
Prince Charles came face to face with another endangered species in the heart of the Borneo jungle today - a 5ft Orangutan.

He went deep into the rainforest to see the great ape and looked on in awe as six of them came to a feeding station at the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. The prince, wearing a cream suit and tie, walked over to where one of the apes had descended.

The young adult male then reached out to the prince - who was holding a banana handed to him by one of the guides - and he stretched out his arm too. The prince has long championed the need to save the rainforest. Deforestation is one of the key reasons the Orangutans are endangered.

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Prince Charles visited the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre where he was introduced to the centre's programmes and aims, specifically the orangutan rehabilitation project

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall enjoyed a jungle adventure today as they travelled into the heart of the Borneo rainforest

Semenggoh is the biggest orangutang rehabilitation centre in the state of Sarawak, 30 km from Kuching.

Visitors can see semi-wild orangutangs that have been rescued from captivity and trained to survive in the surrounding forest reserve.

This exclusively Asian species of great apes, found in only the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, are currently facing destruction of their habitats due to logging, mining and forest fires, as well as fragmentation of their habitats by roads.

The main goal of the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is to rehabilitate wildlife captured due to prolonged captivity by humans with the objective of releasing them to the forests eventually.

Charles was briefed on the wildlife conservation work carried out by the centre, and then ushered to a special visitors’ platform to view the orangutangs in their natural surroundings.

The Prince visited the orangutan feeding deck and witnessed how these animals are cared for by the centre's staff

The orangutangs at the wildlife centre are fed twice daily, and although visitors can view this from a special visitors’ platform, a sighting of animals is not guaranteed as they are often able to find their own food in the surrounding forest.

Currently, there are at least 26 semi-wild orangutangs in Semenggoh in total, roaming free within a 740- hectare forest reserve.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall enjoyed a jungle adventure today as they travelled into the heart of the Borneo rainforest.

The royal couple were greeted by whirling tribal dancers as they arrived at a Sarawak Cultural Village and given gifts of handmade beaded garlands.

It was the first time that either Charles or Camilla have been to Borneo - famed for its endangered orangutans - and both appeared to be delighted.

Camilla and Prince Charles posed with locals in traditional dress during a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village, where visitors are encouraged to learn through engaging with culture. The couple are on a tour of Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and India

Accompanied by the Chief Minister of Sarawak and senior managers of the cultural village, the couple were also given a tour of the area, peeking into traditional Sarawak longhouse dwellings and watching cooking and craft demonstrations.

The Sarawak Cultural Village that the couple are visiting is a ‘living museum’ that re-constructs and conserves the traditional lifestyle and architectural diversity of Sarawak’s indigenous tribes.

The seventeen acre site rests at the foot of Mount Santubong and encourages visitors to learn through engaging with culture.

The highlight of their visit, however, was undoubtedly the Iban warrior dance.

Also known as the ngajat, it is performed accompanied by the tabohand gendang, the Ibans’ traditional music.

Upon arrival at the Sarawak Cultural Village, Prince Charles and Camilla were gifted handmade beaded garlands before their tour commenced

The royal couple were greeted by whirling tribal dancers as they arrived at a Sarawak Cultural Village and given gifts of handmade beaded garlands

Prince Charles laughed with locals in traditional dress during a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village where visitors are encouraged to learn through engaging with culture

The royal couple watched local dancers in traditional dress during a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village

Prince Charles blows a dart, as Camilla looks on during a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village

Prince Charles shakes hands with locals in traditional dress during a visit to the Sarawak Cultural Village

The indigenous dance has been passed down from generation to generation and is believed to have been in existence, along with the Iban tribe, since the 16th Century.

The Ngajat dance was traditionally performed by warriors on their return from battles, although it is now performed to celebrate the most important harvest festival, Gawai Dayak, and to welcome important guests to the longhouses.

Traditionally, the male dancers wear a cawat, or loincloth, and a headdress made from the tail feathers of the hornbill.

They hold a long sword in one hand and an ornately decorated shield in the other.

The indigenous dance that the tribe performed for the couple has been passed down from generation to generation and is believed to have been in existence, along with the Iban tribe, since the 16th Century

The Sarawak Cultural Village that the couple are visiting is a ‘living museum’ that re-constructs and conserves the traditional lifestyle

Female dancers have an elaborate headdress, chains, beads and a ‘dress’ that reaches to below their knees with intricate weaving

The dance is now performed to celebrate the most important harvest festival, Gawai Dayak, and to welcome important guests to the longhouses

The Ngajat dance was traditionally performed by warriors on their return from battles

A Melanu bamboo dance was performed before the Prince and the Duchess depart in eye-catching style - on a traditional raft across a lake

Later Charles and Camilla will speak with representatives from local tribes and discuss the preservation of traditional cultures

Female dancers have an elaborate headdress, chains, beads and a ‘dress’ that reaches to below their knees with intricate weaving.

The male dancers make slow movements, as though stalking the enemy, before darting forwards to attack.

The dance is performed accompanied by the music from percussion instruments including the enkeromong, bendai and canang.

Later Charles and Camilla will speak with representatives from local tribes and discuss the preservation of traditional cultures.

A Melanu bamboo dance will be performed before the Prince and the Duchess depart in eye-catching style - on a traditional raft across a lake.

The heir to the throne has helped launch the Forgotten Foods Network – a project to find long-lost and unfashionable foods to feed the world’s booming population and grow in extreme temperatures.

A woman donned traditional dress ahead of the visit by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to the Sarawak Cultural Village

Royal approval: Prince Charles inspecting superfoods in Malaysia on Friday

It hopes to emulate the success of quinoa, once considered the ‘lost crop of the Incas’, before foodies rediscovered its highly nutritious properties and made it fashionable.

The scheme is now collecting forgotten recipes and testing them for their nutritional value and growing abilities in hotter weather.

During his visit to Crops of the Future, the Malaysian organisation behind the project, Charles tasted some of the recipes, including kevaru roti, a type of millet grown in arid areas of Africa and Asia.

‘They’re good,’ he said. ‘And very nutritious as well, are they?’ Also on the menu were biscotti using bambara groundnut rather than almond, as well as soup, mini-burgers and quiche made from moringa, a superfood dating back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

More elaborate dishes included dragon fruit tortellini with turmeric yoghurt and mint oil.

One royal aide said the prince was passionate about the project, while Charles himself said that the focus on finding crops that would grow in the future was ‘crucial for food security over the next 20 years’. He also praised the food project as ‘impressive’ as he launched it during his 11-day visit to South East Asia.

Professor Sayed Azam-Ali, of the Forgotten Foods Network, said: ‘It’s about collecting recipes from as many people as possible from all over the world, and learning from them.’