Seeing an orangutan in their natural habitat is a rare and magical experience that, for many, will only happen once in a lifetime . 96.4 percent of our genetic makeup is shared with these apes found in the wild on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo alone. Due to the continuous encroachment of mankind from their natural habitat, especially for palm oil plantations, hunting and capture for the illegal wildlife trade in Sumatra Orangutan population sitting critically endangered ( 6,500 in the wild) and the Borneo Orangutan danger (54,000 remaining in the wild). Although protected by the Indonesian, Malaysian and international laws, it is estimated that between four and 5,000 wild orangutans disappear each year.
Dr. Gary Shapiro was the first person to teach a symbolic communication system to an orangutan at Chaffee Zoological Park, California, and the first person to teach the language of signs for orangutans in their natural environment in Indonesian Borneo (Kalimantan). "When I spent two years in the forests of Borneo Indonesian sign language teaching to a group of prisoners formerly" pets "orangutans that have been taught to return to the wild, I became much more interested in the species and their fate, "Dr. Shapiro told me. A special orangutan named Princess adopted Dr. Shapiro as her father. "We did a lot together, as she learned his signs and became a juvenile orangutan in the wild. It was during this time, I knew that I would dedicate my life to helping the species survive. "
Dr. Gary Shapiro with the princess, an orangutan who adopted him as his father
At the time, Dr. Shapiro felt that not enough money was spent on education and community outreach to address the root cause of the dilemma orangutan. It was clear to him that more should be done to educate people about the species and their situation, which is why the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) was founded.
OURF working to save orangutans from extinction in the wild by funding education programs and awareness in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the Orangutan Republik Education Initiative (Ourei), a non-profit project assets recorded Indonesia since 2004. These organizations are born from the belief that orangutans savings can not be ensured by the people of Indonesia and Malaysia.
one of the unique programs of the foundation is the university scholarship funding for Indonesian students of biology, forestry and in veterinary science. Students who receive these scholarships are needed to work with local organizations, more and more informed about orangutans during their schooling. They are graduates as advocates of orangutans.
Another project is OURF Orangutan Caring Clubs of Indonesia, where the conservation message is presented in schools, government offices and the community at large. awareness projects include schools in Jakarta and Medan visit with materials film and education, involvement of government officials in local and national conservation issues, and, recently, in partnership with other groups defense orangutans to fund an educational forum with environmental consultants for Indonesian presidential candidates.
Ridhwan Effendi Director OUREII and ensures all aspects of their program of work according to plan. He believes that because of ignorance, there is no sense of urgency among Indonesians to protect the orangutan. "Orangutans are endemic in Indonesia, but many Indonesians are not even aware of them," he explains. "They often see the orangutan as a problem that must be eliminated, causing damage to crops and plantations. Even at the level of the management of oil palm plantations in Central Kalimantan, they consider the orangutan enemy. "
Although the government has passed laws to protect species, Effendi believes that the problem remains in law enforcement. In 1990, the government adopted UU No. 5 1990 Article 21, which states that a maximum sentence of five years and a fine of 100 million rupees will be given to those who capture, bad, clean, kill or sell a protected animal, including orangutans .
in 2011, instructions were sent by President ( Intruksi Presiden No. 10 tahun 2011) to stop further destruction of the forest tropical and peat land, but there was no follow through -. during the first three years since its adoption, 6.4 million hectares of protected forests have been cleared Effendi believes that the new government is more focused on policy issues rather than the environment. "It does not appear that the new government is doing anything yet to protect the remaining tropical forests and the natural habitat of the orangutan . According to national statistics, 48.8 million hectares of former rainforest remain on Kalimantan, but Greenpeace figures are much lower, at 25.5 million hectares, "he told me.
Although it may feel like a lost cause, because of the work that non-governmental organizations such as OURF and OUREII do, there is still hope. "for every person who bought an orangutan and decided not to because of our programs, six to eight orangutans may have been saved, "says Dr. Shapiro." our education program in the field contributes to saving individual orangutans that could be killed as parasites when they wander in the garden or an orchard of a farmer. the attitudes of people have changed and many who have poached or killed an orangutan not do more. "
According to the Dr. Shapiro, we can each help to make a difference by paying attention to the content of our groceries. "Stop buying products containing palm oil conflict, which occurred in the conditions associated with the continued destruction of forests, expansion of the carbon-rich peat lands and rights violations man, including failure to recognize and respect the customary land rights of Forest-dependent communities and the use of forced labor and child labor, "he said. the choice of products that are the orang security -outan require an investigation, but Dr. Shapiro assures us that there are guides and applications available to help us.
Participant ecotourism can also make a difference. Dr. Shapiro invites us to join small groups visiting the observation areas orangutans near and around the national parks of Kalimantan and Sumatra, as this helps to support families and small businesses that have an economic interest in maintaining the forests and living orangutans. He added: "It also sends a message to local officials that forests are worth saving for their tourism value"
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For those in Bali who would like to help support the orangutan. -outan, OURF will hold a fundraising Voices for the Jungle , March 6 in Seminyak.
Contact @ balifundraiser orangutanrepublik. org for more information If you can not attend, please make a donation online. http://orangutanrepublik.org/donate-now
Sightseeing www.orangutanrepublik.org or www.orangutanodysseys.com for more information.