Semenggoh Wildlife Centre was set up in 1975 to rehabilitate orangutans that had been orphaned, injured, or kept illegally as pets. Rather than caging them, the centre lets its orangutans range freely through the surrounding forest reserve, about 24km from Kuching — which means a sighting is never guaranteed, only ever a possibility, exactly as it should be with a wild ape.
Twice a day, keepers set out fruit at feeding platforms, and this is when most visitors get their view: a semi-wild orangutan swinging in from the canopy for bananas and jungle fruit. During fruiting season, when the forest itself is generous, some individuals skip the platform for weeks at a time.