Well it has finally arrived – our first day of work at Sepilok. I am in group two with three other people – April, Jack and Steph. We arrived at the centre at 8pm, but because it was a food delivery day we had to wait for this to be unpacked before we started. A big ute arrived filled with bananas and other fruit, and the driver and assistant unloaded it into wheelbarrows and took it around to the fruit storage area, whilst trying to dodge the wandering hands of orangutans.

When we went around, the daily fruit had already been sorted into two big cane baskets. Two of the guys loaded them on their backs and we followed our ranger (Amoy) through the jungle to the outdoor nursery building. Ceria was behind us, so we had to walk fast! Before we left, the jungle trek group had gone into the forest and collected some branches for the cages, and already picked up a few leeches from that – so I think there are more out there than I thought!

Upon arrival at the nursery, Amoy ran through the day. Steph and myself washed and cut up all the fruit and divided it into the morning and afternoon portions. The others went out to rake and clean the leftovers from the feeding platforms and the ground underneath. Then it was time to each walk a juvenile out to the platforms. I had Chiquita– apparently she can be a bit naughty, but she was well behaved for me today. She put her hand out obediently and walked with me outside. I can't really describe what it is like to hold an orangutan's hand, but it is truly special.

We then headed back inside to clean the cages. Amoy had given them a bit of a rinse first, so they weren't too bad. There are five juveniles there at the moment – Chiquita, Goman, Peanut, Beryl and Gelison – so we took one cage each and then cleaned the floor with brooms.

After the cages were all shiny and clean, we all headed out to the climbing and feeding platforms to monitor the orangutans. Chiquita came straight over and tried to interact, so we had to try and be forceful and move her back to the platform. It took two people and she kept play biting Jack the whole time. They are incredibly strong! When I escorted one of them back to the platform, he was rifling through my short pockets.

We need to encourage them to be up high, not on the ground, and when Amoy joined us she was shouting for them to go out to the forest and practice their climbing – which they all did, except Chiquita. There is a bench to sit on where we can watch the platforms, but are out of the sight of tourists. So we sat there and Amoy told us some more about the orangutans. We heard yet another story of Ceria, who grabbed a volunteer and put his hands down her shirt – when Amoy tried to approach he ripped the girl's bra off in one sweep. We need to keep our eyes out for him - if we didn't realise that already!

There were two semi-wild orangutans in the area as well. The boy, Kalabatu (Kala for short), decided to come over and lie underneath the bench under myself and Amoy. Apparently he can be naughty too, but he was very calm and sleepy today, and kept trying to grab my hand for a while before he nodded off. Soon it was time to put out the second bucket of the food and yell 'mari mari' which means 'come'. The orangutans understand this, and while they usually return, they don't always, and it is a good sign of rehabilitation if they choose to stay out in the jungle till the afternoon session.

As Chiquita was still at the platform, Steph and I took her first. We had to wash her hands and feet before returning her to her cage. There is a vertical log outside the building with a tap near the top. You pop the orangutan on, and they are normally pretty obliging, letting you wash each hand and foot in turn! We also wash our shoes - this is to avoid bringing dirt and parasites into the building, as orangutans are quite susceptible to diseases.

When we went back out, one of the other orangutans had arrived from the forest, so we took him back too. Again, we placed him on the post by the tap to wash his hands and feet, he was very well behaved. However when we tried to lock his cage we had some trouble with the lock, and he managed to grab Steph's glove, rip off a chunk of the rubber and put it straight in his mouth. Amoy managed to get him to spit it out though. The locks are quite complex, because the orangutans were able to open them before. They consist of a U shape with a screw you need to feed through the top and tighten with a special T-shaped tool.

Then we mixed up a milk formula (made of milk powder and electrolytes) and they each got a metal bottle, like a coffee thermos. You basically just hold a bottle to the edge of the cage and they drink it themselves. I fed Gelison, and he took his sweet time drinking it – but he handed me back the bottle like a very good boy.

That was us done for the morning, so we headed back to the rest house and returned at 2pm to basically do the same thing – although it felt a lot hotter in the arvo. We also had the other ranger, Victor, with us this time. Amoy couldn't wait to assess who was single, and was quick to point out Victor was too! (although turns out that wasn't true).

We took the orangutans from their cages straight out to the play area – I had Chiquita again and she was well behaved, although one of the semi-wild orangutans was in the doorway, and decided to latch on to my leg and start biting my gumboot – but I managed to shake her off! It can be quite chaotic trying to escort one of the orangutans, while keeping an eye out for the semi-wild ones and helping out other members of the team.

While we were inside collecting the next orangutan, turns out April was outside getting molested by Kala – who had certainly livened up in the afternoon and was causing all sorts of mischief. He had climbed on her back and was trying to kiss her neck! Then one of the juveniles managed to escape on-route, and started climbing the visitor building where all the tourists were.

Once everyone was safely out, we kept an eye on them all and some naughty macaques came out from the jungle to steal the leftover bananas. I have never seen a monkey shove a banana in its mouth so quickly – it was down in three gulps. We were also lucky enough to see a mother and her baby visit the platform – they are the daughter and granddaughter of an orangutan that went through the programme, which is really positive. Mimi also paid a visit – she is the only orangutan who can walk along the tightrope just using her feet, like a tightrope walker – no hands! (and something she demonstrated for us). Then it was time to take the five juveniles back. I just love lifting them up onto the log so we can wash their hands and feet. Certain ones keep trying to drink out of the tap. All in all, a good day.