BUKIT MERAH, Malaysia: An orang utan sanctuary where baby apes wear nappies, sleep in cots and are cared for by nurses dressed in masks and starched uniforms has drawn the wrath of environmentalists.

Tourists snap photos as they file past large windows looking onto a facility billed as the world's only rehabilitation and preservation facility for the endangered primates.

Behind the glass, adorable baby orang utans like two-month-old Tuah lie swaddled in nursery sheets and cling to baby rattles.

But the care lavished on the animals, which are fed every two hours by a staff of seven nurses on duty round the clock, is lost on environmentalists who say this is no way to treat wild animals facing the threat of extinction.

A 2007 assessment by the United Nations Environment Programme warned that orang utans would be virtually eliminated in the wild within two decades if current deforestation trends continue.

Managers of the 14ha island, which is part of a resort hotel development, say they aim to return the animals to their natural jungle habitat, but so far none have been released.

The centre's veterinarian defended the facility, situated in this tourist town, which opened in 2000 and now houses 25 orang utans.

"It is the pride of Malaysians and it is aimed at helping ensure our orang utans do not become extinct," said D. Sabapathy.

"I will not be disheartened by the criticism," he said.

"We are not ill-treating them. We are trying to increase the numbers in the wild.

"People say the species is close to extinction, but what are they doing about it?" he asked. - AFP