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By Jessica McKelson from the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme
I am excited to meet you in November in North Sumatra on your travel journey. I can only imagine how you feel signing up to this amazing program. Its such a beautiful place and has so much to offer! I want to introduce you to a little of how I got involved with Sumatra and why I work here now full time, and what you will expect when you travel throughout this country.
For the past 3 years I have been working for PanEco in the role as the Quarantine Director for the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP), based in North Sumatra. I oversee the management of the Sumatran orangutans from the time they are confiscated to the time they are released back to the wild. I began my career as Supervisor Primates at Melbourne Zoo, where I worked since 2000–2012, before I took on a conservation role with SOCP. During my time at the zoo, I spent the 12 years traveling and working with orangutans and wildlife conservation organisations throughout Indonesia.
I developed this deep passion for animal conservation during a confronting visit to Indonesia's orangutan habitats back in 2003. I had seen so many orphaned orangutans and no forests for them to go. It had affected me on a deep emotional level. What I thought I would see was abundant rainforests, but what I actually seen in the airplane flying across Kalimantan and Sumatra was palm oil monocultures, which extended into the horizon as far as the eye could see.
Almost 80% of orangutan habitat has disappeared in the last 20 years.- Jessica McKelson
This monoculture had replaced the natural habitats of orangutans and it was something I was totally unprepared for. Back in 2003, many people were not aware of palm oil and the environmental implications this agricultural crop had when developed unsustainably.
Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil which is used in everything from snack foods to soaps. It is found in over half all packaged items on our supermarket shelves and is also being used to develop biofuel.
In the last 20 years, over 3.5 million hectares of Indonesian and Malaysian forest have been destroyed to make way for palm oil. Almost 80% of orangutan habitat has disappeared in the last 20 years. This large-scale deforestation is pushing many species to extinction.
To date we [SOCP] have released over 320 orangutans back to the wild since 2003.- Jessica McKelson
Your tour will take you behind the scenes with the SOCP Quarantine facility for the orangutans that are displaced from natural habitat, many which have had their mothers killed during the process, and ended up on the illegal pet trade. Mainly as a result of habitat conversion for palm oil plantations.
The orangutans which end up in our facility are the lucky orphans, who get a second chance of freedom. They are placed through a schooled process of learning with other orangutans and eventually released back into the wild.
Witnessing our SOCP Quarantine program is a great start to your travel program. It is no doubt confronting, but it's the reality of what we are dealing with in front line conservation and habitat protection efforts.
Your visit and donation enables us to continue to rescue and release orangutans back to the wild. To date we have released over 320 orangutans back to the wild since 2003. We currently have 50 orangutans in the quarantine process.
Departing from our program, your adventure tour will take you on a personal journey that will leave you inspired to make an ongoing difference in your daily lives. You will drive past palm oil monocultures, join local community programs and also experience the natural habitat of the orangutans.
The best form of education is to witness the impact of what is happening in your travel program; inspire yourself to make a difference with a positive action; then go home and influence others to also join your individual movement.
Look forward to meeting you soon!
[All images: Jess McKelson, SOCP]
Read More
How to avoid buying palm oil products
This November, 1 Million Women co-CEOs Nat and Tara and 13 other inspiring women will be venturing to the Sumatran jungle to experience the impacts of palm oil firsthand. Part of this journey will be trekking through Gunung Leuser National Park – the last sanctuary of the Sumatran orangutan, planting trees and visiting the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) in Medan.
You can meet the passionate Trek participants and donate to their fundraising pages here.
