{"id":11605,"date":"2021-09-06T11:09:15","date_gmt":"2021-09-06T11:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/?p=11605"},"modified":"2021-09-06T11:09:50","modified_gmt":"2021-09-06T11:09:50","slug":"eyes-of-the-orangutan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naturepl.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/06\/eyes-of-the-orangutan\/","title":{"rendered":"Eyes of the Orangutan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photographer
Photographer Aaron Gekoski<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Acclaimed environmental photojournalist Aaron Gekoski presents \u2018Eyes of the Orangutan<\/a>\u2019, a compelling new TERRA MATER Factual Studios\/CHRIS SCARFFE Film and Photography documentary. The film aired on July 7th on Servus TV in Germany.<\/h3>\n

Following a visit to an amusement park in Vietnam, where he encountered a large male orangutan kept in an enclosure just four by five metres wide (13 feet by 16 feet), acclaimed environmental photojournalist Aaron Gekoski asked himself: \u2018\u2018If we can do this to one of our closest living relatives, what hope is there for any other animal?\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Gekoski joined forces with director Chris Scarffe, cinematographer Will Foster-Grundy and editor Damian Antochewicz, and embarked on a four-year investigation of the orangutan tourism industry. The result is the compelling TERRA MATER Factual Studios\/CHRIS SCARFFE Film and Photography documentary \u2018Eyes of the Orangutan.\u2019 In the film, Aaron investigates how and why irresponsible operators exploit orangutans.<\/p>\n

Host of Horrors<\/h3>\n

The crew\u2019s harrowing experiences ranged from staged orangutan boxing matches in Thailand to orangutan themed breakfasts in Indonesia. As horrifying as these experiences were, Aaron soon discovered that the real tragedy is how these sentient, sensitive animals end up serving as little more than photo models for social media addicted tourists. Thankfully, there are groups working tirelessly to help orangutans. Aaron travels to a rescue centre at Nyaru Menteng, Indonesian Borneo, where orangutans have been saved from the illegal wildlife trade. He meets the team from Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) who run the centre, and he hears some heart-breaking stories, told by the heroes that were involved in the orangutans\u2019 rescues.<\/p>\n