Rainforest Discovery Centre (Sabah, Bornean Malaysia)

After visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre on a recent visit to Sabah, we went for the trifecta and also visited the Rainforest Discovery Centre.  Since the RDC is only 2 kilometers from the SORC, which is right next to the BSBCC, to not visit all three facilities would feel like wasting an opportunity.  But although it is very possible to visit all three facilities on a single day, the Rainforest Discovery Centre, which is located within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, is worthy of spending an entire day.  The RDC features a number of trails through the forest, and has a reputation as a great place to see a variety of plants, flowers, and native birds.

Canopy Walkway

The most interesting feature of the RDC is the “Canopy Walkway”, a sturdy steel structure 347 meters long, 2 meters wide, and at its highest point, 25 meters tall. This marvel of engineering is designed to allow visitors to see the forest at the same level as the birds that fly from treetop to treetop.  

One drawback to the canopy walkway is that it features a floor that resembles a wire cage.  If you drop a few coins through the mesh, or worse, your car keys, it is very unlikely that you will ever be able to recover them.

Below is a view of the forest as seen from the canopy walkway.  It is quite a breathtaking sight.

The canopy walkway features 3 towers which will allow you to get even higher above the forest floor.

From the top of the tower, the surrounding area really looks far away.

View of the canopy walkway from the top of one of the towers.

A number of signboards explaining the resident birds are installed along the canopy walkway.

On our visit, we came along this young orangutan swinging only a few meters from the walkway. 

He seemed to be quite fascinated by the human visitors.  Since he did not run away, we ended up spending the better part of an hour quietly observing him.  The humans did not speak.  Neither did the orangutan.

His mother was watching the interaction from a distance in a nearby tree.  It was a very unique experience to spend so much time so close to a wild animal.

Visitor Building Rainforest Hall

The RDC features a visitor center which includes an exhibition hall and a plant discovery garden.  After visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre on the same day, we had only about 2 hours to explore the forest before the RDC’s closing time of 5:00 p.m.  As a result, I did not see the inside of the visitor building.  In retrospect, it would have been better to budget more time to explore this forest. 

Getting There

The Rainforest Discovery Centre is located about 45 minutes from Sandakan Town.  It is about 2 kilometers from the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre, and our group visited all three facilities on the same day.  (Please see separate posts about the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.)  Like the SORC and the BSBCC, the Rainforest Discovery Centre charges different entrance fees for Malaysian citizens and non-citizens.  Admission for Non-Malaysian adults was 15 Malaysian Ringgit, for non-Malaysian children aged 5 to 17 years old, 7 Ringgit, and it was free for children under 5. 

 

(Note: All photos in this post were taken during a visit on February 12, 2017.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia)

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre operates as a rescue center for Sun Bears orphaned as a result of human-wildlife conflicts and Sun Bears that were kept in various forms of captivity (often as pets).  The BSBCC works to reintroduce the bears to a natural forest environment and provide them with training in skills such as foraging, climbing trees, nest building, and self-defense.  Although the ultimate goal is for the bears to be rehabilitated and released into the wild, some of the bears (especially the ones that were kept as pets) have been in captivity for so long that they are too dependent upon humans.  For these bears, the BSBCC tries to provide for the welfare of the bears with an environment that is the closest substitute to actually living in the wild.  At the time of my visit, there were 42 bears being kept at the facility.

Educational Efforts

The BSBCC opened to the public in 2014, and they make significant efforts to educate their visitors.  Upon arriving at the facility, the visitor notices that there are many explanatory sign boards.  There were even sign boards located on the path between the road and the facility entrance.  The below sign explains that the BSBCC is a smoke-free facility. 

This sign welcomes visitors and acknowledges the many organizations that support the BSBCC.

This sign explains the rules of behavior expected from human visitors.

Front entrance to the visitor center.

In the visitor center, there was a video presentation that explained the situation of the Sun Bears in the wild and the work of the BSBCC.

While moving from the visitor center to the observation deck, visitors encounter additional sign boards.  The sign below reiterated behavior rules for human visitors.

This sign board explained the physical characteristics of the Bornean Sun Bear.  It is the smallest of all bears.

This sign board showed the natural geographic range of Sun Bear habitats.

Yet another sign board about rules: no smoking, no flash photography, observe quietly, and don’t call out to the bears.

At the time of our visit, there were also three staff members present on the observation deck who greeted visitors and shared their knowledge about the Sun Bears.  

Observation Deck Area

The first of two observation decks overlooked a wooded area about the size of an American Football field.  Since the observation decks and aerial walkways are elevated from about 3 to 8 meters above the ground where the bears roam, visitors can view the bears in safety.

The photo below shows the aerial walkway between the first observation deck and the second observation deck.  Notice the covered section – the Sepilok area is apparently subject to sudden downpours, and this roofed area offers shelter for visitors caught in the rain while moving between the first and second observation decks.

View from the second observation deck.  I was told that the bears in this area are quite independent and do not often come close enough to be seen by visitors.

Below is a view of the enclosed area closest to the first observation deck.  In this area, visitors could easily view 6 young bears that ranged in age from about 1 year to about 4 years old.  Please note the roots of the toppled tree in the center of the photograph.

A closer view of the toppled tree reveals a bear sitting among the unearthed roots.

Up-close photograph of the bear resting among the roots of the toppled tree.

The forest in this facility is divided into a number of sections and the bears are let out each day to roam a designated section depending on their level of independence.  As the bears grow more independent, they are allowed to roam ever larger zones of the forest, with the final goal being a complete release.  In the section immediately in front of the observation decks, the youngest bears can be easily seen, and if you are patient, you will see these bears exhibiting natural behaviors that you cannot see in a typical zoo. The young Sun Bear in the below photo busied itself with digging for insects under a fallen tree branch.

Due to the existence of the partially-covered observation decks and the wide and clean aerial walkways, this facility offers a great opportunity to enter the forest without actually entering the wild.  Our group spent close to 2 hours here observing the bears, and I would recommend others to do the same.  When we first arrived, some of the bears were sleeping.  If we had taken a quick look and moved on as people usually do at a zoo, we would have missed seeing all of the action.  After watching the bears for about 20 or 30 minutes, they started climbing trees. Bornean Sun Bears are arboreal, and they are very good tree climbers.  It was great fun to watch 3 of them scamper up the same tree and then slide back down.

They even take naps in the trees.

Sometimes they get caught in the rain while climbing trees.

Overall, for a person who loves bears, this facility is a great place to visit.  You can feel good about supporting the work of the BSBCC, and you can feel good as you spend a little quiet time in the forest.

Opportunities for Animal Encounters

Although there are no organized animal encounters at this facility, wild macaques and orangutans that have graduated from the neighboring Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre can sometimes be viewed at very close range.  The macaque below was walking along the hand rail of the observation deck, only a few meters away from the human visitors.  I was warned to not get too close or to stare directly at the macaques as they may interpret it as a sign of aggression, and they may attack in order to stake out their territory.

This fellow below was sitting in one of the main areas of the observation deck.  He acted as if he was the owner of the place.

A pair of orangutans also made an appearance, coming within a meter or so of the tourists standing under the shelter of a walkway roof.

Food and Souvenirs

There is no food concession at this facility, but there is a café in front of the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre next door.  (See post for Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.)  There are a few branded souvenirs and some books available for purchase in the visitor center. 

Getting There

The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre is located about 45 minutes from Sandakan Town.  It is immediately adjacent to the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, so a tour of both facilities can be easily done and in fact is highly recommended.  (Please see my post about the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.)  One should remember that the two facilities are separate charities, and they require separate admission fees.  Like the SORC, the BSBCC charges different entrance fees for Malaysian citizens and non-citizens.  Admission for Non-Malaysian adults was 31.80 Malaysian Ringgit, for non-Malaysian children aged 12 to 17 years old, 15.90 Ringgit, and it was free for children under 12.  (Additionally, a 1000 Ringgit camera fee is apparently charged for cameras that have lenses of 500mm or larger.  I carried a 400mm lens, and I was not charged a camera fee.) 

(Note: All photos in this post were taken during a visit on February 12, 2017.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre (Sabah, Bornean Malaysia)

In Borneo, orangutans often are the victims of human-wildlife conflicts.  Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre, funded by the Sabah State Government and a number of charity organizations, is a facility designed to return orphaned, injured, or displaced orangutans back to the wild.  Since its opening in 1964, hundreds of orangutans rehabilitated there have been released into the Kapili-Sepilok Forest.  According to the Sabah Wildlife Department’s homepage, orangutans brought to SORC are first given a health examination and then put in quarantine for a period of time to prevent the spread of transmittable diseases.  The very young orangutans are kept in the “Nursery” where they are taught how to find food, climb trees, and build nests (which orangutans do every night).  As the orangutans progress, they are moved to the larger “Outdoor Nursery” where they are weaned off of provided food and human support.  Eventually, orangutans who graduate are released into the population of wild orangutans.

Feeding Platform

The SORC is open from 9 am to 12 pm, and from 2 pm to 4 pm daily.  (9 am to 11 am and 2 pm to 4 pm on Fridays.)  Visitors are encouraged to arrive at SORC by 9:30 am in order to witness the 10 am feeding, or by 2:30 pm in order to see the 3:00 pm feeding at the “feeding platform”.  When we arrived there at 10:15 on a Sunday, there was already a crowd of about 200 people.  We were told that most of these visitors were passengers from the same cruise ship, and that it wasn’t a typical crowd, but judging by the size of the viewing platform, I believe that large tour groups are not rare at SORC.

In the below photo, visitors are looking at the feeding platform which is on the right-middle edge of the photo.

At the time of our visit, there were two orangutans on the feeding platform.

 

I was told that the food provided at the feeding platform is only meant to supplement the diet of the released orangutans, and the daily menu is purposely kept monotonous in order to encourage the orangutans to become more independent and forage for more varieties of fruits and vegetation in the larger jungle.

Perhaps this orangutan was intimidated by the large group of visitors.  Maybe she was just anti-social.  She kept her back to the tourists as she ate.

Eventually, most of the visitors moved on to view the even younger orangutans at the “Nursery”.

With less people watching, the orangutan turned and faced our direction.

After all of the visitors had moved on, the viewing platform looked like this:

The Nursery

On the day of our visit, the younger orangutans were on view only until about 11:00 a.m.  We didn’t properly understand the directions from the staff, and by the time we arrived at the Nursery, the young orangutans had been returned to their indoor quarters and all of the tourists had also left.  Visitors to this building can sit in air-conditioned comfort while watching the young orangutans as they learn how to climb and swing on an apparatus quite similar to the “jungle gyms” found in elementary school yards.  I was told that the windows were actually two-way mirrors, and that while the visitors could see the young orangutans play outside, the orangutans could not see the visitors inside the building.

Educational Efforts - Opportunities for Animal Encounters

SORC had a number of displays with explanations about the facility and about the orangutans.  There were displays next to the indoor ticket counter.

At the gate leading into the forest, visitors were told to leave all bags and backpacks.

Staff explained that the orangutans and macaques in the forest were free to approach the human pathways, and on occasion, have been known to steal tourists’ belongings. While there are no organized opportunities for animal encounters, the wild animals may take it upon themselves to provide one.

Pathway leading to feeding platform.  Visitors must stay on the designated path.

The remnants of an orangutan nest.  Based on the dried condition of the leaves, I was told that this particular nest had been used weeks ago.

More explanatory signage located at the viewing platform.

Souvenirs and Food

In the SORC entrance building, there was a small souvenir shop.  There were T-shirts, postcards, keychains, refrigerator magnets, mug cups, and a variety of other branded and non-branded goods. 

Next to the SORC entrance building there was a small café with seating for about 30 to 40 people.

Interior of the café.  Prices were reasonable, and the food was tasty.  I ordered a chicken curry and rice dish for 11 Ringgit and a fresh lime juice which was 6 Ringgit.

Getting There

Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre is located about 45 minutes by bus from Sandakan Town.  I visited this facility while on an organized tour, and our private transportation took us to SORC straight from Sandakan Airport.  I would recommend consulting with your tour arranger or hotel concierge.  Admission differed for Malaysian citizens and non-citizens.  Admission for Non-Malaysian adults was 30 Ringgit, for non-Malaysian children, 15 Ringgit.  Additionally, there is a 10 Ringgit charge for each still camera or video camera you carry. 

(Note: All photos in this post were taken during a visit on February 12, 2017.  The comments in this post are based on observations made on that day.  Times and conditions may have since changed.  Please check it out for yourself!)