Walking big for the orangutans

5 July 2009

On 27 June, a group of about 20 BOS Sydney supporters got together to raise money for the orangutans.

Organised by long time supporter Benita Gevorkian, the group covered 40km from Palm Beach to Taronga Zoo.  Suitably clothed in orangutan tshirts and draped with long-armed friends, the walkers attracted attention and donations along the way.

The heavens opened at Spit Bridge, tempting some to think about a bus for the final part of the journey. However, not to be beaten, the walk continued and the sun again came out, providing a beautiful view of Chinaman’s Beach.

With some of the group having got out of bed at 4:30am to get public transport up to Palm Beach, it was a long day. A group of tired but very happy walkers finally made their way to Taronga Zoo in the knowledge that they collectively had raised over $9,000!

On behalf of the BOS Australia Committee and more importantly, the orangutans, thank you to all who participated in this event either as walkers or raising money: Benita Gevorkian; Paul Haran; Nick Holt; Andrea Rodriguez; Jocelyn Penna; Helen Davila; Mandy Duggan; Andrea Truebar; Karen Stenner; Lisa Curtis; Lenka Macelova; Tara Anderson; Jane Marshall; Anders Anderson; Louise Grossfeldt; Helen Jones; Richard Diaz; Jan Hindmarsh; Emma Stringfellow; Loraine Rushton.

27 January 2012
As bounty hunters with bush knives entrapped them in a circle and moved in for the kill, the only thing this mother orang-utan could think to do was to wrap a giant protective arm around her daughter. Read Article »

18 January 2012
When fruit is scarce, try chomping on a slow loris. That seems to be the strategy adopted by the normally vegetarian orang-utans, which have been spotted knocking the small primates out of trees and killing them with a bite to the head. Read Article »

18 January 2012
Indonesia's certified palm oil production is expected to reach about 5.6 million tons by 2015, or one-fifth of its total palm oil output throughout the year, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) auditing body estimates. Read Article »

17 January 2012
An Indonesian rock band, Navicula, is highlighting the plight of orangutans in their native country through a new song entitled, aptly, "Orangutan."

4 January 2012
Maria Agatha van Noordwijk raised her eyebrow as she crossed out several Indonesian names on the list of orangutans she and her fellow experts and students studied in conservation projects in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Read Article »

27 December 2011
Eight-month-old baby orangutan Elaine would have never survived without her carer Rosa.

25 December 2011
Solaris Paper Pty Ltd, which supplies the Australian market with private label tissue products, is an Australian operated and managed affiliate of Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), a brand umbrella for paper products manufactured by a number of mills in Indonesia. Things got nasty recently when its tussle with Greenpeace over sourcing of rainforest timber became public. Read Article »

30 November 2011
The ambition of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was always to bring sustainable practices to the mainstream. Read Article »