Asia ’25 #25: Orang utans and cats

Read this blog: The one where it wasn’t Robert farting for comedic effect this time

Saturday 15th March 2025

We had designated Saturday as the day we would go out to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre. This was set up in 1975 as a sanctuary for wild animals that had been previously kept illegally as pets, orphaned or found injured in the rainforest. Semenggoh is well-known as a refuge for orang utans.  The word “orang utan” comes from the Malay words “orang” [meaning “person”] and “hutan” [meaning “forest”], so literally “person of the forest. We saw it written as one word, two words and with a hyphen so there did not seem to be any consistency or a consensus. Unusually – when it comes to words and spellings – Matilda agreed to acquiesce to Robert: we will be using two words here to reflect the Malay origins of the name. We had noticed that many of the photographs in the exhibition at Fort Margherita were captioned with the word orang before the names of Malay people which we thought might have been a form of address or title, but actually simply designated they were a person.

Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is one of three orang utan rehabilitation centres in Malaysia where you can see semi-wild orang utans [Robert points out here one of his favourite ever TV comedy sketches is from Not the nine o’clock news – Gerald the gorilla says he wasn’t wild he was ‘livid’] in their native forest habitat. The Centre is run by the Sarawak Forestry Commission and is approximately 24 km outside Kuching, and although you can catch a bus we decided once again that we would ‘grab a Grab’ as they are a simple and reliable means of transport and you know that you have not instantly been quoted the ‘tourist price’.

The driver was very helpful and got a QR code up on his phone for us so that we could complete the registration form on-line in advance. When you complete the on-line form you select which of the Forestry Commission sites you are visiting. Fortunately we had our passports with us as we needed to provide the number. [Robert also has a photograph of them on his phone so he can reference them at any time {but he has no official diagnosis, yet.} Growth mindset.]

Matilda considered omitting this next part but Robert, whose scatalogical sense of humour has not really matured beyond the age of a 13 year old boy, wanted it included. When we got out of the Grab and walked up to the ticket office there was a loud fart. Matilda tried hard to ignore it as she assumed that Robert was the culprit. However, Robert and all the staff standing around the kiosk started chuckling and all eyes turned towards the real source [which wasn’t Robert this time].

Once the hilarity had died down and Matilda could engage the man in the ticket office, we were offered the choice of paying extra for the buggy to take us up to the centre and closer to the feeding stations for the orang utans. Alternatively you can opt to walk. As we were in an area of natural rainforest and it was raining Matilda opted for the buggy ride to avoid a walk in such high humidity. As we passed others on the road, who were perhaps more cost-conscious than us, we were very glad that we had chosen the option with transport [see Video of the day].

It is a short walk from the buggy stop to the viewing area near Feeding Platform 2 where there is a display board about the resident orang utan families at Semenggoh including their photo, name and a little about their history.

Visitors are advised to arrive in good time for either the morning feeding time at 09:00 or the afternoon feeding time at 15:00 to maximise their chance of seeing the orang utans. We planned to arrive for 09:00 with about half an hour to spare and stood waiting while some of the wildlife rangers called to the orang utans. Their voices seemed to come from many different directions as they moved through the rain forest trying to encourage the animals to come and feed.

Close to 09:00 we were told that the rangers had not seen any signs of the orang utans as yet but that the tickets were valid for one day so that if there were no sightings, we were welcome to return at 15:00.

While we were waiting a butterfly chose to rest on Robert: we think it felt safe as it blended so well with his shorts.

Signs warned visitors not to approach the orang utans as they are wild creatures [livid, in fact]. We were also warned about ‘dead branches’ but we could not agree exactly what danger these might pose. Robert assumed that the dead branches were on the ground and were actually snakes camouflaged as sticks lying in wait ready to bite if trodden on. Matilda thought the dead branches were still attached to trees and were going into break off and fall on her head. Thankfully neither of these scenarios occurred [Growth mindset?].

However, once we had paid and arrived at the feeding platform, we saw a sign advising us that we were visiting in the fruiting season. This is significant because, if the rainforest is providing plenty of fresh fruits, the orang utans will not be hungry and do not need to supplement their diet.

Although we were not lucky enough to see any orang utans we did see a flying squirrel and a butterfly, so the trip was not totally wasted. Although we were invited to return, it was clear from the way the ranger spoke that he did not rate the chances of the orang utans coming to feed as very high.

Back in Kuching, Matilda wanted to have a closer look at the Old Court House Complex which was right next to our hotel.

It was first built in 1871 to consolidate all the government departments including the White Rajah’s own office in one area. The layout was designed to replicate that of a Malay kampung or village with a series of four blocks arranged around a communal space although the architecture of the colonnades and verandahs seems very European. The walls were rendered with cement and whitewashed.

It is now described as a “lifestyle and art space”. Matilda liked the cat sculpture in the grounds.

From here you have a view of the Square Tower, the Sarawak State Assembly Building and the Darul Hana Bridge

The colonial-baroque clock tower was added to the Old Court House Complex in 1883. These buildings served as the seat of the Sarawak Government until 1973.

Keeping with the animal theme we decided to go to Kuching’s Cat Museum and ordered a Grab to pick us up outside the main Post Office. This fine edifice was built in 1931 and its grand frontage combines neo-classical style with tall Corinthian columns.

Kuching’s Cat Museum is situated in a striking building high above the city which is somehow reminiscent of a spaceship in a 1940s sci-film film.

The museum entrance is in the lobby of Kuching North City Hall Headquarters on the top of Bukit Siol [Siol Hill]. We were automatically charged the reduced senior concession rate [A white beard has its advantages as Robert is beginning to find out].

Founded in 1993, the exhibits are an eclectic mix of anything remotely feline related.

Large model cats with fearsome whiskers are displayed beside rather sad specimens of taxidermy which all seemed to have been preserved with a rather shocked and angry expression. Despite being a cat-lover, Matilda found these a bit disconcerting.

Exhibits included film posters, some, with rather tenuous cat references: James Bond [Pussy Galore] and Peter Sellers [What’s New Pussy Cat?] appeared side by side with Disney’s The Aristocrats.

It seems that quality was not necessarily a deciding factor: Royal Worcester figurines found a place as did photographs, pottery, Hello Kitty merchandise and pictures drawn by children.

Although the view from the Siol Hill was impressive, we are not sure we can honestly recommend this as a tourist attraction [Growth mindset?].

After returning to the hotel Robert decided to return to the Drunk Monkey. However, finding it closed he walked further along Carpenter Street and found The Royal Chambers, a bar serving draft Hoegaarden so suggested Matilda should join him [see Selfie of the day]. She declared him a bad influence, as always, but joined him anyway.

Video of the day:

Selfie of the day:

Route Map: