BAGAN SERAI, Sept 8 — At just one year old, Orked knows nothing of extinction, shrinking populations or the responsibility her tiny generation may one day carry.
The youngest resident of Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island is one of 15 orangutans whose future could become far more significant than simply growing up within the sanctuary.
For the Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island Foundation, Orked and those who come after her could eventually form part of a 50-strong “assurance population”, large enough to offer hope of repopulating the wild should catastrophe one day devastate orangutans in their natural habitat.
The foundation’s adviser, Azmil Khuzaid Zakaria, said the long-term plan, which could take between 15 and 20 years to achieve, is rooted in a sobering possibility that a severe collapse in the wild could one day make a protected population such as Bukit Merah’s crucial to rebuilding numbers.
“The 50 orangutans are to essentially maintain that assurance population, meaning if there is any massive failure in the wild, this is enough to start repopulating (the wild). Of course, it will take decades,” he told Bernama during a media familiarisation trip at Bukit Merah Laketown Resort here on Sunday.
The foundation’s updated 2026 list shows its present residents comprise eight males and seven females, ranging from Orked, aged one, and two-year-old Aggy to long-time residents such as B.J., 40, Baboon, 39, and Ah Ling, 32.
A BIOLOGICAL SAFETY NET
Azmil Khuzaid said conservation efforts over the years appeared to have slowed the decline of orangutans, but the situation remained fragile and the foundation was not yet prepared to pursue its earlier ambition of releasing animals from the island into the wild.
He said the original plan was to gradually return orangutans to the wild as the island population grew rather than continuously expanding the facility, but this has been put on hold as long-term captive animals require training before release, coupled with the still uncertain state of wild populations.
That decision ultimately gave rise to a different idea. Instead of viewing the island merely as a temporary home, the foundation would expand it sufficiently to maintain a larger population capable of acting as a biological safety net.
Currently, Azmil Khuzaid said slightly less than five acres of the 15-acre island are being used, and the existing area is almost at capacity with room for only another two or three orangutans, or perhaps five if stretched.
He said an additional five acres, consisting largely of spaces for the animals rather than administrative facilities, could accommodate about 60 orangutans, although the foundation intends to keep the population at around 50.
SPACE, DOMINANCE AND THE GENE POOL
Space is not simply a matter of numbers. With eight of the present 15 orangutans being male, the foundation also has to contend with the animals’ natural drive for dominance as they mature, requiring some males to be kept apart.
Azmil Khuzaid recalled how Mike, the island’s original dominant male, fought with B.J. in an encounter that showed just how serious such conflicts could become.
“So, he (Mike) got into a fight with B.J., and he lost. But we have separated them (after that). However, Mike didn’t live much longer after that,” he added.
The need to separate different Bornean orangutan subspecies further complicates the equation, while at the same time the foundation must also manage the genetic diversity of what remains a relatively closed population.
To broaden the gene pool and reduce the risk of inbreeding over successive generations, Azmil Khuzaid said the foundation is working with zoos and exploring cooperation with other organisations housing orangutans through animal exchanges.
One of its orangutans is presently at Melaka Zoo following an attempt to breed it with a female there. As the pairing did not work out, he said the foundation plans to bring the animal back and send a pair in exchange, while discussions are also under way with several other organisations.
He said growing the population naturally is itself a test of patience, as an orangutan infant typically remains with its mother until five to seven years of age and the mother would normally not become pregnant again during that period.
“So, if we solely rely on that sort of organic growth, it’ll take too long. So, we are looking at other options of bringing in orangutans from other places as well,” he said.
Beyond preservation, he hopes a population of that size could also give researchers greater opportunities to understand orangutan social structures and behaviours, which are difficult to observe in the wild.
He said an orangutan can remain so elusive in its natural habitat that researchers may spend days searching without encountering one, making the island population potentially valuable in building scientific knowledge about the species.
THE COST OF KEEPING HOPE ALIVE
Yet keeping that safety net alive comes at a substantial price.
Azmil Khuzaid said the foundation historically depended heavily on funding from EMKAY Group founder, the late Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar, who pioneered the establishment of Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island, while visitor ticket sales now cover a significant part of the island’s expenses.
Since joining the foundation in 2020, however, he said it had become increasingly clear that orangutan conservation should not rest on the shoulders of one individual or organisation.
He said the foundation has since worked with organisations, including the Malaysian Palm Oil Green Conservation Foundation and most recently, Marriott Bonvoy, while continuing to seek other like-minded partners.
“It’s up to all of us to play our parts. It’s not just about the money,” he said, adding that organisations could also contribute their time, expertise or other resources.
The challenge will grow as the population does, with Azmil Khuzaid estimating that tripling the number of orangutans would also triple operating costs.
Energy alone already accounts for nearly a third of operating expenses. A diesel generator powers the island, and in recent years electricity has been available for only about 12 hours daily, while a planned shift to partial solar power is expected to meet about 30 per cent of its energy requirements.
Restoring round-the-clock power, he said, would allow food to be stored on the island and provide greater support during emergencies.
Azmil Khuzaid said behind the animals are also 17 people, including rangers, nurses and a veterinarian, responsible for keeping the island running and its residents cared for.
A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
Meanwhile, the foundation is considering reviving its individual volunteer programme, which has not restarted since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before then, “voluntourism” programmes drew people from abroad and locally to spend weeks helping with work on the island.
“They (tourists) would come here, spend a few weeks and do volunteer work. They paid travel agents for the joy of cleaning the orangutan cages. So, it’s an interesting concept but Alhamdulillah, there are people out there in the world who want to do this,” he added.
For now, reaching 50 orangutans at Bukit Merah Orang Utan Island remains a vision measured not in months or even a few years, but in decades. One that will require new enclosures, greater financial resources, careful genetic management and more partners willing to share the responsibility.
For Orked and the 14 others already calling the island home, however, that long horizon carries a much bigger purpose: ensuring that if the worst ever happens beyond the island, there is still a population left from which to begin again.
