Huge Charity Yard Sale Being Held Saturday, May 26th, 8:00 AM At 112 Applewood cres, Guelph all in support of International Animal Rescue’s Orangutan Project. Lots Of Great Items For Sale!! Please Join Us For A Coffee And Learn About The Plight Of The Critically Endangered Orangutan and all the vital work IAR does rescuing, rehabilitating and saving these animals from suffering and extinction. The plight of the Orangutan in Indonesia/Malaysia has reached a critical stage, with the survival of the species under serious threat. It was about 4 years ago that I came to learn of the devastation being caused by the very corrupt palm oil industry; palm oil is an ingredient that is found in more than half of the nonessential processed, packaged products that we purchase in the grocery store.
Clearing land to make way for palm oil plantations has resulted in mass deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia where more than 80% of the world’s palm oil is produced. This has destroyed the natural habitat of animals including Orangutans, tiger, rhinos and elephants, pushing many to the brink of extinction. Orangutans as well as many other wild animals are being driven from the forest in heart wrenching scenes that go unnoticed in western media, the pain and suffering incurred is shocking and inhumane.
So many of us here in North America have no idea of the devastation and suffering taking place; it’s at a huge cost for us to be able to enjoy so many of the products we do. Forest clearance has also resulted in large volumes of greenhouse gas emissions, the clearing of these rain forests is one of the leading causes of climate change.
Palm oil production is also responsible for human rights violations as corporations often forcefully remove indigenous peoples and rural communities from their lands. Tragically, child labor and modern day slavery still occur on plantations.
This has become a conservation emergency and action is desperately needed, we need to start this conversation, keep it going, raise awareness about the devastation taking place and our role in it. We need to offer up our compassion and support, we can no longer remain silent and hide behind ignorance, this is our planet.
“While the most powerful nations concern themselves with entertainment, politics and ever increasing economic growth, we are swiftly losing the most important treasures of our mother planet”.