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Face-to-face with orangutans, Sabah, Malaysia 28 Sep 2016
About this photo
This orangutan was photographed in the Malaysian state of the Sabah, on the island of Borneo, which is split into four states (of which two belong to Malaysia, one to Indonesia and one to Brunei). Orangutans are a unique species. Of the four different types of great apes (gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans) only the orangutan is native to Asia; the rest come from Africa. The only two places orangutans can be seen in the wild are in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.
Orangutans are also incredibly clever; they are born with the ability to reason and think. Being one of humankind's closest relatives, they share nearly 97% of our DNA. Infact, the word orangutan comes from the Malay language and literally translates to 'person of the forest': the word ‘orang' means people, and the word ‘hutan' means forest.
With Insight Guides' Traditional Malaysia and Wild Borneo trip, you will get the chance to come face-to-face with one of these magnificent, majestic creatures.
