Bukit Lawang - Bahorok

The tourist village of Bukit Lawang, in North Sumatra, Indonesia, is the main access point for the rainforests of the Gunung Leuser National Park. Visitors can see Sumatran Orangutans at the nearby rehabilitation centre and for jungle treks. Bukit Lawang is situated 86 km by road north-west of Medan, passing through Tanjung Langkat, Binjai, Bohorok nestling on the banks of the Bohorok river.

A flash flood hit Bukit Lawang during November 2003, killing a substantial proportion of the village and destroying nearly all the buildings including tourist hotels.[1] Ironically , construction was already underway to move the village away from the river's edge, where it had been constructed without government permission.

Sumatran Orangutan

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Class : Mammalia
Order : Primates
Family : Hominidae
Subfamily : Ponginae
Genus : Pongo
Species : P. abelii


The Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) is the rarer of the two species of orangutans. Living and endemic to Sumatra island of Indonesia, they are smaller than the Bornean Orangutan. The Sumatran Orangutan grows to about 4.6 feet tall and 200 pounds in males. Females are smaller, averaging 3ft and 100 pounds.The female Sumatran Orangutan is more social than it's Bornean counterpart. They give birth when they are about 15 yeas old. Infant orangutans will stay close to their mother for up the three years. Even after that they will still associate with them.

Rape is common among orangutans. Sub-adult males will try to mate with any female, though they probably mostly fail to impregnate them since mature female are easily capable of fend them off. Mature females prefer to mate with a mature male

Both orangutan species are likely to live several decades; the longevity estimate can span for more than 50 years, with the oldest captive orangutan, Ah Meng, being born in 1960.[3] The average of the first reproducation of P. abelii is around 12.3 years old with no indication of menopause.[2] Interval birth rates for Sumatran Orangutan were longer than the Bornean ones; the longest reported interval birth rates among the great apes.