Jon in Malaysia- Orang utan

The orang utan has been one of my favourite animals since I was tiny. They're really intelligent and are said to be the closet living things to humans, yet they are often mistreated. In less than 10 years there may not be any left in the world, which would be awful.

Day 1

Tina: "We all visited the Monsopiad Cultural Village this evening, which is where the legendary Kadazan Warrior lived. It was really spooky to see 39 human skulls, which are from the people he headhunted."

Day 2

Jon: "I took a boat trip down the Kinabatangan River today and was really lucky to see an orangutan with its baby, hanging from a tree. The best bit though was seeing a herd of wild Asian elephants that some WWF trackers had managed to find. I never thought it would be possible to get so close to them. It was amazing!"

Day 3

Jon: "I finally got to meet my animal face-to-face today, as we spent the day with Orang utans. There was one that was a real show-off and was very cheeky - a bit like me I suppose. He just wanted to be near us and hold our hands. I even managed to give him a quick cuddle at one point, after he dropped down off a rope into my arms. The thought of there possibly not being any Orangutans left in the wild in less than 10 years is just awful."

Jo: "Tina and I flew from Langkayan Island today by helicopter to meet up with Jon. We'd spent yesterday there and helped release some baby turtles back into the sea. It was really sweet to see them work their way down the beach into the water. They were so tiny and cute!"

WWF's Work

WWF has been involved in orang utan conservation since 1962. Research has played a vital part in the work carried out over the past three decades, with surveys being conducted in many parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. Data collected has been used to indicate where there is a particular threat to the orang utan and its habitat.

As a result of this continuing work, WWF has been able to assist governments and other conservation organisations in creating and extending protected areas and wildlife sanctuaries where hunting and logging are prohibited. WWF has also helped the governments to enforce restrictions on the trade in live animals and orang utan products. When live orang utans are recovered from traders, they are often taken to refuges where they can recover and be rehabilitated, and eventually be released back into the wild.

Wherever WWF works in the field, great importance is placed upon the extensive knowledge and expertise possessed by local people and communities.