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Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre
Wildlife sanctuary in Malaysia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is located about 25 kilometres west of Sandakan in the state of Sabah, Malaysia.
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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.[1] The orphaned orangutans are trained to survive again in the wild and are released as soon as they are ready. The sanctuary is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve which covers an area of 4,294 ha (10,610 acres), much of which is virgin rainforest.[2] Today around 60 to 80 orangutans are living free in the reserve.[3]
The activities of the centre have featured in television series including "Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans"[4] and Animal Planet's "Meet the Orangutans".[5]
In October 2014 the centre opened a 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 (one with air conditioning and one with fans only) with a large window that overlooks the play area.
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