The Journal of Animal Consciousness Vol 1, Issue 2 Vol 1 Issue 2 | Page 26

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Dying for
your Pleasure
Chiara Marrapodi

In Malay Orang-Utan means “person of the forest”.

2010). I find it intriguing that Birute Galdikas ends

This is derived from the words ‘orang’ meaning

her statement by saying that if humans were not

people and ‘hutan’ meaning forest. Interestingly, the

around the Orang-Utans would be safe. We all know

Dyaks a Malay Indigenous population consider

about Orang-Utans and habitat loss.

Orang-Utans to be equal to humans and treat them as

plastered in the vast plains of our media. The

such, affording them the same respect as they would

devastating effects of the Orang-Utan orphans left

a neighboring tribe.

behind to die in the most unsavory ways.

It has been

The

abandonment and fear that they experience as a
A prominent researcher, Birute Galdikas, who has

result of their mothers being burnt, poisoned and

been studying Orang-Utans for many years states:

starved to death must be all consuming, however, no

“Orang-Utans are tough. They’re flexible. They’re

one dares talk or write about this.

intelligent. They’re adaptable. They can be on the

conversations firmly focused on the materialist and

ground. They can be in the canopy. I mean, they are

avoiding the potential for projecting our own

basically big enough to not really have to worry

emotions and ideas, dare I say empathizing with the

about predators with the possible exception of tigers,

potential states of these beings. This is often referred

maybe snow leopards. So if there were no people

to as anthropomorphism; that is, attributing human

around, Orang-Utans would be doing extremely well

emotional experiences on animals; in scientific

(Source Bill Brubaker, Smithsonian Magazine, Dec

circles this is frowned upon.

Keeping

However, it is my

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© The Society for Animal Consciousness 2016.

Issue 2, Vol 1, April 2016.