After a few days in Tuk Tuk we decided to venture to Bukit Lewang where they have the only reserve in the world set up specifically for the rescue and rehabilitation of the very rare and critically endangered Sumatran Orangutan. On the bus ride we met Addie, who tried very hard to sign us with his trekking guide friend named Thomas. We played hard to get and about ½ an hour out of town the big guns boarded the bus. Thomas is hard to describe: guide, naturalist, cook, comedian, you name it, he does it. He worked on us for a while, but it’s hard to say no while laughing hysterically. How can you not like a guy who complains openly about how hard he’s grovelling to get your business. We finally booked and our reticence became of a running joke. Hiring Thomas was a great decision. But first let’s get to the Orangutan Sanctuary.

The last of the several bus rides it took to get to Bukit Lewang from Lake Toba brought us in after dark. Exhausted and sore after our horrific journey we decided to catch the 8AM feeding at the forestry station that was just over the river and through the woods. Due to legal – and more often than not illegal logging, the huge palm oil plantations, local farming, the exotic pet market, and the popularity of bush meat, the number of Sumatran Orangutans has dwindled quickly and continues to do so. Sumatran Orangutans only propagate every 7 years and the infant mortality rate is 70%. Also, since they have been rounded up into the reserve and exposed to humans they have been introduced to the common cold and the flu, which they are not narturally prone to, thus they have no antibodies. The end result is that their numbers are dropping. Sadly, they only live on this 980 sq. km reserve that cannot exist on the meager handouts by the Indonesian government, so tourism is how they survive.

The rangers rescue and try to rehabilitate orangutans that have been plucked from the forest into domesticity. One example is of a wealthy chinese family who dressed their pet orangutan as if it were a child and put make-up on it whenever guests came over. Many are taken from circuses and hotels. The rescued animals are put in cages for their own safety and when they've adjusted the cages are left open so they can forage in the day and have sanctuary at night. They are also fed a very bland diet to encourage then to forage for themselves. The process can take upwards of ten years before they live in the wild again. Many never adjust and die. Only about 12 to 15 regularily come for the feeding. The little black and white guy in the tree is a Thomas Leaf monkey, but due to it's recognizable coiffure it has been re-christened the Beckham Monkey.

In 2006 a massive flood swept through Bukit Lewang killing 280 locals, devastating many of the hotels, and destroying the tourist industry overnight. This is a beautiful little village perched on the side of a river at the foot of a beautiful mountainous rainforest. It’s incredible, yet the tragedy is that not many people visit there anymore. Annette from Tabo Lake Resort recommended The Jungle Inn which was right across the river from the Orangutan feeding station. It was a very good call.