Orangutan champion stars in IMAX film
Sarah Whitaker, Orangutan Foundation International, 1.310.694.1616; ofioffice@gmail.com (note: Galdikas is currently in L.A. for the film’s premiere on Apr. 3, followed by a U.S. media tour. It's anticipated she will attend shows in Victoria April 12-13)
Marianne Meadahl, PAMR, 778.782.3210; marianne_meadahl@sfu.ca
Simon Fraser University archaeology professor Birute Galdikas, whose research and rescue of the world’s endangered orangutans spans 40 years, plays a starring role in a major IMAX film documenting her work.
Born to Be Wild, which opens worldwide April 8, traces her life’s work with orphaned orangutans at a sanctuary she established in the remote jungle of Borneo.
“It’s a beautifully shot, lush film, with a real feel for the landscape, and it captures the humour as well as the environment,” says Galdikas.
The film’s producer, Drew Fellman, spent time at the sanctuary 18 years ago and was moved by the work and the fate of the primates. “I didn’t meet him then, but I heard that he vowed to one day do something to help this cause,” says Galdikas, who was approached by Fellman two years ago with the idea of making the film.
He returned with 30,000 pounds of movie-making equipment and spent two months documenting her conservation efforts and her day-to-day work with the orangutans.
Galdikas, 64, began her research in 1971, building an 80-km trail system through dense rainforest to reach the orangutans. She has since helped more than 400 orphan orangutans at her sanctuary, which now employs some 200 local people.
“We give them [the organutans] the ability to explore and rehabilitate themselves in a safe environment under the watchful eyes of caregivers,” she says in an IMAX webisode promoting the film.
She has also seen the depletion of more than 80 per cent of the area’s plush rainforest and has spoken out about the detrimental impact of the region’s lucrative palm oil industry and its reign over landowners and forests.
The Indonesian government established a reserve where Galdikas released 160 orangutans into the wild 12 years ago. She says they now appear set to approve a restoration concession for the future release of as many as 150.
Galdikas, who continues to spend six months of the year in the field, has also just established a Canadian chapter of the Orangutan Foundation International.
Narrated by actor Morgan Freeman, Born to be Wild also features the rescue and rehabilitation of elephants in Kenya with world authority Daphne Sheldrick. “This film has an important message about preserving endangered species,” says Galdikas, “but it will also give viewers a very personal and rare window into the world of these animals.”
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Comments
Comment GuidelinesWhat bad stuff would that be? Having had Birute Galdikas as a professor I can say that anything related to her holding animals in poor conditions is almost certainly false. She is dedicated to the well-being of primates, and I think most students who take a class with her look up to her.
student
Finally some good publicity after all the bad stuff over the past years.