This is No Ordinary Hospital

Have you ever heard of an orangutan hospital? Apparently there is one in Bukit Merah Lake in Malaysia, which looks after orangutan babies, just like other hospitals take care of human babies - and the patients here are equally cute and playful.

Just as in a real hospital, the babies get to sleep in cribs and are given fun names like, June-Junior and April. Like most babies, the orangutans love to suck on their bottles and play with overhanging tubes. Others entertain themselves by making funny faces at each other or biting on their cribs.

Newly admitted babies are examined thoroughly to ensure that they are healthy. After that, they are assigned a crib, and just like human babies, fed every two hours. In between feedings, they are encouraged to take naps, for these babies need between 15-22 hours of beauty sleep every day, in order to develop properly. They are also treated to a sponge bath every morning. When the doctors and nurses feel that they are strong enough, the babies are moved to an infant development center, which is like a school.

Here, they learn how to pick fruit from trees, how to climb, how to build a home and other similar skills so that they can survive in the wild. When completely ready, usually after about a year, they are released into their natural habitat once again.

The hospital, which was opened only five years ago, currently has 23 Orangutans that range from newborns to three-years olds. Most of the babies that come here have been abandoned by their mothers, though the hospital also houses ill or injured apes.

The main reason this hospital was opened is because the numbers of Borneo orangutans are dwindling sharply, thanks to low birth rates and loss of habitat.

Conservationists currently estimate that there are only between 45,000 - 70,000 of these cute apes left in the rainforests and are trying to do everything they can, to keep them from going down even further.

What do you think about this new kind of hospital? Be sure to write your comments below.

Sources: DailyMail.co.uk