AUTUMN 2020
bornfree.org.uk
04 HAVE YOU HEARD? Top stories, wild news and reasons to be cheerful.
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EACH ANIMAL COUNTS Upbeat tales about individual animals who matter.
REWRITE THEIR STARS A bright future beckons for four lions rescued from a French circus.
WE WANT A FUTURE WHERE ANIMALS THRIVE IN THE WILD. WE ARE BORN FREE.
We have been working to protect wild animals since 1984. Working alongside local communities, we manage or fund conservation and animal welfare projects in more than 20 countries worldwide. We also rescue vulnerable wild animals from appalling captive conditions – releasing them back into the wild, or giving them lifetime care at our sanctuaries.
To find out more about our work, see bornfree.org.uk
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WELCOME
Charity No:1070906
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THE POWER OF HOPE Will Travers explains why Born Free is always optimistic.
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ORANGUTANS ON THE BRINK
ALL ABOUT CHOCOLATE
Taking action to save orangutans
The brand you choose
in Borneo.
can protect forests and save wild animals.
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CREATURE DISCOMFORTS Our new film highlights the plight of wild animals in captivity.
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Isn’t it strange. We live in enforced separation and yet, in some ways, have never been closer. We have found issues and values to share. And Born Free, despite all the challenges, remains optimistic. Optimistic because we can make a difference for wild animals, not least orangutans – the focus of our new campaign. We can help protect populations, rescue individuals, stop exploitation and influence policy, together with our partners at the outstanding Orangutan Foundation. My great friend, Ian Redmond, explains why Asia’s deeply intelligent and sensitive great ape is so close to his heart.
IT’S A WILD LIFE “Everyone can draw.” Meet artist Jane Lee McCracken.
WILD GIFTS Each sale from our eye-catching new range helps wildlife.
A WARM
Welcome
BY WILL TRAVERS OBE
Optimistic because, thanks to your donations and as soon as travel restrictions permit, four lions rescued from a French circus will head to their new home in South Africa. Optimistic because our new film, Creature Discomforts, made by multi-award winning Aardman Animations, explains why the isolation we now understand – endured by wild animals in captivity – is not good for anyone and must change. Optimistic because so many of you have stepped up to support Born Free when things are tough, allowing our multi-faceted work to continue. Can you tell what my take-home word for this, our second edition of Wild Life, is? Optimism is also the subject of my Power of hope article. Finally, I am optimistic we will not return to business as usual and instead find a new normal. With more compassion, less exploitation and greater respect for, and dedication to, the natural world. I hope you agree!
Executive President, will@bornfree.org.uk,
@willtravers
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
03
LOCKED UP FOR LIFE Have you seen our new film, Creature Discomforts: A Lifetime in Lockdown by Aardman Animations? It uses people’s experiences of lockdown to highlight the plight of captive wild animals. In zoos, circuses and dolphinaria, countless individuals endure endless confinement. Read more about Creature Discomforts on page 22.
TIGERS IN THAILAND Tigers have been spotted in western Thailand via camera trap images for the first time in four years. As few as 200 of the rare Indochinese subspecies remain in the Thai jungle. But, supported by Born Free since 1998, our Freeland colleagues work hard to ensure their future. © Freeland
WELSH CIRCUS BAN Wales has joined Scotland and England in banning the use of wild animals in circuses. “Our thanks to the thousands of you who lobbied the Welsh government,” said Born Free’s Dr Chris Draper. “We’ve campaigned © P Allardyce
for decades to end such outdated exploitation.”
OUR THANKS TO THE THOUSANDS OF YOU WHO LOBBIED THE WELSH GOVERNMENT
GOING BATS FOR WILDLIFE Long-term supporters Angela and Martin Humphery, both in their 90s, raised over £30k for our campaign to shut down global wildlife markets, by walking over 110 miles for a two month lockdown challenge on London’s Hampstead Heath. They were joined by our Co-Founders, Virginia McKenna OBE and Will Travers
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HAVE YOU HEARD?
OBE, on the last day of their challenge.
PRIDE BEFORE THE FALL Following success on Kickstarter, a collection of captivating lion images by acclaimed photographer George Logan will soon be available. The large format hardback book will celebrate the dramatic lifecycle of lions. All proceeds from the book will support our work to monitor and protect lions
© georgelogan.co.uk
in Meru National Park, Kenya.
HOPE FOR PANGOLINS Having advocated for greater protection for years, Born Free congratulates China for removing pangolins from its traditional medicine list. Heavily exploited for scales and meat, all eight species face extinction. We will work to ensure this new legislation is enforced.
GOOD HARE DAY Changes to Scottish laws should mean a reprieve for seals and mountain hares from large scale shooting by fish farmers and gamekeepers. Welcoming the news, Born Free’s Dr Mark Jones said: “We need England and Wales to follow suit and introduce greater protections © M Pitts USAid Asia
IVORY VICTORY
for hares and other diminishing wild species from exploitation without delay.”
the antiques trade to lodge further appeals against
IN MEMORY OF KADRI ABDOU
the Ivory Act, ending these lengthy delays to its
Born Free is devastated by the tragic loss of giraffe
implementation. Shockingly, the UK was the world’s
champion Kadri Abdou, killed by terrorist action in Niger
largest exporter of legal ivory and, with your support,
in August. Kadri dedicated his life to the conservation
Born Free has fought a lengthy battle to ban the
of the West African giraffe, an endangered species
trade. Our mission to protect elephants and end
found only in Niger. He was killed with six French
the scourge of ivory poaching continues.
humanitarian NGO workers and their Nigerian driver.
The UK’s Supreme Court has rejected attempts by
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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L A M I N A COUNTS
EACH
EVERY ANIMAL IS UNIQUE AND, WHETHER BIG OR SMALL, DESERVES A LIFE FREE FROM HARM. TOGETHER, LET’S MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR WILDLIFE, ONE INDIVIDUAL AT A TIME.
ORANGUTAN BIRTHS
The bond between orangutan mother and infant is
It’s baby season for the orangutans protected in
and build a sleeping nest. A female normally has just
Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, Borneo, and we are
three offspring in her life and this low reproduction rate
celebrating news of four wild births. It’s not easy
puts orangutans at risk. All three species are critically
to identify a pregnant female but, supported by
endangered, with fewer than 100,000 in the wild.
one of nature’s strongest. Together for up to eight years, the youngster learns how to find food, avoid predators
Born Free, our Orangutan Foundation colleagues kept a watchful eye for enlarged bellies and appetites. One new mother lovingly caring for her newborn is 13-year-old Pauline, whose own mother Paula was rescued and returned to the wild – orangutan reintroduction really works!
ELSA’S PRIDE GETS BIGGER Meanwhile, in Kenya, four cubs have been born to Liz the lioness, of Elsa’s Pride in Meru National Park. One of the park’s oldest lion families and monitored by our team, the pride is named after the lioness star of Born Free. The 340 square mile park suffered a poaching epidemic in the 1980s, but we are working with Kenya Wildlife Service to restore the park to its former glory. This includes 19 lions recently translocated to Meru from elsewhere in the country. Kenya has © M Bal
announced a 25% increase in lion numbers to 2,489 and we are delighted our nationwide efforts seem to be having an impact.
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EACH ANIMAL COUNTS
YOU CAN HELP Visit bornfree.org.uk/adopt to adopt Timtom the orangutan, Elsa’s Pride or the Ethiopian Wolf Family.
NEW ETHIOPIAN WOLF PUPS Breeding is also in full swing for the world’s rarest canid, with a remarkable 48 Ethiopian wolf pups recorded this year. High in the afroalpine uplands, pack members are busier than ever on early morning patrols or babysitting increasingly adventurous puppies while the alpha female forages for rats.
© burrard-lucas.com
“Every day I have reasons to celebrate the work of the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme,” says our Chief Scientist, Professor Claudio Sillero. “We gain battles such as the abundance of pups and expansion of oral rabies vaccination. Born Free support since 1994 makes this good news possible, but we cannot relax,
EVERY DAY I HAVE REASONS TO CELEBRATE THE WORK OF THE ETHIOPIAN WOLF CONSERVATION PROGRAMME
as social, political and economic challenges persist, complicated by covid-19.”
FOXES RETURN TO THE WILD Do you remember the fox cub family hand-reared since April by Born Free rescuer, Tarnya Knight? Nicknamed the Charcoals and rescued when a shed was dismantled, their round the clock care in Sussex, UK, included regular bottle feeds, but contact was kept to a minimum to give the best possible chance of rehabilitation. The five were released in July including this one, bright-eyed and back in the wild. With a quarter of native mammal species under threat of extinction, our work to protect UK wildlife is more important than ever.
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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It’s been a busy few months for Born Free and
Mowgli and Zeiss weren’t the only big cats rescued
our rescue partners. Maggie Balaskas updates
in March. In Ethiopia, we rehomed two cheetah cubs –
on some of the animals now in our care.
victims of illegal trade – to our Ensessa Kotteh rescue centre. Coro and Pollyanna (named in honour of our
Sadly, for many of the animals Born Free rescues,
much-missed Patron, artist Pollyanna Pickering) were
rehabilitation to the wild is just not possible. Instead,
underweight and in poor health but, after a great deal
with your support, we try to ensure the best possible
of care, recovered well.
lifetime care in spacious, appropriate environments. Did you hear about Jon the lion? Emaciated,
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Rescued from Bloemfontein Zoo in March, leopards
declawed, and with barely any teeth, he was rescued
Mowgli and Zeiss would never survive alone. Instead,
from appalling conditions in a circus in France, having
they are gradually settling into our big cat sanctuary at
been kept illegally. Rescued in June by our partners,
Shamwari Private Game Reserve, South Africa. Leopards
French charity OneVoice and Natuurhulpcentrum in
are naturally elusive, so camera traps give an exciting
Belgium, Jon is recovering at Tonga Terre d’Accueil
insight into what they get up to when no one is watching.
rescue centre in Lyon. “I’m delighted he’s safe and
BIG CATS AND BEAR CUBS
Many, like Karel and Kuzya, needed intensive care but, thanks to the team’s expertise, all 18 have gone from strength to strength. Once weaned, and after time in the indoor play zone where wooden platforms encouraged climbing, they moved into a woodland enclosure in early summer – when a mother bear would first lead cubs from their den. Acclimatising to the weather and becoming familiar with the forest environment, the cubs also learn to forage for roots and berries like their wild counterparts. We’ll report on their progress soon, as their incredible journey back to the wild continues!
Maggie Balaskas Animal Rescue & Care Manager maggie@bornfree.org.uk
ORPHAN BEAR RESCUE CENTRE HAVE HAD THEIR HANDS FULL RAISING THIS YEAR’S RESCUED BEAR CUBS
© OneVoice
© OBRC
Jon in temporary care in France has made great progress,” says our Head of Animal Welfare & Captivity Dr Chris Draper. “We hope to relocate him to a lifetime care facility. His shocking condition was proof, once again, that circuses are no place for wild animals.” For individuals bred and raised in captivity, rehabilitation to their natural habitat is well-nigh impossible. However, for an animal rescued after being injured or orphaned in the wild, it can be feasible. Once fit and healthy, each animal would ideally go back to where they were found, with food available and places to shelter. In Russia, our partners at Orphan Bear Rescue Centre have had their hands full raising this year’s rescued bear cubs – all 18 of them! Pollyanna Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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REWRITE THEIR
STARS Angela, Bellone, Louga and Saïda spent nearly their entire lives in a circus, suffering a deprived existence. But, having been surrendered by their owner, a brighter future now beckons. The four lions are currently at Tonga Terre d’Accueil rescue centre in France, while we raise funds to take them to South Africa. There, a lifetime home awaits at our big cat sanctuary in Shamwari Private Game Reserve.
Your support is making their life-changing adventure
Angela, Bellone, Louga and Saïda are feeding
possible. We want to thank each of you for generously
well and seem content. Dr Jean-Christophe Gerard,
donating and sharing their story. And your dedication
veterinarian at Tonga Terre d’Accueil, says: “We’re
hasn’t stopped there! Nearly 13,000 of you have emailed
taking close care of them and all four got through
the French government calling for a national ban on
lockdown without problems.”
the use of wild animals in circuses. The group has a close relationship, greeting each other Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has delayed
with head rubs. Although very much the leader, Louga
the lions’ journey. But, once travel restrictions have
seems to emanate calm and, when dozing in the day,
lifted, paperwork is in place and it is safe to travel,
often lies close to the lionesses.
the four will be on their way. In the meantime,
YOU CAN HELP Around 30 countries have banned the use of wild animal in circuses. It’s time France did the same – add your voice at bornfree.org.uk/france-take-action
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REWRITE THEIR STARS
Rehome
HOW DO YOU
A
lion?
AT EVERY STAGE THE LIONS’ WELL-BEING IS OUR PRIORITY.
TAKING FOUR LIONS FROM FRANCE TO SOUTH AFRICA IS AN EPIC EFFORT:
1
3
PREPARATION, INCLUDING PAPERWORK, BUILDING TRAVEL CRATES AND HEALTH CHECKING THE LIONS
2
LOAD EACH LION INTO THEIR OWN CRATE AND DRIVE TO AIRPORT
4 DRIVE TO SHAMWARI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
5 OPEN CRATES AND ALLOW LIONS INTO THEIR NEW ENCLOSURE
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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A conservation optimist, Will Travers OBE encourages us to focus on wild solutions and share Born Free’s practical vision for a positive future. We all noticed the changes – the increased birdsong, more butterflies, cleaner air, a resurgence of nature. Even, reportedly, dolphins swimming through clear waters of Venetian canals. Of course, covid-19’s tragic and terrible impact has brought misery, uncertainty and devastating loss to so much of the planet, but it has also given nature – and ourselves – a breathing space. 12
THE POWER OF HOPE
So can there be cause for optimism? I think so. All too often we hear stories of conservation doom and gloom: species teetering on the brink of extinction, forests bulldozed flat to grow cattle feed, seas choked with plastic, wild animal poaching, the cruel and unsustainable wildlife trade depleting our precious biodiversity. So why am I still an optimist? After more than 35 years working with my colleagues at Born Free around the world, supported by a growing number of caring individuals like you, I have learned you simply have to be – otherwise we’d have given up years ago. There is good news – which keeps me going, revives my spirit, gives me hope. It is good news I want to share. The steady growth in India’s tigers, the increase in gorillas – mountain and now eastern lowland, the recovery in rare West African giraffe and at least three © georglogan.co.uk
of five rhino species. Achievements to be celebrated. Yes, hard-won over many years by Born Free and our allies, but demonstrating that, if we want to badly
It’s true these wins are too few and far between.
enough, we can turn things around. That, despite
They need to become the norm, not the exception.
ravages of rabies and canine distemper, our efforts
The pressures the human species continues to exert
in support of Ethiopian wolves mean numbers have
on all other species are immense and the resources
stabilised. Our vision to ensure lions roam safely
we have to fight back, to level the playing field, are
in Kenya, our spiritual homeland, is becoming
minute. When I tell you that in 2019, the UK Treasury
a reality. Proof that hard work, generosity and
spent about £40bn on defence but just £3bn on
sheer determination make all the difference.
our environment, you can see the stark reality, the imbalance. How can we save nature if we don’t invest
Thanks to our long-term, concerted efforts over
in nature?
decades with many peers, the global ivory trade is grinding to a halt, trophy hunting’s claims to be
Of course, it’s about protecting the myriad animals
a conservation strategy have been exposed for the
and plants, the glorious diversity of life that shares
self-serving nonsense they are and all pangolin
this world. But, it’s also about conserving the essential
species are fully protected (at least on paper,
services the natural world provides. Water, food,
now we must make it a reality on the ground).
clothing, raw materials, psychological relief, spiritual enlightenment – there are so many ways nature is vital to our survival. Yet we think it’s free, we take it for granted. In fact, plainly speaking, we simply take, take, take.
INDIA’S TIGERS UP
33% SINCE 2015 TO NEARLY 3,000
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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There is a concept called Earth Overshoot Day. Their website explains it thus: "Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources in a given year exceeds what Earth can
We can all play our part – as individuals, families,
regenerate. Scientists combine reliable data and
communities, countries, and as a global society.
reasonable assumptions… evaluating changes in
I am proud Born Free has built up a network of
carbon emissions, forest harvest, food demand,
committed partners around the world to deliver
and other factors.”
effective results across wild animal welfare, education, policy and – of course – conservation.
Earth Overshoot Day 2020, was 22nd August. This was
And this is Compassionate Conservation, where
the date humanity exhausted Earth’s budget for the year.
the well-being of individual animals is our priority.
So, we are no longer living off renewable resources,
We are honoured to work with the Orangutan
we’re now living off the capital – Earth itself. Depleting
Foundation, Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Pole Pole
its ability to replace resources in the future. When
Foundation (gorillas), Ethiopian Wolf Conservation
Earth Overshoot Day falls is entirely down to us. If we
Programme, OrcaLab, Giraffe Conservation
accelerate our destruction of the natural world, the day
Foundation, Jaguars in the Fringe, Satpuda
will get even earlier. If we reduce negative impacts and
Landscape Tiger Partnership, Zambia Primate
invest in nature, we can push the day further away.
Project – the list goes on.
Surely, it must be our shared objective to make Earth Overshoot Day 31st December every year? Then we will truly be living sustainably.
WEST AFRICAN GIRAFFES UP
90% SINCE 1990S TO 450
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THE POWER OF HOPE
Our arms stretch across our fragile, beautiful natural world. Through our sister organisation, Born Free USA, working so hard in West and central Africa, to Born Free offices in Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa and, soon to be, Sri Lanka. Maybe this dreadful, catastrophic pandemic has given us one positive, the opportunity to pause for thought, to step back from the cliff edge, to rethink our lives and relationship with the natural world before it is too late. I have been asked whether current measures are enough to protect nature? Absolutely not. That’s not to say we shouldn’t do what we can in our daily lives to reduce our impact. But, as citizens, we can only do so much. We look to business, financial institutions and governments to reflect our values and deliver levels of investment and governance to make transformative change. It’s been estimated we need to spend about £63bn a year to secure and maintain all the world’s protected areas – just £8 per person per year. Is that
RHINOS UP
too much to ask?
WITH YOUR SUPPORT, BORN FREE DELIVERS EFFECTIVE RESULTS ACROSS WILD ANIMAL WELFARE, EDUCATION, POLICY AND OF COURSE - CONSERVATION
30% SINCE 2010 TO AROUND 27,300
And talking of business, things have to change. Business as usual is no longer an option. Covid-19 freed the sky of planes, unclogged our roads of cars. We can profoundly change the way we work, establish a new contract with the natural world. But, we each need to make the commitment. So, I for one am going to: fly hardly at all, drive a lot less, consume and pollute a lot less, recycle a lot more, work smarter. And, care far more: for my fellow citizens, our communities, our environment, and the other 30 million species that share our singular, wonderful and extraordinary planet. Now is the time to invest in nature. Not for sentimental reasons but, because it is in our own interest to do so. For all these reasons, and because I refuse to give up, I remain, resolutely, a conservation optimist. Join me!
Will Travers OBE Executive President will@bornfree.org.uk
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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ON THE BRINK Wild orangutans face many threats – but especially from palm oil production. Penny Banham reports. Shorea trees, the world’s tallest flowering plant, punctuate the forest canopy in south east Asia, stretching their branches to their neighbours. Dormant for the majority of their lives, they bloom every three to four years, heavily laden with fruit rich in fat. Known as fruit masting, this process attracts the world largest arboreal mammal, the orangutan. Whilst these red-haired great apes spend most of their lives alone, this abundance of food brings them closer to their cohorts than any other time. All species of orangutans are critically endangered due to the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of their forest habitat. In the past three decades, 80% of their forest home has been destroyed by logging, mining, infrastructure development and the rise of palm oil plantations. Palm oil comes from the fruit of oil palm trees and has been used for millennia as a staple crop. Fruit is crushed to extract cooking oil, seed-kernel shells burnt for heat and leaves woven into everything from roofs to hats. Widely available, cheap to produce and with a broad spectrum of uses, palm oil has become hugely desirable in recent decades. Worldwide production accounts for 10% of global cropland with 85% coming from Malaysia and Indonesia. Palm oil is used in some 50% of packaged goods, including pizza, chocolate, shampoo and candles. This oil comes at a devastating cost – the lives of orangutans, whose habitat is slashed and burnt for oil palm plantations. In Sumatra, at least 40,000 square miles have been cleared, leaving orangutans without food, safety, or even a home.
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ORANGUTANS ON THE BRINK
Many argue it is better to demand sustainable palm oil rather than boycott it altogether as alternative oil crops such as sunflower, soybean and rapeseed require larger amounts of land. But, guaranteeing sustainability of palm oil can be difficult and companies who have made bold commitments often fall short of the mark. Progress is being made but, in the meantime, the forests and the orangutans need our help. Born Free is committed to protecting orangutans and their
HOW MANY ARE THERE? THREE SPECIES:
BORNEO
57,400
habitat. We fund the Orangutan Foundation’s crucial work with local people to conserve wild orangutans and their forests in Borneo. In Tanjung Puting National Park, the Orangutan Foundation protects this globally important ecosystem by operating guard posts and patrols to reduce illegal poaching. Meanwhile, at Lamandau Wildlife Reserve, the Orangutan
SUMATRAN
13,000
Foundation rescues orangutans in need of help – orphaned, injured or taken from the wild to be kept as pets – expertly preparing them for reintroduction to the wild. Yes, the situation for orangutans is critical. But, with your help, we can give them a brighter future. Please support
TAPANULI
800
our campaign to bring orangutans back from the brink.
Penny Banham Conservation Project Officer penny@bornfree.org.uk
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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PEOPLE OF THE
ADOPTION: Visit bornfree.org.uk/adopt to adopt our orphan orangutan Timtom
Dr Nikki Tagg takes a closer look at an exceptional
You only have to read the updates on Timtom,
species, supremely adapted to thriving in treetops
our rescued adoptee orangutan who was taken from her mother and sold into the pet trade, to understand
With distinctive red hair orangutans, the only great ape
how much she is having to learn. She lives at the
species to live outside Africa, are amazingly unique.
Born Free-supported soft-release camp in Borneo,
Unlike other great apes, they are semi-solitary and
run by the Orangutan Foundation, and you can
spend nearly their entire lives in trees, alone or in
adopt her.
mother-offspring units. Although, like humans, adult males grow beards, some also develop flanges –
The word orangutan means person of the forest
flaps of fatty tissue on either side of their face.
in Malay. Like us in so many ways, yet fascinatingly distinct. Let’s keep our cousins safe!
In other ways, orangutans are more similar to other great apes, including us. They are capable of reasoning, construct elaborate sleeping nests and use sophisticated
Dr Nikki Tagg
tools including sticks to reach ants or honey, leaves
Conservation Programmes Manager
to make umbrellas or gloves for handling prickly fruits.
nikkit@bornfree.org.uk
Orangutans are very dextrous, using hands and feet for gripping. Like us, they have four fingers and an opposable thumb but, unlike us, their feet look much like hands with an opposable big toe. It takes a lot of work growing up as an orangutan and they have extremely low reproductive rates. Infants stay with their mother until at least seven, learning the skills to survive on their own, including identifying over 400 different foods. A female will have only three offspring in her 30-40 year lifetime, each eight years apart.
© Orangutan Foundation
You can adopt Timtom
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PEOPLE OF THE FOREST
WARNING
Orangutans
critically endangered Orangutans have been pushed to the brink. Classified as critically endangered, there’s fewer than 100,000 left in the wild. You can give them a better future by helping rescue orangutans in need and protecting their forest homes.
DONATE TODAY: BORNFREE.ORG.UK/ORANGUTANS-BRINK
ERS OF TH N E D R E GA
FOREST 4
NEST-BUILDING HELPS LIGHT PENETRATE THE CANOPY TO REACH YOUNG PLANTS
5
A KEYSTONE SPECIES, ORANGUTANS ARE VITAL FOR HEALTHY FORESTS
Why
matter
THEY HELP SHAPE HABITAT FOR THOUSANDS OF PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES
20
1
WHY ORANGUTANS MATTER
3
2
THEIR DUNG ENRICHES SOIL AND RECYCLES NUTRIENTS
FRUIT SEEDS IN THEIR DUNG DISPERSE TREES SO FORESTS REGENERATE
Renowned for his devotion to gorilla and elephant conservation, Ian Redmond also has an affinity with Asia’s flame-haired forest gardener. Orangutans and I have much in common. I was born in Malaysia and orangutans are found only in Malaysia and Indonesia. They spend most of their life in treetops and, since boyhood, I take any opportunity to climb trees. They have long arms and, as a schoolboy whenever I had a new blazer, my arms were always longer than my sleeves! Mum used to joke a female orangutan had swapped babies when I was in my cot in Kluang, a stone’s throw from the jungle. But when, as an adult, I revisited this town of my birth, I found the rainforest almost replaced by buildings and serried ranks of oil palms. Dirt roads had become dual carriageways. So when Ashley Leiman sought advice on setting up a charity to help orangutans, how could I resist? For 30 years, she has dedicated her life to building the Orangutan Foundation into an effective force and I am honoured to be a Trustee. It’s fantastic you help Born Free support this work – thank you! Orangutans are important for many reasons. Ethical – they are intelligent, self-aware beings worthy of our respect. Ecological – like elephants, they are a keystone species who as they feed prune trees, disperse seeds and fertilise soil with their droppings. Economic – they maintain the health of the forest, delivering ecosystem services to us all. Trees growing from seeds in orangutan faeces take in carbon dioxide, store carbon (helping prevent climate change) and release oxygen. Rainforests of south east Asia pump water vapour into the atmosphere forming weather systems that deliver rain thousands of miles away. Orangutans are also popular with tourists, which can bring economic benefits to communities near their habitat. There is a fourth reason too – evolution. Orangutans and humans shared a common ancestor 14 million years ago, so we are distant cousins. You only have to watch an orangutan mother and infant to see the kinship. And in saving orangutans and their habitat, we save countless other species. Save apes, to save forests, to save the world.
Ian Redmond OBE Policy Advocate
SAVE
APES
SAVE
FORESTS
WORLD
SAVE THE
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
21
Our new film uses the struggles of people in lockdown to highlight the plight of wild animals forced to live under lock and key, explains Matt Smithers. It is amazing what can happen when we put
away and – based on my own experience and
ourselves in the position of others. The global
what was broadcast in the media – we didn’t
pandemic and lockdown did just that. With my
enjoy it one bit!
family, I got to experience first-hand what it felt like to be a wild animal – but not in a good way.
But, there was a positive. Lockdown allowed me and, I hope, a large part of the human
Lockdown was tough for so many reasons.
population, to briefly experience the torment
It required us to stay home, not visit loved
that millions of captive wild animals have
ones, not do outdoor activities. For the first
to endure their entire lives – no freedom
time in my lifetime our freedom was taken
and no choice.
WITH MY FAMILY, I GOT TO EXPERIENCE FIRSTHAND WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO BE A WILD ANIMAL - BUT NOT IN A GOOD WAY
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CREATURE DISCOMFORTS
It was this experience that led to the creation of our latest campaign Creature Discomforts – Life in Lockdown. Working with our good friends at digital marketing agency Engine, we wanted to be sympathetic to the current situation but use lockdown to highlight the plight of captive wild animals. Creature Discomforts ended up a simple concept – putting members of the public’s experiences into the mouths of wild animals in captive environments, pulled together by the excellent Aardman Animations. Directed by Peter Peake, the result is a poignant and thought-provoking 2D animation. This campaign is not about petitions, policy, or fundraising. It’s about changing our own behaviour to see the world through the eyes of others. We have all now had a small taste of what it feels like to have our freedom taken away. I hope our experiences will build greater empathy with those in ‘lockdown for life’. That, if we visit a zoo, aquarium, dolphinarium or other wild animal facility, we pause to reflect. That we remember what it felt like to lose our freedom, and start to make positive change to improve the lives of others. I honestly believe that, through our own behavioural changes, we can end the exploitation of wild animals and create a ‘lockdown free’ future for all wildlife.
Matt Smithers Head of Marketing & Fundraising matt@bornfree.org.uk
FIND OUT MORE Watch Creature Discomforts - Life in Lockdown at bornfree.org.uk
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
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ORANGUTANS IN
Y T I V I CAPT
© A Gekoski/Caters News
Born Free partners with photojournalist Aaron Gekoski to investigate abusive wildlife tourism, including captive orangutans exploited in circusstyle shows and sub-standard zoos in the Far East. “What I witness is shocking and incredibly distressing. These beautiful, sentient, intelligent animals are kept in barren cages or forced into hideous pantomime routines. “Many were purchased from illegal wildlife traders,
© BF / A Gekoski
having been poached from the wild, taken from their mothers and hand-reared. One can only imagine how they were then trained to perform like this. “Yet most tourists aren’t aware of the abuse that takes place or how poor the orangutans’ quality of life is. But change is possible when people vote with their feet and don’t visit these places.” Through Raise the Red Flag, Born Free investigates suffering, exposes cruelty, challenges exploitation and campaigns to end abuse.
YOU CAN HELP © A Gekoski/Caters News
Report captive wild animal suffering at bornfree.org.uk/raise-the-red-flag
24
ORANGUTANS IN CAPTIVITY
Ag e of
t n e m n e t h e n li g What have we learned in recent months and what will we do differently? Virginia McKenna encourages us to make choices for a kinder future. Is there a faint chance the experience of the past few months has caused us to stop and think? With the skies silent except for glorious bird song, wild animals crossing fields and country lanes with little traffic. Sadly, here in Surrey, UK, this has been spoilt by pigeon shooting. A species which, alas, is a year-round target. Surely, we now have a different perspective and have experienced a kind of enlightenment? So many, in our busy lives, spare little thought for creatures whose existence we dominate, in circuses and zoos, that we kill for fun – in trophy hunting and game shooting – and intensively rear for food. Although I have not been out and about since mid-March, I know I am lucky. I am not shut in a flat for most of the day – facing challenges that arise where all kinds of choices are removed. I wonder, now people are more free to go out again – visiting zoos, and in the UK allowed to shoot grouse, stalk deer, followed by pheasant shoots and fox hunting – whether these strange times will fade from our memories or have made an indelible mark? I hope we will remember. I hope we never forget, so we look at animal exploitation with a new awakening and sensitivity.
Co r on a
An invisible, silent, insidious, Invasion. Always the most dangerous. Striking with no sound. No warning. And with a name That inspires a vision Of a glittering crown
Virginia McKenna OBE
Of jewels.
Co-Founder & Trustee
Not so. A crown of pain, of death, Of suffering, of torment. Striking the victim – Not with a sceptre Of honour But, sometimes, A blow To end breath.
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
25
Trade in wild animals is a vast, exploitative industry but, in wake of covid-19, it’s time for a radical rethink and lasting positive change, says Dr Mark Jones. The covid-19 pandemic has been a global catastrophe on an unprecedented scale that emerged, in all likelihood, because of trade in live wild animals at a market in Wuhan, China. But this pandemic is by no means the first. Avian flu, SARS, swine flu, MERS and ebola, to name a few, all originated from wild animals. However, covid-19 has dwarfed predecessors in the sheer scale of disruption it has wrought. Like never before, it has brought the consequences of our destructive and exploitative relationship with nature and wild animals into the public consciousness. 26
CLARION CALL
Š Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach
Although not all these zoonotic diseases emerged from wildlife markets, such markets are breeding grounds for pathogens. Wild animals are traded and sold live, or butchered for parts – more often than not in appalling and unsanitary conditions. Crowded, stressed (and often injured) animals are more likely to contract and spread infectious diseases, and their proximity to people increases the chances of human transmission. “These markets aren’t the only problem,” explains Born Free’s Executive President, Will Travers OBE.
A CENTURY OF ZOONOSES IMPACT ON PEOPLE 1918-1919 SPANISH FLU 40-50 MILLION DEATHS
From wild birds, most likely via farming of poultry and pigs
“Taking animals from the wild, transporting, farming, trading and consuming wildlife all risk diseases spilling over to people. Our relentless destruction of wild places
1998
and natural habitats has opened the gates for traders
NIPAH
and traffickers to exploit wild animals like never before. Covid-19 has shown the devastating consequences.” On the bright side, the covid-19 catastrophe could be the catalyst for transformative changes to our relationship with nature. But, this will depend on whether our global community heeds widespread calls to build back better, implement green transitions, and move towards a more sustainable society. “We welcome China’s provisional ban on trade and
100 DEATHS
2002-2003 SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (SARS) 774 DEATHS
From bats, via civet cats handled and traded in wildlife markets
consumption of wild animals as food, and the greater protection it has given to pangolins,” Travers continues. “However, we urge China and other countries to recognise risks posed by other wildlife trade such as traditional medicines, exotic pets, trophies, fur, ornaments, and as investments.” Born Free calls for an end to all wildlife markets, and a curbing of commercial trade in wild animals. You can help by signing and sharing a petition to send a clear message to government leaders and the World Health Organisation for essential change.
2009-2010
a fundamental resetting of our relationship with the natural world. Our health and well-being is deeply
2005 MARBURG 329 DEATHS
From bats, via contact with their faeces or the handling, trading and eating of primates infected from bats
SWINE FLU 123,000-575,000 DEATHS
From birds, via farming, and the handling of infected pigs or eating their meat
2014-2016 EBOLA 11,310-11,323 DEATHS
Born Free is also going much further, calling for
From fruit bats, via pigs, when forests are cut down, and pig farms disturb bat ranges
From bats, via primates and duikers hunted and traded for their meat
2012 MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (MERS) 660-850 DEATHS
From bats, via domesticated camels kept as companion or working animals
2019-2020
entwined with that of nature and all its components.
COVID-19
We need to treat our planet and all our fellow inhabitants
821,000 + DEATHS*
From bats, possibly via pangolins, associated with live wildlife markets
with a great deal more respect. Together, we have a vital role to ensure that, in the aftermath of covid-19, policy-makers mainstream wildlife protection and
*As of 27/08/20, according to WHO
animal welfare on the public policy agenda. For nature’s sake and for our own.
YOU CAN HELP Dr Mark Jones
Please sign and share the petition to end wildlife
Head of Policy & Veterinarian
markets at bornfree.org.uk/coronavirus
markj@bornfree.org.uk Wild Life | Autumn 2020
27
When we worry about chocolate
YOU CAN HELP
we’re usually thinking about our waistline. But we should
involved at Find out more and get your school . bate t-de grea .uk/ bornfree.org
also worry about forest wildlife, explains Laura Gosset. Born Free’s Great Debate is part of our education programme encouraging children to learn about their world, through important issues that impact wildlife.
OR
Treat
Threat RICH & INTENSE CHOCOLATE
Cocoa is a main ingredient of chocolate. Today, most of the global supply comes from West Africa.
NEARLY 60%
OF THE WORLD’S COCOA
GROWN IN GHANA OR COTE D’IVOIRE
MADE FROM FAIRLY TRADED, SHADE-GROWN COCOA West Africa’s Guinean rainforests are a biodiversity hotspot. They are home to forest elephants and the world’s greatest diversity of primates, including chimpanzees and red colobus.
OF THE
60 SPECIES NET WEIGHT. 3.5 0Z (100G)
OF PRIMATES FOUND IN THE
GUINEAN RAINFOREST, HALF ARE THREATENED WITH
28
TREAT OR THREAT?
EXTINCTION
FOREST ELEPHANTS
DECLINED
ACROSS WEST
% AND CENTRAL
60 AFRICA FROM 2002-2011
Although the UK chocolate industry is worth £4bn, many cocoa farmers barely scrape a living. Children are often made to work on farms.
THE AVERAGE INCOME IN GHANA OF A
COCOA FAMER IS AROUND
75p A DAY, AND EVEN LESS IN When grown as a monoculture, cocoa plantations
COTE D’IVOIRE
lose productivity after only a few years, creating demand for more land to establish new plantations.
FROM
TWO MILLION WORKING
CHILDREN
2001 TO 2014, GHANA
LOST
THERE ARE MORE THAN
IN COCOA FIELDS IN THE COTE D’IVOIRE AND GHANA ALONE.
10%COVER, OF TREE
AROUND A QUARTER DUE TO COCOA PRODUCTION.
Although intensive cultivation is prevalent and contentious, cocoa can be grown sustainably under shade trees. Certificate schemes for responsible production already exist. The benefits of shade-grown cocoa include:
1
PROTECTION OF WILD ANIMALS’ FOREST HABITAT
OF ALL
2
ADDITIONAL INCOME FROM CASH-CROP SHADE TREES EG FRUIT
ANIMAL AND PLANT SPECIES,
3
PROTECTION OF SOIL AND POLLINATOR POPULATIONS EG INSECTS
4
CREATION OF WILDLIFE CORRIDORS CONNECTING FOREST PATCHES.
HOME TO HALF
RAINFORESTS PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN
CARBON STORAGE, CLEAN AIR AND WATER CYCLING
The chocolate you choose can make a big difference. Make sure your chocolate treats are made from fairly traded, shade-grown cocoa. We can all enjoy sustainable, forest-friendly, ethical chocolate that helps endangered species.
Laura Gosset Head of Education laura@bornfree.org.uk
Wild Life | Autumn 2020
29
CELEBRATING INDIVIDUALS WHO USE THEIR CREATIVE GIFTS TO SUPPORT WILDLIFE. Artist Jane Lee McCracken has partnered with Born Free on community art projects since 2014. Jane Lee McCracken is renowned for the ethereal beauty of her drawings, yet chooses to work with a humble Biro. “My choice began when my grandmother used to make drawings on her newspaper while doing the crossword,” Jane explains. “So I’ve wielded a Biro from an early age. Biro cannot be erased, which makes it a challenging medium to use, and I like to be challenged!” Evoking fairytales and folklore, Jane’s exquisite multilayered artwork features an array of wild animals. “As a child I wanted to be a zoologist, but this evaded me academically! However, I can now use art to highlight issues close to my heart. Just as we all have the capability to write, so we do with drawing. Many are restricted, thinking drawing has to be photo-realistic to be good. But it’s about expressing yourself and accepting your own unique style. Give it a go!” It is important to Jane to support our charity. “We have a duty to treat animals with compassion,” she says. “Born Free is making a better world for both wildlife and humans. I’ve loved all animals since my first memories as a child. My heart breaks at the destruction of the natural world but, by taking positive action,
30
IT'S A WILD LIFE
we create hope. Adoration of tigers started me on my journey to found our joint project Where Did All the Animals Go? My vision is to give the gift of wildlife and drawing to children across the globe, nurturing collective responsibility. One of the key components of conservation is forming emotional connections – if we care we want to conserve. Drawing wildlife gives children the opportunity to connect with the species they are drawing.” Anyone can get involved. “People of all ages can make a Biro drawing of their favourite wild animal and submit to jane@janeleemccracken.co.uk for our online Wild Postcard Gallery.” Visit janeleemccracken.co.uk
Jane was talking to Celia Nicholls
MY VISION IS TO GIVE THE GIFT OF WILDLIFE AND DRAWING TO CHILDREN
w e n d n a r B
ANIMAL PRINT MERCHANDISE RANGE
TO BUY YOURS TODAY VISIT SHOP.BORNFREE.ORG.UK DON’T MISS OUT ON OUR CHRISTMAS CARDS AND CALENDAR Our 2021 calendar, featuring wild animals in our care, is raising funds for our rescue & care work. And don’t miss our bear and lion-themed Christmas cards!
Images above are a visual representation of the merchandise and are not the actual products.
Š Orangutan Foundation
Timtom was just a baby when she was taken from her mother and illegally kept as a pet. Rescued by the Orangutan Foundation, she now lives at Camp JL in Borneo.
Find out more at bornfree.org.uk/adopt-an-orangutan
Born Free Foundation, Broadlands Business Campus, Langhurstwood Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4QP, UK bornfree.org.uk | +44 (0) 1403 240170 | info@bornfree.org.uk bornfreefoundation
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bornfreefoundation
bornfreefoundation
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The views expressed in Wild Life are not necessarily those of Born Free. If you have any comments or issues
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you would like to raise, please write to the Managing Editor. Will Travers - Managing Editor: will@bornfree.org.uk
Email info@bornfree.org.uk
Celia Nicholls - Publications Manager: celia@bornfree.org.uk, Claire Stanford - Graphics & Brand Manger: claire@bornfree.org.uk