KUCHING: The Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is inviting the public to suggest a name for the three-week-old Orangutan baby born at the centre about 20km from here.
The latest addition to the ourangutan population in the centre could have been born on Sept 16 as the mother, Analisa, was last seen at the feeding platform on Sept 13 and when she emerged again on Sept 18 she was with the baby.
The centre’s manager Chong Jiew Han told The Borneo Post at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre on Thursday that Analisa must have given birth between the two dates.
“No one is sure of the birth date. We decided on Sept 16 because firstly, it is a date in the middle and secondly, Sept 16 is Malaysia Day.
“Orangutan do respond to their names but we have yet to decide on the name. They are 90 per cent similar to humans, so they know when we call them by their names.”
Chong added that as the baby is still clinging tightly to its mother, the staff had yet to determine the gender of the new-born, which was why a name had yet to be given.
“Analisa has been very protective towards her baby. She has been very careful not to appear whenever there are other matured Orangutans around, just in case they might hurt her baby.”
Those who wish to give a name to the baby orangutan could give a male and female name or opt for a gender neutral name.
Chong gave a hint that the baby’s name could be tied to Malaysia Day since the centre decided that its birthday is Sept 16.
He said the suggested names should be sent to www.sarawakforestry.com and the closing date is Nov 20 and the name would be decided a panel set up by the centre.
The person whose suggestion is chosen would be invited to the centre’s annual dinner on Nov 25.
Another piece of good news brought by Chong was that Salina, another Orangutan, is now pregnant and would be giving birth soon.
“We cannot give you the estimated date of Salina’s delivery. For our work here, we don’t monitor the Orangutans by inserting chips. We just let them run wild and let them be.
“They are supposed to take care of themselves within the reserve area or even free to go further away to a nearby jungle. The feeding that we have been carrying on here is not meant to keep them alive, rather it is just a supplement for their diet, just in case they cannot find food in the forest.
“And we also try not to get too close to them. They are so like us, that we don’t want them to start behaving like us. We want them to keep to their natural self,” explained Chong.
Meanwhile, Chong hoped that a one-stop customer service complex costing RM8 million for the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre would be built soon.
He said the complex is much needed for the staff to offer more services such as more detailed explanation about the Orangutans or the centre itself as well as Semenggoh Nature Reserve which not only covers the centre but also the Botanical Research Centre, a Seed Bank and the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre.
“At the moment, there is no place where we can do that. We can’t do it outside because anything that we display or place outside may be taken down by the Orangutans.”
Citing an example, he said the alpha male Ritchie, one of the Orangutans there, tore off a poster of an Orangutan that was displayed outside one
of the office buildings, believing that it was a challenger, and stomped on it after throwing it on the floor.
“If we have such a customer centre, we can play videos of Orangutans, display pictures and have more time to explain to our visitors about the management of Orangutans in Sarawak,” added Chong.
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