Story
3 peaks for the orang-utans
Each year my firm, Mills & Reeve, organises a “charity challenge” which involves transporting employees to remote and hilly parts of the country and releasing them into the wild to run, cycle, canoe or swim their way to civilisation. Some of you may recall sponsoring me for my previous attempt at a “challenge” – the two days of hell on wheels that was the Coast to Coast cycle ride. After which I swore I would never do one of these things again. Oh dear.
This year, on 8 May, we are tackling the Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk – 24.5 miles with a target time of 12 hours, with the small inconvenience of 3 large geological formations to navigate (up and over, sadly, rather than round). The walk is described as “demanding”, taking in the summits of Pen-y-ghent (694 metres - 2,276 feet), Whernside (736 metres - 2,415 feet) and Ingleborough (723 metres - 2,372 feet). It involves 1500 metres of climbing.
But why?
This year I am hoping to raise money for The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS), a charity dedicated to saving the orangutan from extinction and to protecting the species’ rainforest home. Here is a link to their website: www.savetheorangutan.co.uk
BOS rescues and rehabilitates hundreds of wild and orphaned orangutans, who have been displaced by the relentless devastation of their rainforest home for palm oil production. Palm oil is used in everything from soap to Kit-Kats (usually innocuously labelled as vegetable oil) and whilst it is possible to produce it sustainably, the rainforests in Borneo are still being destroyed at a terrifying rate to clear the land for oil palm plantations.
BOS supports the work of an inspirational lady, Lone Droscher-Nielsen, who set up a rescue and rehabilitation centre at Nyaru Menteng in the Kalimantan area of Indonesian Borneo. The facility was designed to hold up to 100 orphaned orangutans whilst they go through the process of rehabilitation. In addition to quarantine cages, medical clinic, and nursery, the project had a vast expanse of forest area in which orangutans can learn the skills needed to live in the wild. Since 1999, the project has grown immensely, and now looks after over 600 orangutans. Nyaru Menteng is the largest ape rescue operation in the world. The project also releases rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild in protected areas. Lone’s work and the centre were recently featured on the BBC documentary series Orangutan Diary.
Orangutans are now critically endangered, all due to habitat destruction to feed the demand for palm oil. So please help me support the work of Lone and her team at BOS. Blisters and dodgy knees are a small price to pay to support this vital work to help save these majestic apes.
Some retailers are now committing to sourcing their palm oil sustainably, to help preserve the rainforests and their wildlife, so please think about the palm oil issue when you are next shopping.
Each year my firm, Mills & Reeve, organises a “charity challenge” which involves transporting employees to remote and hilly parts of the country and releasing them into the wild to run, cycle, canoe or swim their way to civilisation. Some of you may recall sponsoring me for my previous attempt at a “challenge” – the two days of hell on wheels that was the Coast to Coast cycle ride. After which I swore I would never do one of these things again. Oh dear.
This year, on 8 May, we are tackling the Yorkshire 3 Peaks walk – 24.5 miles with a target time of 12 hours, with the small inconvenience of 3 large geological formations to navigate (up and over, sadly, rather than round). The walk is described as “demanding”, taking in the summits of Pen-y-ghent (694 metres - 2,276 feet), Whernside (736 metres - 2,415 feet) and Ingleborough (723 metres - 2,372 feet). It involves 1500 metres of climbing.
But why?
This year I am hoping to raise money for The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS), a charity dedicated to saving the orangutan from extinction and to protecting the species’ rainforest home. Here is a link to their website: www.savetheorangutan.co.uk
BOS rescues and rehabilitates hundreds of wild and orphaned orangutans, who have been displaced by the relentless devastation of their rainforest home for palm oil production. Palm oil is used in everything from soap to Kit-Kats (usually innocuously labelled as vegetable oil) and whilst it is possible to produce it sustainably, the rainforests in Borneo are still being destroyed at a terrifying rate to clear the land for oil palm plantations.
BOS supports the work of an inspirational lady, Lone Droscher-Nielsen, who set up a rescue and rehabilitation centre at Nyaru Menteng in the Kalimantan area of Indonesian Borneo. The facility was designed to hold up to 100 orphaned orangutans whilst they go through the process of rehabilitation. In addition to quarantine cages, medical clinic, and nursery, the project had a vast expanse of forest area in which orangutans can learn the skills needed to live in the wild. Since 1999, the project has grown immensely, and now looks after over 600 orangutans. Nyaru Menteng is the largest ape rescue operation in the world. The project also releases rehabilitated orangutans back into the wild in protected areas. Lone’s work and the centre were recently featured on the BBC documentary series Orangutan Diary.
Orangutans are now critically endangered, all due to habitat destruction to feed the demand for palm oil. So please help me support the work of Lone and her team at BOS. Blisters and dodgy knees are a small price to pay to support this vital work to help save these majestic apes.
Some retailers are now committing to sourcing their palm oil sustainably, to help preserve the rainforests and their wildlife, so please think about the palm oil issue when you are next shopping.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.