One part of Lucy Wisdom’s life is connected to another
part in a way which no one could’ve possibly imagined.
In the 1980s Lucy Wisdom was training as a flying trapeze
artist in Paris. Seven years later she found herself swinging
off forest vines in Sumatra, teaching captive orangutans how
to adapt back to the jungle.
The two professions are dramatically different, aren’t
they?
I have an eclectic background and explored many unusual opportunities.
At one point I was tour-managing bands in Europe and US while
partnering in the then-infamous Batcave nightclub in London.
Then I spent 5 months at sea sailing between England and the
Caribbean, where I settled for 18 months. I put my degree
in Archaeology and Geology to use there and started the Barbados
Archaeological Society. Then another complete U-turn to learn
circus skills.
How did you become an acrobatic performance artist?
I gave my brother a lift to an audition for clown school and
did the audition myself. We were both accepted. Soon
I took to the road with the Mutoid Waste Company, a traveling
performance sculptural group well known in London and Europe
during the 80s and 90s. The style was Mad Max, but before
the film version was out. We made outrageous welded sculptures
from recycled materials and created performances around these.
It was my life for over 10 years. I loved being a Mutoid.
When did you leave that kind of work?
A diagnosis of breast cancer changed the direction of my life
in 1994. The same year I came to the magic island of Bali
for the first time.
How did you get into saving orangutans?
I was a volunteer at the orangutan rehabilitation center in
north Sumatra for 3 weeks initially, and returned many times
before establishing the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) in
1997. I had moved from the Metal world to the Animal world.
This bought out a compassionate side of me.
What’s so special about orangutans?
On a very human level, what first captivated me was how you
could descend into their eyes and experience a very deep connection.
In Indonesian orangutan means ‘Person of the Forest’.
They are our cousins, part of our evolutionary tree and in
some ways part of us. I’m grateful to the orangutans
and the link they provided me to nature. Working in the forest
with them, I felt as if my cancer had gone.
What's a typical day in Orangutan Forest School?
I would take orangutans into the forest for their forest training
to learn how to survive for their eventual release back into
the wild. I’d teach them how to make nests in the trees
or how to search out fruit and particular leaves. They
would watch me intently, and every time I saw they’d
learnt, I’d celebrate their newfound independence. It
was a great experience to help them fulfill their destiny
as ‘people of the forest’. I have seen many individuals
grow up over the years.
What are some of the threats that Sumatran orangutans face?
Loss of their forest home, which is happening at an alarming
rate. Especially in the last 25 years. The animal trade also
takes its toll; mothers are killed and their babies taken
to be kept as pets.
What's your role in saving Sumatran orangutans from extinction?
I founded the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) to highlight
their plight as one of the most endangered animals in the
world. SOS is a registered charity in 4 countries. Having
a passion has definitely helped me survive. I travel
and give papers at international primate conferences, waving
the Sumatran flag, and maintain a little hands-on forest work.
I have never been paid for my SOS work. I decided at the beginning
of December to let go of SOS as I could feel my cancer was
again active. Then the tsunami happened.
How has the tsunami affected SOS’ work?
The Sumatran orangutan only lives in the provinces of Aceh
and North Sumatra, the worst hit area of the 26 December earthquake
and tsunami. Presently all SOS resources and offices
are concentrated on humanitarian aid. Our Medan office was
among the first to deliver emergency aid to Banda Aceh beginning
December 28th. However this Tsunami relief effort took
its toll on my health and I have now pulled back personally
although SOS continues to deliver aid to survivors. We will
return to orangutan work when the larger charities are effective.
In the long term the tsunami will affect the orangutans. As
people move inland, roads are constructed, poaching will increase
and it is the nearest forest to collect materials for rebuilding.
How can people help?
Disseminate the information about the orangutan’s plight.
Most people understand they are threatened but do not realize
that extinction is probable within 10 years!
SOS runs adoption programmes, welcomes memberships and donations
on-line: www.orangutan-sos.org.
orangutans@yahoo.com
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact : pakbill2003@yahoo.com
Copyright@2005 Al Hickey
You can read all past articles of Siapa at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz
