KUCHING: After a one-day official visit here yesterday, the president of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Budenbender stopped by the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre before flying back to their home country.
Steinmeier and his wife had the chance to explore the rainforest in addition to seeing the orangutan species in the centre while being accompanied by Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah and his wife, Datin Seri Zuraini Abdul Jabbar.
They were given a tour of the area by the warden on duty, who also gave them a briefing on the nature reserve’s diverse plant species.
Abdul Karim who is also the Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister presented memento as a parting gift to Steinmeier and his wife before they left to Berlin at the end of their visit.
Since Germany is Malaysia’s largest trading partner among European Union (EU) nations, his visit to Sarawak is the final stop on his three-day trip to Malaysia from February 16 to 18.
The visit was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the tight cooperation previously established.
To note, by far, Sarawak’s largest orangutan rehabilitation facility is the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre of Semenggoh Natural Reserve.
It was started as a shelter for orangutans who are injured, orphaned, or are being kept as illegal pets back in 1975.
Currently, the centre serves as an educational resource for tourists interested in learning about the rare and endangered species.
Adolescent and young adult semi-wild orangutans are thriving in this wildlife centre’s population.
