Tackling Wildlife Crime in Sumatra

Tackling wildlife crime isn't just a matter of getting involved when a crime is taking place. It's important to understand the bigger picture and examine the motives and lives of people to see why the crimes might occur in the first place.

Recently Dr Liana Chua explained some of the tensions that can lead to wildlife crime. Dr Chua's research has shown that indigenous communities can see orangutans as a part of the fabric of the world they live in. They believe orangutans should behave as good moral and social beings that respect others’ food, property and rules, and that can be held accountable for damages that they cause. So an orangutan can raid a villager’s fruit tree, but villagers can’t hold them accountable because they’ll get into trouble with conservationists and the law!

 From research like this, we see how important it is to people’s concerns seriously, and we are willing to work on their terms instead of just trying to change them. By doing this, we can alleviate local suspicion and resentment, and make communities more amenable to conservationists’ presence - and then collaborate with them.

SOS has always valued genuinely meaningful collaboration with Sumatra’s rural communities. They are the custodians of the island’s forests and wildlife, and they will continue to be at the heart of our work. 

Thank you for supporting this game-changing approach to conservation that enables us to tackle wildlife crime at it's root cause. Let's do even more in 2024!

This week, we're inviting you to team up with us in celebrating the power of the crowd for GlobalGiving's Little by Little campaign. From today until Friday, GlobalGiving will match online donations up to $50 at 50%, making your donation go even further! 

Donate today to make your support for orangutans go further: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/tackling-wildlife-crime-in-sumatra/

When we all come together with compassion, there’s no telling what we can do—but don’t take our word for it.  

When you support Sumatran Orangutan Society, your donation has significant impact. In 2022/23 the team rescued 35 orangutans, almost twice as many as the previous year which included orangutans confiscated from the illegal pet trade.

Your continued support is critical and I’d like you to consider supporting the rescue team so no orangutan is illegally traded - a goal  we can accomplish with your help!

This week we are aiming to raise $212, enough to keep the teams vehicle on the road for a month - vital for reaching orangutans in danger.

With your generosity, we’ll be able to ensure orangutans in Sumatra can live in the wild where they belong.

Thank you for helping us protect orangutans and their rainforest homes!

Sumatran Orangutan Society

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