The Malaysian Government has chosen a Surrey-based appeal to be the first UK team devoted to the rehabilitation of endangered

orphan orang-utan babies in North Borneo.

Consisting of a band of volunteers, the Sepilok Orang-utan Appeal in Effingham was picked after enlarging an orphan enclosure at the Sepilok Rehabiliation Centre in Sabah, last year.

Now it intends to rebuild quarantine houses for new arrivals at the centre in March 2002.

When Sabah became an independent state in Malaysia in 1963, a game branch was created in the forest department for the conservation of wild animals in the region.

Consequently 43 sq km of protected land at the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve was turned into a rehabilitation site for orang-utans, and a centre built to care for the apes.

Today around 40 orang-utans are housed there.Prior to the appeal's help, the centre had not received any international funding, which limited the efforts of the Malaysian veterinary team working there.

This ignited Sue Sheward, the appeal's founder, and she returned to the UK with an infectious conviction that something could be done to help.

"Orang-utans are so similar to humans, it is vital we care about their outcome as a species," she said.

"This is why the Sepilok Orang-utan Appeal has raised funds in every way it can."

Many raffles, jumble sales and charity days later, the appeal has delivered to Sepilok donations of medical supplies and veterinary equipment and in June relocated, by helicopter, King Ghaz, a full-grown adult male, who had been brought to the centre as a two-yr-old, having been rescued from a logging camp, a common scenario.

Sue added: "The effects of deforestation are commonplace across Borneo and Sumatra and a major reason why rehabiliation centres exist.

"In the years prior to the creation of a game reserve in Sabah, many young orang-utans were the victims of the pet trade throughout Asia.

If they weren't caught during logging or forest clearance, they were captured by poachers who slaughtered the adult apes to get at them."

To join the appeal ring Sue

Sheward on 01483 715522 (day) 01372 453153 (evening) or suesheward@borneoorangutan.com

October 23, 2001 17:00