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BOS: Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation

Destruction:

Willie Smits has set up this foundation that protects Orangutans and fights deforestation.
This happens primarily for tropical wood for palm-seed oil. The latter is used as a biofuel and as food. Any product with unspecified 'vegetable-oil' in it will with 90% probability have palm-seed oil in it and therefore contributes to the genocide of Orangutans.
Yes genocide is a correct term here, I don't use it frivolously, because these creatures are much closer to humans emotionally and intellectually than you probably think. Read the book Thinkers of the Jungle, it's scary. The classic border between animal- and human kingdoms becomes unnervingly indistinct. After reading this the slaughter of these creatures becomes even more disturbing. Amazingly the animals are even used for prostitution.

Rescue:

A typical BOS rescue attempt: BOS rescue team BOS team members are subject to violence and threats to such an extent that Smits has prepared his grave in his back-yard and has prepared his young children for the worst.

Willie Smits should be on TED:

Originally Smits studied silviculture, pedology and forestry at Wageningen University in Holland. On a trip to Indonesia some 20 years ago he was confronted with a dying Orangutan at a market. He was able to keep it alive and release it back into the wild. Many others would follow. I've recommended him to TED talks.

Videos:

New model for the forest:

Form his background in Forestry Smits has developed a economically, socially and biologically profitable alternative to current practice. This alternative is based on the re-introduction of the Sugar-palm as a food-crop. The Masarang foundation set up by Smits aims to lift the traditional food-crop used in local tradition as a source of sugar, to compete with cane-sugar. From January 2007 a Sugar palm factory is working that uses geothermal energy for heating and rain water for cooling. see: Masarang

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  • Last modified: 2008-08-19 09:36
  • by theunkarelse