Orangutan Caring Week

Press Release: Orangutan Caring Week 2020

Oct. 18, 2020

It's Orangutan Caring Week…but who cares?

Orangutan Caring Week is a worldwide event held annually every November. It began as Orangutan Awareness Week but it soon became apparent that just being aware of the plight of orangutans was not enough. People need to care...and care enough to be moved to action to save these incredible red-haired apes and their rainforest homes.

Rainforests and related ecosystems provide important services from climate moderation, to water quality and erosion control, to storehouses of genetic, species and ecological biodiversity. Rainforests need to be sustainably managed to maintain these services. Orangutan Caring Week helps to inform citizens in our own communities of this connection and continues to enlighten local people in areas near orangutan habitat.

This year's theme: "PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY FOR A HEALTHY PLANET"
A very appropriate theme has been chosen for Orangutan Caring Week this year as the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened our understanding of how our health and that of the planet are linked to maintaining and respecting biodiversity in all forms. All life on earth depends on a healthy planet! Many groups will be joining us once again so watch for activities and postings about our annual weeklong celebration of the great red ape on our social media.

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world. All living creatures need other creatures and plants in one way or another - even if the connection is not so clear.”
(Young People’s Trust for the Environment, “Why do we need to conserve biodiversity?” https://tinyurl.com/yxgebzve)

Although the COVID-19 virus has not yet been observed in great apes in the wild, there is abundant scientific evidence showing that our closest living relatives are susceptible to diseases transmitted by humans.

"Scientists fear that the virus, which is thought to have originated in bats and jumped to humans, could just as easily jump to great apes — gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans — which share 97 to 99 percent of their DNA with people. If the virus were to infect even one wild ape, experts fear it could spread unchecked and wipe out an entire population. There would be no way to stop it in the wild."(Richard C. Paddock, "Virus Delays Orangutans’ Long Awaited Return Home,"
New York Times, May 6, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y9efhpyf)

The combined impacts of habitat loss, habitat degradation, illegal hunting, and an illegal pet trade, have pushed the orangutan toward an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild and now they face a new possible threat of a disease that can potentially add to that risk.

"We are worried about this and are taking it very seriously,” said Ian Singleton, director of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program. “If it happens, it will be a catastrophe."

Orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centers are taking every precaution to protect orangutans in their care, as well as, protecting staff and caretakers from possible transmission of the coronavirus, but expenses are high, and they are facing extra challenges in these difficult times. With revenues down they are dealing with added expenses for food, gowns, gloves, testing, as well as other medical and cleaning supplies directly needed due to the pandemic.

Centers are still taking in rescues yet they are not able to release captive orangutans that are ready to be reintroduced back in to the wild for fear of spreading the virus to wild populations further challenging already limited space situations.

Orangutans live in total harmony with nature - people do not - but we need nature for our very existence. We are already facing a climate crisis and a mass extinction threatening the very existence of thousands of animals and plant species, as well as threatening human populations, and the urgency of action has never been more important. These intelligent, sentient beings have lived in perfect harmony with nature for millions of years yet due to human activity their populations have declined by more than half over the past 60 years, and their habitat has been reduced by at least 55% over just the past 20 years.

To contain this virus and to stop the next pandemic, we need to start protecting wildlife habitats. Some of the deadliest new diseases, including COVID-19, Ebola, SARS, and HIV, have all arisen when man has crossed the natural barriers between human and animal populations. It is imperative that we afford critically endangered species their right to safe, thriving habitats unbothered by human encroachment and interference.

“Protecting nature is our first, best, and most cost-effective line of defense against future pandemics.
(Sahir Doshi and Nicole Gentile, “When Confronting a Pandemic, We Must Save Nature to Save Ourselves,” Center for American Progress, April 20, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y2gp6vrt)

By saving orangutans, we save ourselves and our life sustaining environment. If we can protect and save this closest of evolutionary cousins and their rainforest homes, it would mean we are making the necessary changes to possibly protect all life on earth.

So, who cares? There are dozens of hardworking, dedicated organizations, conservation groups, rescue and rehabilitation centers all working to save these incredible great apes.

We cannot all have boots on the ground, but we can fully support those who do whether financially or with our time and efforts. Many of these groups, along with zoos and animal facilities worldwide, as well as individuals, will be participating in Orangutan Caring Week with special social media campaigns, awareness and fundraising events using this as a perfect opportunity to spread awareness about the plight of orangutans and the urgent dangers facing their rainforest homes with the goal of motivating people to care – and to care enough to be moved to action. If ever there was a time to care, that time is now!

For more information:
Contact: Holly Draluck
Event coordinator
Email: Website: http://orangutancaringweek.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldOrangutanEvents
#OrangutanCaringWeek #OCW

PDF COPY
WORD DOC COPY

Press Release: Orangutan Caring Week 2019

Nov. 1, 2019 - It's Orangutan Caring Week...but who cares?

At a time when we see little or no respect given even for each other, how do we get people to see how important it is to respect the rights of critically endangered species to exist? How, when man is not even driven to immediate action to reverse climate crisis tipping points to preserve their own futures, do we encourage action to save orangutans and their rainforest homes? It is a challenge!

Orangutan Caring Week is Nov. 10-16 and this year's theme is Respecting the Rights of Critically Endangered Species. It is a worldwide event held annually every November which began as Orangutan “Awareness” Week in 1995, but it soon became apparent that just being aware of the plight of orangutans was not enough. People needed to care and care enough to be moved to action to save these incredible red-haired apes and their rainforest homes.

Respecting the Rights of Critically Endangered Species
Each and every animal on earth has as much right to be here as you and I do - maybe even more so. It is imperative that we respect the rights of critically endangered species and their right to safe, thriving habitats unbothered by human encroachment and interference. The clear fact is that we must prioritize the preservation of rainforests and important species like orangutans for our own survival, but should the survival of man be the primary motivating factor to save them? Don't orangutans deserve the right to exist and survive on their own merits? Of course, they do!

Orangutans are intelligent, sentient beings that have lived in perfect harmony with nature for millions of years yet, due to human activity, their populations have declined by more than half over the past 60 years, and their habitat has been reduced by at least 55% over just the past 20 years.

We need nature for our very existence and only by saving nature do we save ourselves yet, we continue to destroy critical rainforest habitat and push hundreds of species ever closer to extinction. Rainforests and related ecosystems provide important services from the air we breathe, to climate moderation, to water quality and erosion control, to existing as storehouses of genetic and ecological biodiversity. Rainforests need to be sustainably managed to maintain these life-giving services.

The orangutan's intrinsic value is so precious that it cannot be measured in dollars. If we were to assign a true value to orangutans and the rainforest, we could in no way afford the exploited products that come at the high price of extinction. There would be no affording the timber or palm oil or minerals. There would be no profit for the corrupt officials and greedy corporations.

The combined impacts of habitat loss for timber and palm oil plantations, habitat degradation, illegal hunting, and an illegal wildlife trade have pushed the orangutan toward an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild, yet they live in total harmony with nature, people do not. With the climate crisis and a mass extinction threatening the very existence of thousands of animals and plant species - as well as threatening human populations - the urgency of action has never been more important. Richard Zimmerman, Founding Director of Orangutan Outreach, shared this urgency stating, "Orangutans are critically endangered in the wild and we need to help them NOW! Extinction is forever!”

Sadly, Orangutan Caring Week can easily become just another one of many in a long string of forgettable special awareness days dedicated to yet another endangered species which shows up as a fleeting post or picture that we scroll past on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, rarely moving us to much more action than a 'like', share or re-post. We are on crisis and issue overload with climate change, plastic, and politics. Saving orangutans to some may seem trivial in comparison. It is not.

We are often bombarded with incomprehensible and hard to grasp facts about how many orangutans are left in the wild, how many years they have left before they go extinct, or how many hectares or football fields of their rainforest homes are cut down each minute of every day. We see heartbreaking photos of orphans, mutilated, tortured or abused orangutans and pictures of devastated rain forests and may feel powerless to do anything about it.

Suffice it to say, orangutans are in critical danger, but so are hundreds of living beings. Scientists estimate that between 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours, so why should we especially care about orangutans? There are hundreds of species that deserve our attention but by saving these incredible apes we can save not only orangutans, but all the species on earth - including man.

Truly saving orangutans and safeguarding their futures would mean that we have finally made all the necessary adjustments to our selfish, greedy, and excessive consumptive practices that are ruining our Earth's precious ecosystems and would mean that we are taking seriously our personal impact on all life on our planet. As individuals, we need to make the impact on the political and corporate machines and demand transformation or there will be no hope for orangutans and, in turn, no future for man.

Why care about orangutans? By saving orangutans, we save ourselves and our planet. If we can protect and save this closest of evolutionary cousins of ours and protect their rainforest homes, it would mean we are making the necessary changes to possibly protect all life on earth.

Orangutans are critically endangered and may be the first great ape to go extinct. They share 97% of our DNA and, as one of our closest relatives, it is our responsibility to protect these intelligent, gentle apes. With each passing species, the Earth becomes a little less whole. A world without orangutans will lose much of its soul.

"It can be difficult sometimes for people to see the similarities between humans and orangutans," says Leif Cocks, Founder of The Orangutan Project. "I've spent the majority of my life with these great apes and witnessed their humanity many times. Orangutans have cognitive thoughts and have as much humanity as you or me, sometimes more so. They have some of the most beautiful souls you'll ever come across."

Saving orangutans also helps to save many other endangered species that live in the same forest, like tigers, elephants, rhinos, gibbons, sun bears, clouded leopards and countless other species of plants and animals.

So, who cares? Well, there are dozens of hardworking, dedicated organizations, conservation groups, rescue and rehabilitation centers all working to save these incredible great apes. Gary Shapiro, President of Orang Utan Republik Foundation expressed that, “Respecting the rights of orangutans to co-exist with humans is essential if we are to save them for the long term. While orangutans are unable to speak out to defend themselves, orangutan advocacy groups will continue to give voice to orangutans and their rights as critically endangered species and as individual sentient beings."

For more information:
Contact: Holly Draluck
Event coordinator
Email: Website: http://orangutancaringweek.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldOrangutanEvents
#OrangutanCaringWeek #OCW

PDF copy

Word Doc copy

Press Release: Orangutan Caring Week 2018

Nov. 4, 2018 - PRLog -- It's Orangutan Caring Week…but who cares?

Orangutan Caring Week (OCW) is Nov. 11-17. This year's theme is "Valuing Orangutans over Profits to Avoid Extinction" but apparently, orangutans are not worth very much in the eyes of those who are destroying their rainforest homes and pushing them ever closer to extinction.

The orangutan's intrinsic value is so precious that it cannot be measured in dollars. If we were to assign a true value to orangutans and the rainforest, we could in no way afford the exploited products that come at the high price of extinction. There would be no affording the timber or palm oil or minerals or the pets. There would be no profit for the corrupt officials and greedy corporations.

Sadly, OCW can become just another one of many in a long string of forgettable special awareness days dedicated to yet another endangered species showing up as a fleeting post or picture that we scroll past on our Facebook and Twitter feeds, rarely moving us to much more action than a 'like', share or re-post.

We are often given incomprehensible and hard to grasp facts about how many orangutans are left in the wild, how many years they have left before they go extinct, or how many hectares or football fields of their rainforest homes are cut down each minute of every day. We see heartbreaking photos of orphans, mutilated, tortured or abused orangutans and pictures of devastated rain forests which can cause us to succumb to feelings of helplessness and an inability to enact any change.

Suffice it to say, orangutans are in critical danger, but so are hundreds of living things. Scientists estimate that between 150-200 species of plant, insect, bird and mammal become extinct every 24 hours, so why should we especially care about orangutans? There are hundreds of species that deserve our attention but by saving these incredible apes we can save not only orangutans, but all the species on earth - including man. If we can save orangutans, we can save the world!

The Animals of the planet are in desperate peril.
Without free animal life we will lose the spiritual equivalent of oxygen.
- Alice Walker

Orangutans are critically endangered and may be the first great ape to go extinct. They share 97% of our DNA and, as one of our closest evolutionary cousins, it is our responsibility to protect these intelligent, gentle apes. With each passing species, the Earth becomes a little less whole. A world without orangutans will lose much of its soul.

Saving orangutans also helps to save many other endangered species that live in the same forest, like tigers, rhinos, gibbons, sun bears, clouded leopards and countless other species of plants and animals.

Habitat loss due to rainforest destruction, illegal logging, palm oil plantations, and an illegal pet trade are pushing orangutans toward extinction. Rainforests play a vital role in the health of our planet. The habitat of the orangutan, the tropical rain forest, is vital to not only orangutans but to other wildlife and to all of us on this planet. Rainforests and related ecosystems provide important services from climate moderation, to water quality and erosion control, to storehouses of genetic species and ecological biodiversity. By saving these beautiful red-haired apes it would mean that we are able to make the necessary changes to our own global environmental impact through the products we buy and choices we make in time to save not only orangutans but all the species on earth - including man.

It is not enough to just be aware of the issues. We must also care, and care enough to be moved to action. Each November, Orangutan Caring Week focuses attention on the plight of orangutans in hopes of spreading awareness and motivating people to truly care.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot
nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

So, who cares? There are dozens of hardworking, dedicated organizations, conservation groups, rescue and rehab centers all working to save these incredible great apes. We cannot all have boots on the ground, but we can fully support those who do whether financially or with our time and efforts. Many of these groups, along with zoos and animal facilities worldwide, will be participating in Orangutan Caring Week next week with special social media campaigns, awareness and fundraising events – but there are many ways individuals can participate, as well.

If ever there was a time to care, that time is now!

For more information:

Contact: Holly Draluck
Event coordinator
Email: Website: https://orangutancaringweek.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldOrangutanEvents

Past Press Releases:
Orangutan Caring Week 2017