"Unforgotten" by Anita Silvey

 

“When you realize the value of all life you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.”- Dian Fossey’s last journal entry.

  Using the word “gorilla” as an insult is an act of ignorance, and it is the result of deeply ingrained prejudices. In fact, gorillas are peaceful beings who care about their most vulnerable. They form lifelong relationships, mourn the loss of their loved ones and have a sense of humor. Their diets are mostly vegetarian, though they sometimes eat insects to add protein.

  Gorillas are not violent; they only become aggressive when the safety of their families is in jeopardy.

 

 “Unforgotten” by Anita Silvey is a children’s book, but I recommend it to people of all ages. It is a fascinating exploration of Dian Fossey’s life story and her legacy, with amazing facts about gorillas and the quest to protect them.

  Originally from California, Dian Fossey worked as an occupational therapist in a children’s hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, where she is still remembered for her kindness and her care of children with polio.

 After a life-transforming African safari for which she used up all her savings as well as the money of a loan she obtained for this purpose, she was determined to return to Africa to spend time with gorillas. With the support and training of Dr. Louis Leakey, the anthropologist who also mentored Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas, Dian moved to a 7- by -10 foot tent (2-by-3-m) amid the forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the year 1967. She was about to turn thirty-five years old. Due to political conflicts and persecutions in DRC, she would later settle in Rwanda to continue her work.

 Dian Fossey was the first person to hold hands with a wild gorilla. His name was Peanuts.

 Dian was on a mission to research the lives of gorillas. Every evening, she would return to her tent and typewrite her observations. Yet Dian’s research went beyond the scope of scientific findings, for she fell in love with these gentle creatures and did everything she could to save their lives.

  Thanks to Dian Fossey’s work, mountain gorillas still exist today, but they are critically endangered.

   Due to traps set by poachers, gorillas can get injured or killed in the forests. Habitat loss and climate change also threaten their survival. Colossal patches of land are destroyed to make way for roads, crops and livestock. Even National Parks are compromised by illegal woodcutting. Last but not least, wars and political instability in Congo are a threat to their safety. (Thankfully, the political situation in Rwanda is stable).

  Dian Fossey’s stay in Africa was disrupted by civil wars, poachers and traumatizing experiences, but she fought till the end to save these peaceful giants. Unfortunately, she was murdered by poachers in 1985, but there is a team that continues to work to protect gorillas; these people are endowed with the spirit of resilience she infused into her endeavors to rescue gorillas.

     Trackers in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda search and destroy poaching traps. Anita Silvey’s book explains the fascinating details on how the trackers are working together to support gorilla families. These trackers work for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund; they also study gorillas closely and educate people on how they can help.

 

Tracker Alfonsine Nakure, for example, is working on the front lines of this mission to support gorillas. Special skills and knowledge are needed to accomplish their goals.

 “Unforgotten” shares the same captivating style of “Untamed”, which I reviewed not long ago. Reading “Unforgotten” was akin to embarking on an adventure of exploration. I could not stop turning the pages to find out what would happen next. Starting with Dian’s childhood, Silvey immerses us in the social and economic context to help us understand her better.

 

Unfortunately, gorillas are not the only endangered apes. Bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans endure the same ordeal. Anita Silvey’s books are an invitation to help make a difference. 

 “ Unforgotten” is published by National Geographic Kids. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is located in Rwanda. You can learn more about Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Fund here.

I will be reading Dian Fossey’s book “Gorillas in the Mist”, and I will write about it in a future blog post.

 Enjoy this breathtaking video to learn more:

  I am outraged by Vladimir Putin's actions. My heart and prayers are with the Ukrainian people and with those who protest the invasion and killing of people in Ukraine. 

 Thank you for reading my blog.

 

 

 

Marathon Man

  

 Confronting the health vulnerabilities of our parents is one of the great challenges of life.

  When Alan Corcoran’s father suffered a stroke at age 60, he was desperate for answers, but the future was uncertain. To make matters worse, he was not physically close to his dad when the stroke happened, which made him feel guilty. Even though he had awakened to the fragile nature of life before through the unexpected loss of young friends, he had never thought about the possibility of losing his parents. 

 Amid the turmoil, Alan opened a door of hope: he decided to revive the dream he had harbored in his mind for years; he would run the lap of Ireland, circumnavigating the whole country on foot in 35 days, and he would use this endeavor to fundraise for the Irish Heart Foundation and the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH), to support their stroke and brain injury unit. Furthermore, he would contribute ten percent of his fundraising to a peacebuilding charity that his dad, Milo Corcoran, had established: The Football Village of Hope, an organization that brought Israeli and Palestinian children together through the game.

   Alan Corcoran had pushed aside his athletic aspirations years before this incident because of an unexpected stress fracture. 

  His lack of training and experience with marathons did not scare him. His resolute attitude drove him toward his dream. He was steadfast in his plan. The preparation to be ready for this special marathon is one of the relevant aspects of the story. It happened in 2012, when Alan was busy completing his last year of college, writing his dissertation and working part-time as a hotel dish-scrubber.

 Athletic training is multidimensional, involving physical skills as well as mental and emotional resilience. Yet in this specific case it also pertained to the activity of raising funds, the logistics of which was not a minor aspect of the whole process.

   While his dad would be busy working hard on his rehabilitation, Alan would be training to accomplish a goal that would make his father proud, promote health and support their community. 

  Alan Corcoran’s vibrant personality shines through every page of the story combining humor, wisdom and patience. I appreciated the brief descriptions of the landscapes of Ireland, where he enjoyed the freedom of running in nature.

  Alan Corcoran’s book, “Marathon Man” recounts how he accomplished his feat, propelling us to pursue our own dreams, reminding us that no matter what we do, there will always be hurdles and challenges. It is imperative to accept those obstacles, and to be prepared to cope with them. 

 

 You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit from reading this book, but those who are interested in running a marathon will learn a lot from his advice and experience.

  Getting close to the end of this marathon, I could see how Alan learned to embrace the difficulties and to use them to build up resilience and determination in the face of adversity:

“More seasoned now, I’d accepted there’d be punches and life was easier if I just rolled with them. There’d be wrong turns, injuries, malfunctioning watches, missed feeds but I had to get on with things the best I could and keep the positive vibes flowing.”

 This inspiring read is also a celebration of family bonds, friendship and the power of community. His words on running epitomize his gratitude for life and for the joy and gift of aligning his talent with the wellbeing of others:

 “Whenever the haze of energy-zapping suffering lifted, mental space became available to appreciate my surroundings and my fortunate circumstances. I was outside, roaming Ireland’s landscapes, grateful for the lull in pain. I felt more than just gratitude in scenery like this. I was euphoric, deeply inhaling the countryside. I was engaged in a passion project for a meaningful cause, with my friends and family supporting me, travelling on foot through a postcard landscape. I went through an overwhelming pendulum of emotions, from cursing my Achilles and the barrage of hills to feeling like I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.”

To learn more about Alan Corcoran, you can visit his websites.

https://linktr.ee/MarathonMan1

https://www.marathonman.co/

 

 If you enjoyed this post, feel  free to check my writing on "Running for Good":

  https://juliahoneswritinglife.blogspot.com/2021/12/running-for-good-fiona-oakes-story.html

 

 

Reflections of Eden

  

“One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human.” Loren Eiseley

  Dr. Birute Galdikas hugging orangutans in the book “Untamed” by Anita Silvey piqued my interest. I was thrilled to learn that Galdikas had written a book about her life with the orangutans: “Reflections of Eden”, a riveting autobiography with empowering insights and an entrancing world of adventures.

 Dr Galdikas is a keen observer of both humans and orangutans.  

 

Captivated by an orangutan’s enigmatic gaze in her early twenties, Birute decided that she would study orangutans. As a student of anthropology at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), she sent many letters and consulted several professors, but nobody believed she would be able to study orangutans in the wild. Everyone discouraged her. Impervious to their lack of cooperation, she persisted.

 One day, a famous anthropologist, Dr. Louis Leakey, came to UCLA to give a lecture. As she listened to him, she had a kind of epiphany: she saw her future in the forests of Borneo, working with orangutans.

   A meaningful conversation with Dr. Leakey gave her the chance to convince him that her interest in orangutans was genuine. She was ready to do whatever was necessary to study them. Three years later, Birute Galdikas ventured to Kalamantan in Indonesia with the support of Louis Leakey, who had helped her to obtain a grant.

 

Her purpose was to unlock the mysteries of orangutans. It was the year 1971. Little did she know about how much she would get attached to the forest, the people and the orangutans in Indonesia.

  Galdikas and her husband, Rod, sheltered in a rudimentary hut nestled in the rainforest. They had no electricity and survived on limited resources, under the threat of blood-sucking leeches.

 “To save money we had only one flashlight between us, which Rod always carried. But most days we went separate ways. If I spotted an orangutan, I would tie a white handkerchief around a tree before I left the trail, so Rod could find me. This system worked well most of the time. In the forest gloom the handkerchief stood out like a beacon, but on many days we lost track of one another.” Eventually, they bought a second flashlight: “After months of stumbling home by myself in the dark over roots and vines, I decided that buying a second flashlight would not ruin us financially. The blackness of the forest combined with the dankness of the air felt claustrophobic, like pushing my way through curtains of black velvet.”

  It took her months to gain their trust and get close to the orangutans. She was then able to follow their behaviors, interactions and relationships. This can only happen when habituation takes place, the process through which orangutans live their lives alongside humans without being influenced by their presence. Birute Galdikas named every orangutan she followed, and documented every feature of their individual personalities.

 Her work in Indonesia, however, was not limited to research goals.

  According to Indonesian laws people are not allowed to keep orangutans as pets, but Birute Galdikas soon became aware of the fact that these laws were not enforced. Therefore, it was considered normal to keep orangutans in cages, as pets, in Indonesia. Even government officials did it. For every orangutan that was kept as a pet, six had been slaughtered. After the mother was killed, the defenseless offspring was caught and traded. It was considered a profitable business, even though it was against the law. Living in cages, their lifespan did not go beyond their juvenile years.

 

Birute’s work and love for orangutans led her to do more than just research the lives of orangutans. Her determination to rescue orangutans transcended the boundaries of this cultural wrongdoing that happened in other countries as well- not just Indonesia. Over time, she was able to persuade people that keeping orangutans in captivity was not only illegal but also cruel and unethical.

  In addition to working on her research, Birute opened the cages of many captive orangutans and provided the rehabilitation they needed before they were ready to be released into the wild.

   Birute became the adoptive mother of several orangutans, and this was not a simple task. The first orangutan she rescued was Sugito, who clung to her day and night, never willing to let her go. Even going to the bathroom became a challenge for Birute after she adopted Sugito.

  Many of the unique stories of ex-captive orangutans are shared in “Reflections of Eden”, a book that teems with surprises and interesting revelations. Her words evince vivid memories of the rainforest and enrapture our senses:

“Even more profound than this elusive beauty is the music of the forest. It varies from hour to hour, but the underlying symphony, so pervasive that it permeates the fabric of one’s being, is the whine of the cicadas. Multifarious cicada voices, some ebbing, some flowing in crescendo, overpower other sounds. The noise of the cicadas echoes in the inner ear, penetrates the bones, and reverberates in the marrow.”

 It is not easy to survive in the rainforest. Orangutans have a special kind of intelligence to forage for foods they need to nourish their bodies. These foods include a wide variety of fruits, leaves, tree bark, insects, and honey. Orangutans are knowledgeable botanists, and they acquire their knowledge from their mothers. They spend their first eight years of their life learning from their mothers.

  Orangutans spend most of their time in the forest canopies, roaming through the treetops. The massive destruction of the rainforests is leading to their extinction. During those early years Birute and her husband found themselves fighting to preserve their forests.

 “With the destruction of the tropical forests, the orangutans are inadvertently flushed out of the forest onto the ground and into open spaces where the large red apes are easy targets.”

Orangutans are a keystone species. They play a unique role in the preservation of the rainforest. Their faeces contain hundreds of seeds, and by spreading the seeds they support the health of the forest and help it to thrive. 

Orangutans share 97 percent of their DNA with humans, so it should not come as a surprise that orangutans’ social lives are complex. Unlike chimpanzees, orangutans enjoy their solitude.

 “Orangutans can be quite social, but they also seem to be perfectly at ease being alone. They can form lasting relationships, but they do not need constant reassurance, nor do they fear being alone and lonely.” Relationships can last a lifetime. Even if they do not interact for months or years, the bond is maintained. This feature reminds me of dolphins. (I wrote about them when I reviewed "Voices in the Ocean", years ago).

  Birute Galdikas unravels the layers of complexity of various situations and cultural experiences without adopting a judgmental attitude. "Reflections of Eden" exposes personal life stories and observations with honesty, creating new dimensions of understanding, as she unfolds different aspects of the book, including her childhood, youth, her family history, her research on orangutans and the idiosyncrasies of Indonesian culture.

 The gist of the book, however, is about the journey to understand orangutans, to rescue them, and to support their habitat.

  After reading “Reflections of Eden” I was inspired to learn more on how to support orangutans. Palm oil plantations are replacing the forests that they need to survive.

 Avoiding the consumption of palm oil, for example, is an important way to help them. Cosmetics and certain foods may contain palm oil, so checking labels is important to avoid purchasing products that contain palm oil. (For example, soaps, shampoo, chocolate and cookies may contain palm oil). You can also contact manufacturers, asking them to avoid the use of palm oil in their products. You can learn more about this from these websites:

 Dr. Galdikas is the President of the Orangutan Foundation International. Feel free to check their website:

https://orangutan.org/about/history-of-ofi/

 Birute Galdikas never abandoned the orangutans. Fifty years later, her commitment to protect orangutans and their precious forests is alive and active. Enjoy this National Geographic video with Dr. Galdikas and the orangutans.