodation in Sumatra, look on Lonely Planet
There are only 2 places in the world where one can spot these animals in the wild, in Borneo and Sumatra, Indonesia.
Bukit Lawang is one of the most accessible places to spot the Urang-Utan(Malay word for 'person of the forest') as it is on the eastern edge of the Gunung Leuser National Park,where there is a orang-utang conservation programme.
It is estimated that there are around 5000 of these endangered species left in the park.
The orang-utan is an arboreal(living in trees) mammal. They are mostly vegetarians,eating mainly fruit,shoots,leaves,tree bark and nuts. Occasionally they eat insects,small mammals and eggs.
These animals can get up to 30 to 40 years old in the wild but they breed very slowly with the females reaching sexual maturity at about the age of 10 and having only one baby every 6 years.
Due to the continued loss of habitat to logging and agriculture,researchers fear that the few remaining urang-utans will not survive.
The fact that the responsibility and organization of the Gunung Leuser National Park has been passed on too the Indonesian government is not promising for these mammals.
Bukit Lawang was extensively damaged by floods in November 2003,which killed 280 people and destroyed much of the riverfront development and with a 96km long trip on a road with holes where a truck can in disappear, lesser people visit this beautiful spot.
For information on traveling and accommodation in Sumatra, look on Lonely Planet
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