Ever since I was a little bub I have loved animals and as I grew up I became aware of just how important their welfare and conservation is. A cause that I am very passionate about is the plight of the Orangutans caused by the destruction of their habitat due to the palm oil trade.
International Orangutan Caring Week is being held between the 12th and 20th of November and the
Australian Orangutan Project will be holding events or stalls all over the country to raise funds and awareness.
With increased demand for palm oil, which is used in many everyday products, such as a wide variety of foods, cosmetics and household cleaners, it is only fuelling the deforestation of the Sumatran and Bornean Orangutans rainforest habitat. To put into perspective just how much land gets cleared, currently the equivalent of 300 soccer fields of forest is destroyed every hour in South East Asia to make way for palm oil plantations. With absolutely no care or consideration for the lives of the Orangutans.
To show your support and help in whatever little way you can, you can get out and have a look at some of the events being held in your area.
In Sydney you can attend the Orangutan Awareness Day event on Sunday the 13th of November in Belmore Park, opposite Central Station between 12pm and 3pm. There will be merchandise for sale, information on palm oil free products, face painting, palm oil free cakes and you can even adopt your own orangutan.
If you're in Melbourne you can pop down to Kindness House, 288 Brunswick St, Fitzroy between 10am and 5pm on Saturday the 12th of November. If you're up in sunny Cairns you can have a look at the stall at the Tanks Arts Centre Market Day on Sunday the 27th of November, 9am to 2pm.
Over in WA there will be a stall held at the Bridgetown Blues Festival on Saturday the 12th of November, from 9am. In Adelaide there will be a merchandise stall at the Vegan Festival, which is also a free event, on Sunday the 13th of November, from 10am to 4pm. Last but not least the AOP will have a stall at the Salamanca Place Markets in Tasmania on Saturday the 26th of November between 8:30am and 2pm.
If you can't make it to any of the events, you can still help. As part of International Orangutan Caring Week, lastminute.com.au is doing its part to help out too.
From the 14th to the 18th of November they will be running a huge charity auction, so you can visit their
blog to bid on some amazing accommodation, flight and experience prizes. So you can help out the Orangutans and get yourself a nice little bargain. With 100% of the auction proceeds going directly to the AOP, you can't go wrong.
So dig deep, but remember every little bit helps. You can even buy rainforest land to help the orangutans for as little as $7.50.
