Where orang utan rule the roost

The Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation is a non- profit education and research hub for the orang utan.

THERE is an island for orang utan to see human beings of all shapes and sizes.

The humans meander inside reinforced tunnel- cages. Being curious, humans will stop walking when spotted by orang utan. They will gesture excitedly and make cackling sounds if the orang utan do something that succeeds in attracting their attention. This gives the orang utan plenty of opportunities to study human behaviour...

Such is the paradox of the Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation, a 14ha- island where 24 orang utan live.

It is not a zoo for people to stroll about and view animals in cages or enclosures. Here, it is the people who are inside a tunnel- cage, and researchers and caretakers use fenced corridors to inspect the island and check on the orang utan, who roam about in semi- wild conditions.

The alpha male is BJ, a shaggy, brutish 31- year- old that all the other orang utan give a wide berth.

“He is the second alpha male on the island. The first alpha, Mike, died after losing a battle with him. They slugged it out at one shallow part of the lakeside and BJ tried to drown him. After losing, Mike suffered depression and finally died,” said foundation chief executive officer Dr D. Sabapathy.

He said an adult male has the strength of eight men, and the battle had been vicious.