The bus from Semporna to the Kinabatangan Wildlife Preserve wound through endless palm oil plantations. On Borneo, it feels as if every road is lined with plantations, and natural forest is scarce. After hours of driving through deforestation, we finally approached the preserve and began to see wildlife. Bornean gibbons – another ape species endangered by habitat loss, a recurring theme on Borneo – swung through trees. But I was there for the orangutans.
I stayed at a backpackers lodge near the Kinabatangan River, hoping the animals would come to the river to drink. The place was simple – this was not, after all, a holiday – but they provided meals, which was necessary since there was no store nearby. I was there for one reason: to see wild orangutans.
My guide, ‘Jon’, a local conservationist, shared his knowledge of the area, where wildlife is still threatened by oil palm plantations despite its status as a ‘wildlife sanctuary’. Jon took us on sunset boat tours along the river, and I was right, the animals did come to drink. We spotted a mother pygmy elephant with her baby, a rare sight, as fewer than 120 remain in this region. The elephant population had drastically declined since Jon began guiding in 2005. He also told me that proboscis monkeys, once abundant, now numbered only two family groups along the river, their population had been halved.
In the days that followed, we boated along the different branches of the river every morning, evening, and night, watching birds, monitor lizards, and monkeys, the private lives of wildlife illuminated by our headlamps. But midday brought the real challenge: trekking through the sweltering hot, humid jungle on foot. Thick clouds of mosquitoes made every step feel like an assault, and forest leeches stuck to my arms and clothes. We searched for signs of orangutans, like poop or fruit peelings, but found nothing, only a tiny forest frog tucked under a mushroom.
Later, on the river once again, we encountered swiftlets, birds exploited for their nests, which are illegally sold for traditional Chinese medicine. Jon explained how this practice was driving the birds to extinction, despite his and other guides’ efforts to stop it. It was disheartening, but Jon’s determination to protect his land felt promising.
The next day on the river, after three days of luckless searching, we set out early again. I wasn’t surprised that orangutans were difficult to spot: up to 30% of Borneo’s forests have been lost to oil palm plantations and so these apes are critically endangered. As we drifted, eyes focussed on the thick forest lining the river, Jon suddenly shouted, ‘There!’. A large male orangutan sat in a tree, calmly eating. His wise, broad face seemed to hold the weight of the world. I watched him, feeling like an intruder, but also filled with hope. I needed to see him, to remind myself why this fight for conservation is worth any effort. Oil palm agriculture, driven by global demand for cheap palm oil, is one of the biggest threats to orangutans and other incredible animals.

Marina couldn’t get a photo of ‘her’ wise old male orangutan, so this is a wild cousin in Sumatra. Courtesy Jon Taylor/CO
The Malaysian Government prioritizes economic growth over wildlife conservation, therefore conservation must be our priority as global citizens and consumers. As consumers, we can make a difference by avoiding eating palm oil-filled products. Every choice we make helps protect habitats like the one I witnessed in Borneo. Staring at that solitary orangutan, I wondered if he and his family would be okay. His survival, like the survival of many species, depends on us. As global consumers, we must take responsibility for the choices we make. While looking directly at the old orangutans’ innocent, stoic face, I vowed never to buy food containing palm oil again, for the great, stoic male, for Jon, for me, for all of us.