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The beginnings of Sepilok OrangUtan Rehabilitation Centre - Burgess , Tom & Barbara Harrisson

The original idea of an orangutan rehabilitation project was proposed in 1961 by P.F. Burgess, the Deputy Conservator of Forests then. Soon after, Barbara Harrisson started a mission to rescue orangutans kept by locals as pets. Their idea was to rehabilitate these captive individuals in hope that one day they may return to the wild . In 1962, together with WWF , Barbara Harrisson went to Sabah . Keeping orangutans as pets have long since been in the habit of locals. Even Agnes Keith (author of 'Land below the wind') had a young orangutan under her care back in Sandakan in the 1930's. By 1963, logging had cut deep into the heart of Sabah or North Borneo and already then, Barbara and Tom Harrisson reported that the orangutans were threatened with extinction. Although Barbara's work alongside her husband Tom was invaluable in documenting early archaeological works and also on conservation of species in Borneo after WWII , Tom's larger-than-life character seemed to have overshadowed her importance.

Heimann, a U.S. diplomat who first met English cultural anthropologist - Tom Harrisson(1911-1976) in Borneo described him to be, 'a romantic polymath, a drunken bully, an original-thinking iconoclast, a dreadful husband and father, a fearless adventurer, a Richard Burton of his time..' . Tom Harrison first parachuted behind enemy lines in Borneo in1945. He was a British Army Major who commanded 7 fellow Special Operations agents . In his daring quest to quell the advancement of the Japanese Army, he cooked up an unbelievable plan ..to recruit guerrillas, set up an intelligence network and raise an army of Dayak headhunters who by the time the Allied troops landed, had killed or captured 1500 Japanese.

As with all naturalists, anthropologists, adventurers and treasure hunters who traveled the world in the 1950's,- everybody knew everybody in this tight knit, elite community of explorers. David Attenborough had the pleasure of meeting Tom. And this he wrote , 'Explorer, museum curator, guerilla fighter, pioneer sociologist, documentary filmmaker, anthropologist-Tom Harrisson was all these things. He was also arrogant, choleric, swashbuckling, often drunk and nearly always deliberately outrageous. In spite of these contradictions, he became a key figure in every enterprise he undertook.'

For more on the life of Tom Harrisson, get this book titled 'The Most Offending Soul Alive: The Life of Tom Harrisson (Paperback) - by Judith M. Heimann (Author)'. And if you get to catch it on BBC Four, a documentary called Tom Harrisson - The Barefoot Anthropologist; narrated by Sir David Attenborough.

After the war, Tom Harrisson remained in Borneo and took on the position of curator of Sarawak Musuem. His passion for life knew no boundaries. In the course of his life in Borneo he contributed immensely to archiving, discovering and preserving parts of Borneo and its people as he saw it. He also pioneered the conservation of green turtles and together with Barbara helped establish the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre.

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Accommodation and Packages to Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Gomantong Cave, Selingan Turtle Island , Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and Sukau Area Package Tours | Sukau Rainforest Lodge ~ | 2 Days 1 Night Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari (Sukau Rainforest Lodge) | 3days 2nights Kinabatangan Wildlife Safari (Sukau Rainforest Lodge) | 4 Days 3 Nights Selingan Turtle Island , Sepilok OrangUtan & Kinabatangan River Safari (Sukau Rainforest Lodge) | 5 days 4 Nights Kinabatangan Safari, Gomantong Cave & Daum Valley Rainforest Package (Sukau Rainforest Lodge & Borneo Rainforest Lodge) | Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge ~ | 2 Days 1 Night Sandakan Safari (Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge) | 3 Days 2 Nights Sandakan Safari Extravaganza (Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge) | 3days 2Nights Sukau Wildlife Safari (Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge) | 4 Days 3 Nights Sandakan Safari Adventure (Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge) | 5 Days / 4 Nights Bird Watching at Sukau & ABai (Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge) | 5 Days 4 Nights Sandakan Borneo's Wildlife Package (Kinabatangan Riverside Lodge) | Abai Jungle Lodge ~ | 3 Days 2 Nights Abai & Sukau Trip (Kinabatangan Riverside & Abai Jungle Lodge) | 3 Days 2 Nights Abai with a Local Touch Package ( Abai Jungle Lodge) | Day Tours | 1/2 Day Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre Tour | Full Day Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre & Sandakan City Tour | Full Day to Guomantong Cave & Sukau Kinabatangan River | Full Day Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre & Safari River Cruise Trip | Special Interest Tours | 14 days 13 nights Birding in Borneo | 5 Days / 4 Nights Bird Watching at Sukau & Abai | Overnight Tours | 1 Day 1 Night Selingan Island Tour | 2 Days 1 Night Selingan Island And Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Tour | Accommodation | Sepilok Nature Resort | Sepilok Forest Edge Resort |