Teens do their part for a good cause<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Bandung<\/p>\n
Want to help the orangutans?;
\nContact: Jan Russell;
\nEnvironmental Club;
\nBandung International School;
\nJl. Surya Sumantri 61;
\nBandung, West Java;
\nTel. O22-2019495<\/p>\n
Do we really pay attention to what's going on around us?<\/p>\n
Of course, we worry about what is going on in the world.
\nThoughts about the environment, or those street kids we see every
\nday begging at the traffic light on our way to and from school,
\ncross our mind once in a while.<\/p>\n
And, hey, we even fork out something when asked for a donation
\nfor a good cause.<\/p>\n
Most of the time, it never goes beyond lip service, as we
\nfigure it's not our responsibility. You know, get real, like a
\nsmall good deed can possibly make this world a better place when
\nit's the big boys who really make the decisions.<\/p>\n
Meet the teens from the Environmental Club from Bandung
\nInternational School (BIS), however, and you will probably think
\nagain. Their example will certainly be a jolt to your conscience.<\/p>\n
The members of the group care about environmental problems and
\ndo something about them, even though some of us may think that
\nthis land far from their birthplaces is not even "their's" to
\nthink about.<\/p>\n
For them, wherever they come from, our world is one, and we
\nall have to do our part to help out.<\/p>\n
"We want to make a difference even though it's small," said
\nKorean Eun Yoon, 15.<\/p>\n
Eun is among nine members of the club, all young women aged
\nbetween 13 years old and 17 years old and of different
\nnationalities.<\/p>\n
"Apparently, young women are the most environmentally aware
\nnow," Jan Russell, BIS teacher and the club's coordinator, said,
\nsmiling.<\/p>\n
"And this group, although small, is very dedicated."<\/p>\n
Their concern and dedication is clearly shown when they talk
\nenthusiastically about the reasons they joined the club and their
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
They also practice what they preach: When Eun was asked to
\nwrite down all of the members' names in a notebook, the rest
\nscolded her right away when she turned the page.<\/p>\n
"Hey, save paper, man. Write it on the same page -- there's
\nstill some space," they told her.<\/p>\n
Established seven years ago, the club has been actively
\ninvolved in a number of conservation projects in the Bandung
\narea.<\/p>\n
It includes nature walks, garbage clean-ups, painting "No
\nLittering" signs, providing garbage cans and planting trees.<\/p>\n
"You know, young people now live in the cities, with machines
\nand computers. We want them to see the beauty of nature, try to
\nprotect it and preserve it," Russell said.<\/p>\n
In the past two years, however, the club efforts have been
\ndirected at improving conditions for the orangutans at Bandung
\nZoo, as well as raising awareness in the local community of the
\nthe plight of this endangered animal, which is native to North
\nSumatra and Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
There are a total of 10 orangutans at Bandung Zoo who up until
\nrecently spent their lives in cramped, bare cages. They were real
\ncaptives, depressed and unmotivated, unable to swing or play.
\nThere were even two large orangutans squeezed together in a tiny
\ncage.<\/p>\n
"And those orangutans' backs are bent because they always sat
\ninstead of swinging in trees," Takako Nakatani, 15, said.<\/p>\n
The club then set out to improve conditions.<\/p>\n
"But we didn't just rush in. We did some research, with help
\nfrom an expert who is used to taking care of orangutans in
\nKalimantan," Russell said.<\/p>\n
After that, they worked at raising funds through the sale of
\nT-shirts, stickers and cloth bags, all carrying the message "Save
\nOrangutans".<\/p>\n
"We've also tried to go global, like asking my daughter who
\nstudies in Sydney to get some funds, too. Takako's mother also
\nhelped us when she went back to Japan," Russell said.<\/p>\n
They managed to collect over US$2,500. Together with the zoo,
\nwho helped fund the project with some Rp 10 million ($1,000),
\nthey have constructed a more stimulating, lively environment for
\nthe orangutans on an area of some 800 square meters.<\/p>\n
Now, the orangutans are taken from their cages and placed in
\nthe large open enclosure, surrounded by a moat, where they are
\nable to climb and swing on trees as they would in the wild.<\/p>\n
At night, however, the orangutans are returned to their cages
\nin the area as, according to zoo keeper Dikdik Kurniawan, they
\nare still more accustomed to an enclosed area.<\/p>\n
"They can't also be taken out together as they will fight. So,
\nwe take them out alternately," he said.<\/p>\n
Russell said that the club was working on the next phase to
\nget all of the orangutans placed in the open enclosure.<\/p>\n
"It needs more funds, though. We're hoping that the zoo will
\ncontribute, but it's difficult. The same goes with finding
\nsponsors. We understand that in this time of crisis. So, we
\nalways have to think of a new way to raise funds," she said.<\/p>\n
"It's an important issue, you know. With the growth of
\nBandung, there are fewer and fewer parks here. Orangutans are
\nalso used as pets while it's illegal."<\/p>\n
The zoo itself, while also contributing funds to the orangutan
\nproject, does not seem to consider their is much of a problem.<\/p>\n
The head of the zoo's planning department, Deden Ahmad, said
\nthat there is nothing lacking in the care of the orangutans, even
\nthough their cages, like for all the animals at the zoo, are
\ndirty, reek and are too small.<\/p>\n
The zoo, which is currently building a statue of the founder
\nof the zoo, received one of its orangutans from a local person
\nwho would only part with it if they received a kangaroo in
\nexchange.<\/p>\n
Deden assured that the kangaroo was only on "loan", and would
\nbe returned when the person grew "bored" of it.<\/p>\n
Stories like that are kind of a sad reflection on what some
\nadults get up to. Thankfully, the kids from the Environmental
\nClub, are doing the right thing -- and making a difference -- one
\nsmall step at a time. We could all learn from them.<\/p>",
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