On Love, Keepers and Confiscated Orang-utans

Confiscated young orang-utans that have been torn from their mothers in the wild, victims of the illegal wildlife pet trade, are brought to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre in Sarawak, where they are raised by keepers and park rangers. They will eventually join other semi-wild orang-utans in the nature reserve or be caged for the rest of their lives if they are too aggressive or curious. What does the bond between the human caregiver and the red ape that shares 97 per cent of our genome look like? What do we make of it? This creative nonfiction essay weaves together the true stories of keepers and park rangers, as well as the semi-wild orang-utans under their care.