The Resilience of Orangutans and the People Who Care for Them

Shefali Mehta with contributions from Arnold Johnsen, Fransiska Sulistyo.

The unique challenges of caring for wild animals

It is too common, and for understandable reasons, that writing or reading about the environment are despondent and depleting.  However, I wanted to share a remarkable, life-changing experience catalyzed by a unique group of people who have made it their life missions to make a difference for the environment.  Globally, there is an immense and often unseen community of wildlife professionals tending to animals who have been injured or fallen ill.  In the face of the 6^th species extinction, one that is exacerbated and most likely driven by human actions ranging from the pet trade, animal trafficking, our many production supply chains, farming and land development, climate change, pollution (sound, light and particle), this group of humans are on the frontlines taking care of animals, ensuring their wellbeing, fighting to protect them.

These wildlife professionals – comprised of veterinarians, rehabilitators, and caregivers – work in rescue and rehabilitation centers, in remote units, in nomadic units, in zoos and conservation centers to care for injured and ill animals.  They are a small but mighty community, stretching limited resources to the maximum for the sake of the animals and the human communities around them. These professionals are characterized by a deep compassion for animals and their wellbeing and are profoundly affected by the pain and suffering that they witness on a continual basis.

Animals brought to wildlife centers come from a range of sources including seizure from animal trafficking, human-wildlife conflict, habitat loss for development and agriculture, poaching situations such as trapping or shooting that cause severe harm but do not end in death. The veterinarians and their teams work arduously to save these animals, heal them, and, ideally, release them safely to the wild.  Globally, the community of veterinarians and wildlife health professionals experience significant mental health challenges in the face of continuous duress compounded by lack of resources and support, complex legal and government situations, and balancing the difficulties of these very demanding roles with their own health and wellbeing.

My path to teaching mental health and wellbeing at OVAG workshops

For the past 2 years, I have had the honor and joy of working with one such group, the Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group (OVAG). OVAG is a volunteer membership organization of over 400 individuals and 100 organizations based primarily in Indonesia and Malaysia.  Orangutans are the only great apes that live in Asia (besides humans, of course) found today in the countries of Indonesia and Malaysia. Founded in 2009 by Drs. Raffaella Commitante and Steve Unwin, OVAG is  a unique community of practice that connects and supports this broad community while providing continuous development and learning.

I first met Raffaella in September 2001, shortly after arriving in the UK for my MPhil in Economics at the University of Cambridge. As two American neighbors living abroad in the aftermath of 9/11, we found solace in our shared connections, our grief, and our ability to discuss topics that others could not. Even then, 8 years before she co-founded OVAG with Steve, Raffaella shared her vision for a locally-run wildlife health network that supports the people who dedicate their lives to care. This vision resonated with my recent experiences in India, where I researched microcredit institutions and watched numerous external organizations and individuals, often Western, arrive and dictate what others should be doing, mistaking their privilege and wealth as knowledge and wisdom.  I hoped to one day support her vision.

When Raffaella and I reconnected in July 2022, OVAG was an established community actively disseminating important technical training through annual workshops and year-round online delivery. However, they were facing mounting mental health and wellbeing challenges, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

I asked if I could assist. After 2 decades, my hope came to fruition. 

Since then, I’ve partnered with OVAG to develop and embed mental health and resilience into the technical training at their annual meetings, tailored 3 in-person wellbeing sessions with OVAG-affiliated care centers – International Animal Rescue (IAR), Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre and Matang Wildlife Center– , and 6 online webinars (co-created with fellow volunteer Chan Chan Aye). This effort built on the pioneering work OVAG has done since 2017 to proactively address the mental wellbeing of its membership, despite the difficulty of openly discussing mental health in many of the local cultures and has equipped members to remain resilient in the face of numerous unique threats they face in their jobs.  With OVAG and Wildlife Health Australia (WHA), we have developed a unique framework that weaves mental health, wellbeing and resilience into technical and leadership skills training. 

Why this matters in India and ways to support

OVAG’s community of support and emphasis on caring for the people who care for animals provides an inspiring example and relevant model for the many wildlife health professionals and communities who work tirelessly to protect the unparalleled biodiversity on the Indian subcontinent. Furthermore, the problems faced by India’s wildlife health community and OVAG members are interconnected. OVAG has had members and participants from India, and continues to collaborate and connect across this community.

Since 2018, the flow of illegally-traded wildlife from Southeast Asia into India has increased, and higher rates of poaching have direct consequences on the wellbeing of wildlife health professionals in both regions. Efforts to regulate and respond to poaching must transcend national borders just as the trade itself does. 

If this story resonates with you, please consider:

• – Directly supporting OVAG. This 100% volunteer-driven organization utilizes all funding to support its veterinarians, donate through the Orangutan Conservancy
• – Volunteering. If you want to learn more about OVAG or contribute your skills to this work, connect with me through https://www.open-rivers.com/contact-us  
• – Learning more and sharing.  Understanding the impacts of our food system, animal trade and our supply chains ensures we make better decisions as consumers and citizens, and that we find solutions in our own households and work
• – Collaborating and partnering. We are identifying new partners to apply this unique approach for supporting scientists, frontline workers, and environmental professionals by embedding mental health and wellbeing training

About the Author

Dr. Shefali V. Mehta is an economist and statistician who founded and leads Open Rivers Consulting Associates, a global science & technology and management consulting firm.  Open Rivers builds upon their clients’ strengths to develop and implement strategy. Service and volunteering are critical expressions of Open Rivers’ values, with pro bono work comprising a significant portion of the business.