KUCHING: A 12-year-old mother orangutan named Tingsaan gave birth to a male baby on Sunday at about 10 am at the Matang Wildlife Centre near here.
Sarawak Forestry Chief Executive Officer, Wong Ting Chung said the newly-born orangutan baby was in good care of its mother at the centre.
Wong said to date, 30 orangutans had been rehabilitated at the Matang Wildlife Centre, of which six were born there.
Meanwhile, Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia Chief Executive Officer, Tomoyuki Shinnishi, who was at the centre for the handing over of Mitsubishi Triton 4X4 pick-up truck to Sarawak Forestry yesterday, expressed the company’s readiness to adopt the newly born baby orangutan.
Its Marketing Communication Manager, Debbie Choong said the matter was conveyed to Wong but the details of the adoption would be discussed further.
She said with the adoption, Mitsubishi was required to contribute RM10,000 annually to Sarawak Forestry for the maintenance cost of the baby orangutan to be named Triton.
Meanwhile, Matang Wildlife Centre Manager, Siali Aban said visitors to the centre were increasing each year, with 38,000 visitors recorded last year, including 90 per cent local visitors (Malaysians).
He said adult local visitors were charged RM18 per entry while foreigners were charged RM20.
Besides its role as a wildlife conservation centre, he said the 180,000-ha Matang Wildlife Centre was also a place for recreational and camping activities, workshop and social gathering.
The facilities available here are two units of chalets and a longhouse for visitors who wish to spend their nights at the centre.
