Doing our bit on Orangutan Awareness Week 2016

I don’t need much excuse to bang on about my love for animals. But seeing as this week is Orangutan Awareness Week, I suppose it’s as good a time as any! For as long as I can remember, I’ve been besotted with orangutans. Their gentle demeanour and human-like nature totally captivates me. Even the word orangutan itself comes from the Malay language, meaning ‘person of the forest.’

You may have noticed that orangutans have been in the news quite a bit recently. Sadly, though, not for the happiest of reasons.

Critically endangered

This year the Bornean orangutan was declared critically endangered, as a result of deforestation which has led to habitat loss. This is heart-breaking. Not just for me personally, but for everyone at Rickshaw, as well as our local partners who share our love for orangutans and our passion for protecting their home.

A future without orangutans?

We’re proud to be able to arrange Meaningful Travel experiences that give travellers the opportunity to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat, whilst supporting local Sumatran & Bornean communities. We offer trips in Semeonggoh, Kuching, Sepilok, Sabah, and Bukit Lawang, Sumatra where projects are set up to aid their conservation. So to think that one day there may not be any orangutans left to see at all is tragic. So, we want to do something about this. And we’re calling on you to help too (pretty please)!

Supporting the Orangutan Foundation

We want to help raise awareness of Orangutan Awareness Week, a campaign set up by Orangutan Foundation; a UK registered charity which aims to save orangutans by protecting their tropical forest habitat and working with local communities whilst promoting research and education. The Orangutan Foundation works to safeguard three areas of critical orangutan habitat in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, but also supports the work of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme, based in Medan, Sumatra. All money raised for their cause go towards:

• Habitat protection & reforestation
• Orangutan translocation & release
• Capacity building & sustainable livelihoods
• Education & awareness
• Scientific research

Rickshaw, the ginger bakers!

We love a good bake off- that’s no lie. Combine that with a bit of fancy dress and we’re in heaven. So, on Friday 11^th November we’re going ginger for the day in honour of our red-headed ape-friends. On top of that we’ll be selling tasty treats to our Brighton pals to raise those precious funds. Don’t worry- we’ll be posting some pics.

Want to help? Donate today!

Even the teeniest tiniest contribution goes a long way in helping to save orangutans from extinction. If you want to support our ginger antics and this worthy cause, just pop over to our Just Giving page. Oh and don’t forget to share.

Other ways you can help

If you want to do more than donate, there are plenty of ways you can show your support. Here are just a few;

Join a cause

There are plenty of amazing organisations out there, be it Orangutan Foundation or Sumatran Orangutan Society. So why not join up, buy a t-shirt or adopt an orangutan and help towards conservation efforts across Borneo and Sumatra.

Experience one of our trips

Seeing orangutans with Rickshaw is a brilliant way of experiencing these great apes in their natural habitat, learning about their conversation and supporting  local projects and communities. Check out our bite-sized trips in Semenggoh, Sepilok and Bukit Lawang.

Avoid products that contain Palm Oil

Palm oil plantations are a major source of deforestation, causing orangutans to lose their homes. Avoiding products with palm oil can help protect orangutans, other wildlife, and the rainforest.

Spread the word

Tell your friends and spread awareness.

It’s more important than ever to stand up for orangutans. The recent news about their endangered status emphasises the urgent need to protect their rainforest homes. At the current deforestation rate, orangutan numbers are thought to drop as much as 86% by 2025. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.