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from my friend kate-
take a look at the photo
Got this mail from my friend Vicky Brown, who is a scientist and has spent much time in research of this mammal. Please take a moment to read this. Love, Kate To all my Friends with Hearts and Minds, I am foregoing my usual opposition to plying my views on others by sending you this message. I am plying away in hopes of raising your awareness about an issue I feel very strongly about, the State of Emergency that the Orangutan and its fellow flora and fauna endemic to the island of Borneo are in. Orangutans live in trees, eat their fruit, help to cultivate new ones. But, due to heavy-duty logging and burning of the forests to make way for an alarming number of palm oil plantations, they have no where to go. As such, they face starvation and increased vulnerability to being killed as they are seen as 'pests' by the large-scale companies who are interested in making a quick profit from selling the desirable timber (ebony, sandalwood, teak) and tilling the soil for palm oil. So quickly, in fact, that new estimates put the Orangutan extinct by the year 2018 - 10 YEARS! Not only do orangutans and countless other species suffer, but so do the local people. Retribution for their land is minimal and while they are offered employment to work the forest, they do so in sub-optimal and dangerous conditions. They, too, are facing a loss of their way of life. The costs associated with loss of habitat and livelihood are compounded by the fact that Indonesia is the 3rd largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions from burning the forest. I am encouraging you to take the time to read the product labels of food and cosmetic products you purchase to be sure they don't contain palm oil, palm fruit oil, or any derivation of palmitate (unless it is certifiably sustainable). It is in an incredible number of foods and body products namely because palm oil contains no trans fatty oils and it contributes to a long shelf-life. Still, we can do without it. Please help me celebrate the beauty and innocence of such amazing creatures and their continued existence by making mindful purchases, not only if you do so this Friday, November 15th, International Orangutan Awareness Day, but any day. I realize there are a plethora of causes to attend to, but I am simply trying to plant a seed in your conscientious minds and hearts to help others less fortunate, even if they live 1/2 way around the world! Respectfully Yours, Vicki & Dodo (he is a rescued orphan when his mother was killed and now at a rehabilitation center in Kalimantan) p.s. - if you are interested in further reading and/or donating to noteworthy causes, I suggest: www.redapes.org/bos-projects/ www.orangutan.org.uk www.greenpeace.org or just google 'orangutan' and 'palm oil' - i couldn't stop crying for days. |