I Love Orangutans

Derby Eco-Fest 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Ion) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:57:00 +0000

It was a real honour for us to be invited to attend the biannual Derby Eco-Fest, which was held at Markeaton park on the weekend of 19th/20th September.

Our stand was in the ‘Do One Thing for Wildlife’ marquee, and it was exciting to be surrounded by local advocates of conservation, whose aim is to educate the general public about what we can all do to promote a healthy environment for wildlife, on a both a local and a global level.

We are very grateful to Dawn Foote of Katapault, one of our orangutan volunteers, who has donated her beautiful photo art to raise funds for our wildlife and orangutan rehabilitation centres in Malaysia and Indonesia. Her colleague, Rhiannon, manned the stand, which drew crowds of orangutan aficionados and new converts alike. To view these beautiful pictures, please click on the following link

We were very fortunate that renowned artist, Jaq White, from Hertfordshire, donated an original work of art of a baby orangutan for our raffle, which was won by lucky Derbyshire resident, Mr. Stevenson. Here is a link through to some more of Jaq’s art. A percentage of her sales from this link will be donated to the orangutans. Many thanks, Jaq!

Our Rainforest Riddles quiz intrigued and amazed children and adults alike, and we had many suggestions as to how to make an orangutan happy! With a cracking score of 27, the winner of our T-shirt and bag is James aged 12, who wrote a beautiful and moving poem for the tie-break question, how do you make an orangutan happy. We wanted to share it with you, so here it is.

Give us trees to make our nests,
Free from man-made noise and pests.
Let us live up in the trees
Swaying gently in the breeze

Our babies need a forest home
With space to play and grow and roam,
With berries, fruit and lots of food –
These all help to lift our mood

The jungle gives us all we need;
Don’t take our homes for human greed.
Keep our forests safe and free
For us to live in harmony.

Thank you, James, for being the voice of the orangutan in its plea for help!!

Samuel also got 27 questions right, so we will also be sending him a T-shirt. For those of you, who would like to know the answers, please see below? Many thanks to all the children and parents who came to see us and who supported the cause of the orangutans!

Thank you, too, to Derby Council, for organising such a spectacular and pertinent event.

Fiona Gustafson

Samboja Lestari - Dream Team

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Ion) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:49:00 +0000

Hi All,

Some news from the Dream Team who are currently out in Samboja getting the project up to speed!

We are slowly being allowed access to more areas which means we can start to work on and improve the areas the orangutans are kept in. We started in the quarantine area, making hammocks and putting in ropes and tyres and preparing daily food enrichment, but last week we gained permission into an area called “wanariset”, so we have to start looking at what we need to do. Mostly building and installing hammocks and ropes. We also have now been asked to do the same in the holding area for the orangutans in forest school and tidy up and improve the play ground area for the baby orangutans, which should be fun!

In the quarantine area we have already installed several hammocks and puzzle feeders, and it is great to observe the difference, keeping the orangutans entertained and engaged in something."

A tired young orangutan with one of the BOS team

Dream Team providing enrichment to the orangutans.

More enrichment work.

One of the resident orangutans at Samboja.

2 resident babies at Samboja at play.

More photo's and updates to follow very soon.

If you want to find out more about how to join this project then please click here

Some pictures of the 'Dream Team' in action

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Ion) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:21:00 +0000

As no doubt you are aware, internet connection is not the best at Samboja. We do encourage our volunteers to send through pictures as often as they can, so apologies to those of you who follow this blog and have been starved of new images recently!

A view of the Samboja Lestari grounds

Samboja is home to over 50 sunbears. As a volunteer you may be involved in preparing enrichment to encourage more natural behaviour from the sunbears.

Preparing orangutan enrichment. Enrichment is a vital part of these orangutans daily routine. Encouraging natural behaviour and making their day more interesting.

Orangutan Island - just one of the Islands that are home to these beautiful creatures.

One of our volunteers working hard on construction.

One of our volunteers securing a newly made hammock to one of the holding cages.

If securing the future of orangutans is something you wish to be part of then why not volunteer with us?...... we will help make your dreams come true.

A happy sunbear

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Observing orangutans on Island 5

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Elaine, Kay and Nic busy sewing

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Rob and Steve working on orangutan enrichment

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:03:00 +0000

News from the Herts Advertiser!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 08:44:00 +0000

The Herts Advertiser has published a second article featuring our lovely Julie and The Great Orangutan Project!
Check it out online at....

Google News Alert for: orangutan

Video: Julie Ions took to the skies to raise money for Orangutans
Advertiser 24 - Welwyn Garden City,England,UK
WATCHING wild orangutans swinging between the trees of the lush Bornean jungle has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life so far. ...
See all stories on this topic

1000 miles for Matang's Orangutans

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:14:00 +0000

Tom Makin, spent a month volunteering at Matang in May 2008 and returned to the UK determined to raise money for the project. In fact, so determined to fundraise for Matang, Makin is undertaking a 1000 mile bikeride across Britain.

In his own words;

"Follow me on my epic adventure to cycle 1000 miles in 15 days down the length of the UK from John o’grotes to Lands end to raise money for Matang Wildlife Park.

I spent a month living and working with Orangutans at Matang Wildlife Centre in Borneo and was completely captivated by the intelligence, beauty and fragility of our close evolutionary cousins.

Matang Wildlife Park focuses on the rehabilitation and release of Orangutans back into protected areas of natural rainforest. Those Orangutans that can't be put back are cared for and in many cases are used in breeding programs to sustain a fresh wild gene pool, vital for Orangutan survival.
This is a solo attempt which means i'll be alone with no support cars passing energy drinks out of the windows or cushy hotel spas at the end of each day, just me, my bike and hopefully a great deal of your support and donations to get me through the 70 mile per day average i need to achieve.

I have seen firsthand that any donations, no matter how big or small go a long way in Matang.

Please contact me for information on how to sponsor or donate"

To read more about Tom's efforts/donate to the project, see his Facebook page; "Follow my 1000 mile cycle ride to save Matang's Orangutans" or email him on tmakin@legionallacontrol.com. Good luck Tom!

A view of Samboja Lestari

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:10:00 +0000

Mum and baby

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:07:00 +0000

Rob and Guillaume working hard

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:06:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:05:00 +0000

Samboja Update: What a wonderful few days of enrichment!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:00:00 +0000

Hello everyoone, us again!!

Well, what an awsome past two days!!! enrichment extrordinaire!!! yesterday we did our first attempt at introducing enrichment, a trial run perhaps! we focussed on two main methods, bamboo puzzle feeders, a length of bamboo which is naturally closed at both ends and has a hole drilled in, just big enough for an orang finger to try to poke out the leaves and treats inside, and happy sacks, hessian folded an sewn with dried fruits, nuts seeds and leaves etc sewed in layers, almost like a pass the parcel idea, sewn tightly to give them a challenge.

As it was the first time these orangutans had been given this type of enrichment we made them easier than we normally do for orangs that are used to them, just to get them understanding that there are treats availiable with a little work! Yesterday we just trialed it on the orangs on island 5, with adolecent orangs and some mums and babies. (total of 5 and 2 babies) We sat and observed for over an hour, unfourtunately thay had been given their feed at the same time, so it took a little while to investigate, but once they became confident enough they didnt stop playing, even after all the treats had been extracted, the bamboo was used to scoop water up from their surrounding moat to drink, wash with and throw at each other. The sack was also used to cool down with, dunked in the river and put on their heads soaking wet, lovley!

It was a really good practice run and seemed to convince the staff that it worked, they even asked us to start doing it for them all on the islands and for those in the cages, BONUS! Even this morning they were still playing with the bamboo and sack as we walked to work, was cool!

So today, between planting 100 trees on our island (yummy fruit trees that hopefully will grow into big strong orang hardy trees) we continued to make bamboo puzzle feeders and happy sacks. After lunch had the joy of watching our enrichment being given to orangs on island 6, 4 and to big Leo on island 3, It was very amusing watching the different reactions! All the females and adolecents seem to continue having fun and playing with thier empty bamboo and sacks, however Leo just wasnt interested after the treats were gone!

It was a really rewarding couple of days, getting to see the first reactions to enrichments, and getting the keepers involved in what we were doing, they seem to find us hillarious but are keen to join in and help with the making . Hope fully we will now continue to make enrichment and pass it on to the keepers to give to those in the cages.

Tomorrow we are having the luxury of a moring off, and i think we shall continue working on enrichment in the afternoon, will keep you posted on developments!!!
hope you are all well, love to you all, hugest monkey hugs!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Rob and Nic

Orangutans by Tyiana Bailey age 13

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Orangutans

Orangutans are such amazing creatures there so graceful, there home has become a prison for nothing compare them to humans they get sent to prison for a very bad crime these orangutans have committed no crime of the sort. But look at the people who are destroying the tree’s, which is making no homes for these beautiful creatures to live. We need people that have a heart for these creatures, we need people like you to go out to Borneo (Malaysia) to see what it’s like for these orangutans to have no homes and to be lock up in cages like prisoners for most of their life’s, if you were there how would you feel? Because the reason that the people are cutting down the trees is just to make some money and just to make us in the uk paper and there cutting down trees to make one simple little thing. So just take a moment and think how the orangutans feel they don’t feel happy because they are dying because there food is on the trees so answer this one question how do you think they feel? Tyiana Bailey age: 13 Your browser may not support display of this image.

Thanks reading my paragraph on how orangutans live and feel

First News from Samboja

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:04:00 +0000

Wondering how the Dream Team are finding their feet? Here's some news from Nic and Rob...

Samboja is a massive reforested area of fruiting trees and rainforest species and is soooooo beautiful. We stay in a lodge in the centre of the area and the bit where we sit to eat is high up and looks out over the area. There are 6 islands directly below the lodge, 3 of which are inhabited by some orangutans, 3 of which we have the job of getting ready for orangs. There is a workshop, a vet clinic, several sun bear enclosures in one area, that are being workied on by an austrailian group of volunteers for 2 weeks, a forest school that is well out of the centre where people are, quarentine area where alot of the hep b and tb orangs are held, and some huge cage/enclosures holding the remainding 150 orangs that are out of bounds to anyone except the keepers for health reasons, so we dont pass anything to them! the orangs on the island seem mighty interested whenever we are working at the workshop area, and one big male (Leo, heeheee, ) likes to watch us working on the islands. The orangs range from tiny babaies to big mature males, and our main aim alongside getting the islands ready, is getting enrichment in place.

The keepers are sooo lovely and friendly and always join in with us working, alot of the time joining in means laughing hystercally at us or each other, which is amusing, think they think we are crazy! One of the young vets is amazing at english, says he learnt it all from forest gump, and totally gets our sense of humour so we have a lot of fun with him, it is amazing to see their passion and love of the animals, as ever it is the politics of trying to do this kind of work that holds them back.

We get fed 3 tims a day and it is yum, though sometimes you just want to eat crap, but being an hour from a town by car, we are forced to be healthier, or buy up all junk food in balikpapen each time we have to come in to buy building materials!!

Work is slow, trying to get the go ahead for anything we do, but the staff are enthusiastic, and we have spent our first few days clearing the islands we need to work on and making fire hose hammocks, whilst designing structures and working out enrichment in lunch times and evenings.

We are enjoying our time and really think great things can be done here, just finding the time to do it all!!

Hope you are all well back hom, thinking of you all, huges hugs and love,

Nic and Rob

Girls going ape for conservation

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:29:00 +0000

Back-drenching humidity and high-octane animal sounds. Pushing through the leaves of a giant fern, a young girl takes two baby apes by the hand. The girl who saves the ape- it’s is a legend with which we’re all familiar. No doubt the myth has been embellished by a variety of cinematic adaptations, from Gorillas in the Mist to King Kong. It has been retold by cultures the world over, from the screenwriters of Walt Disney, to the Dayaks of interior Borneo. But like all myths, the girl-ape tale has truth behind its leafy folds.

In 1960, a 26 year old woman called Jane Goodall left her middle-class life as a secretary in England, to study chimpanzees in Tanzania. Fifty years later, Goodall is a household name, having revolutionised the way in which we comprehend chimpanzees and animal cognition, she has even redefined our understanding of what it means to be human. But Jane was merely one of a trio of women who changed the way in which we comprehend apes. Birute Galdikas is just as famous for her pioneering work with the Bornean orangutan, having set up Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting Reserve in Indonesian Borneo, a centre studying the behaviour and ecology of great apes. Birute has been instrumental in bringing orangutans to public attention; responsible for scores of high profile articles and documentaries in the last 32 years, she has given orangutans a very public profile. Dian Fossey is a figure needing little introduction. Her complicated struggle with Rwandan authorities on the well-being of the gorilla has conferred her memory with legend status, as well as drawing thousands of visitors to her Karisoke centre each year. But apart from the formidable team of Galdikas, Fossey and Goodall, the well-dubbed “Leakey’s Angels”, women have been formulating orangutan conservation in more understated ways.

Recent efforts at animal conservation place increased emphasis on volunteer interaction. Rather than ape survival being the preserve of well-educated specialists; primatologists like Goodall or Fossey, new release and rehabilitation programs are being being moved towards volunteer input. Yet the majority of people choosing to leave their day-to-day lives, donating their time to conservation are women. As Julie Ion, project coordinator for the Great Orangutan Project comments, “Eighty-nine percent of the volunteers signing up for our programs in Malaysia and Borneo are women, it’s phenomenol”. Indeed, visit the GOP centre in Matang, Sarawak and you’ll see women undertaking hard labour, building feeding platforms, improving enclosures for orangutans undergoing rehabilitation and tracking the movements of the released animals.

But how should we approach the interesting statistics? Is environmental conservation merely another area in which women will inevitably succeed, like the professions medicine or law? Perhaps increased female participation is natural, given the increased educational and financial opportunities available to women. Of course, this argument doesn’t go far enough, if women are being brought to further knowledge, why the specific pull towards apes? There are many areas in which women have not become more prominent-most mechanics are men and three alpha-males continue to present Top Gear. Women choose apes, dedicate their free-time and even their lives to ape protection. Why?

A traditionalist might answer that females, as nurturers, naturally have the patience and the desire to deal with species in critical danger. “Orangutan babies” may be the perfect outlet for a young woman to practice mothering skills, their vulnerable young faces drawing the humans most biologically set up to provide the vital care. But we must shy away from female-as-nurturer arguments. Looking at the profiles of the Leakey pioneers, or even the women applying for a place on the GOP program, most are well-established experts in their own fields; professional women whose intellectual rigour and determination rather than “soft skills” got them to where they are to date. In fact it could be argued that female led programs, like those of Galdikas or Goodall have argued for rational, distanced solutions to ape decline, requiring observers to take be at a respectful distance from the apes, calmly observing social patterns. In other words, females have advanced a rational solution to an emotive problem.
Indeed, Birute Galdikas’ answer to orangutan decline is sophisticated and objective. “In the end, the solution to orangutan extinction will be piecemeal: a patchwork of economic, political, cultural and social negotiations and compromises”

The sky's the limit for the Dream Team!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeanie Morley) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:43:00 +0000

"I just wish I could go back up there" says Julie Ion of her recent skydiving adventure on the 9th June. Julie joined the Red Devils Team in Langar, Nottingham to raise urgent funds for the work of the Great Orangutan Project in Sambojah, Indonesian Borneo.

Julie, a Luton native, has been involved with The Great Orangutan Project for almost two and half years, as a volunteer in their centres in Borneo and, more recently, as Client Relations Officer in the Project's UK office in Harpenden.

The Great Orangutan Project is a conservation group focusing on the fast-diminishing orangutan populations and their habitats in Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysian Borneo and Indonesia. Rather than looking at orangutan protection in isolation from socio-economic conditions, GOP aims to find a conservation solution which has realistic benefits for local people. Currently GOP is responsible for three wildlife centres in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo which concentrate on rehabilitation, release, wild orangutan monitoring and community development, a larger nature reserve in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, as well as two zoos in Peninsular Malaysia for the purposes of captive breeding and education. Centres are staffed by local people and volunteers recruited from all over the world.

Most recently, the Project has been involved in the foundation of an exciting new initiative in Sambojah Lestari, Indonesian Borneo.Thanks to a new partnership with another organisation, Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS), The Great Orangutan Project will run the largest orangutan rescue centre in the world. Over 225 orangutans and 50 sunbears will be under the centre's care. But constructing and maintaining such a dynamic new centre is guaranteed to be expensive, it is estimated that it will take at least £32, 000 to get operations off the ground. Julie's answer to the problem has been the setting up of a new Dream Team, a group of committed ex-volunteers who will fundraise the targetted amount and begin building work in the centre of an Indonesian reforestation area. It has been a challenge raising funds in these economic hard times, but the Dream Team has been amazed at the support they have gained from Hertfordshire locals. Julie's skydive alone has managed to raise £1, 500 so far, all of which will be sent directly to the Dream Team fund. With funds raised reaching £28, 000 so far, the team are edging very near their overall target. Julie is particularly excited about the impact of the funds on the orangutan babies in the Sambojah centre. With 10 young orangutans in the Indonesian centre, including an 18 month old baby called Dodo, the project hopes to place a Babyschool at the centre of the Indonesian operation. Soon not only Julie, but young orangutans will have the ability to reach for the sky!

For more information on, not only the Dream Team, but all the operations of The Great Orangutan Project, see www.orangutanproject.com.

If you are interested in finding more information on Julie's skydive or even becoming a donor to the cause, click on to www.bmycharity.com.

Welcome to ....

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Ion) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:56:00 +0000

Welcome to my new blog. I have set this up to enable others to contribute and suggest ways that we can work together to fundraise the £32k needed to set up a new volunteer programme at an orangutan rehabilitation centre in Indonesia.

A team has been pulled together, consisting of volunteers who have spent time previously at Matang Wildlife Centre.

Robert Franklin
Nicola Clark
Elaine Purvis
Steve Jackson
Michelle Stevens
Hanna Kuiken
Kay Tompkins

Between them they have a target of £32,000 to raise. Over the coming days / weeks we will be posting details of events etc where you can help us, even if it is only by coming and along and showing your support.

If you have any ideas on ways that we can raise this money then please do contact us either by leaving a message on this blog, or calling any of the team on 01582 469950.

Orangutans need your help.....