Orangutans

We were inside the Gomantong Bird Nest Soup Cave in Sabah. Local men were paid well to climb bamboo ladders stretching 90 metres up into the cave. They were collecting the nests of the birds, to make soup. The white saliva from the swifts is a celebrated delicacy. A wooden path had been built along the inner edge of the cave for the tourists to walk around and see the cave. The path was covered in swift poo.

The stench was incredible! My enthusiasm became a little forced after I’d used up the last of my fresh air – though I was a little in awe of the brave men on those ladders.

Suddenly, there were shouts and calls from outside the cave.

After a little confusion with the language, we realised that an orang-utan was outside. We rushed out to get a glimpse of it. At first I didn’t see her, but then... a rustle in the leaves... and a long, hairy arm reached out. Her body was mostly hidden, but I could see a definite outline.

Goosebumps joined me in this amazing moment. Another rustling of leaves and we could see her baby. Realising that I may never again be lucky enough to see an orang-utan in the wild, I was really reluctant to be pulled away from her. Walking away, we Ieft her and her child hidden in the tree.

An estimated 15000 orang-utans exist in the wild. It is anticipated that they will be extinct in the wild within ten years.