What humans can learn from orangutans

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Having looked deep into the eyes of countless orangutans during his career, primatologist and former zookeeper Leif Cocks believes humans have a lot to learn from our fiercely intelligent, orange-haired cousins.

There is no doubt there is a hierarchy of animals. We egocentric humans put ourselves on the top and assign creatures such as cockroaches and rats towards the bottom.

But for primatologist, zoologist and former zookeeper Leif Cocks, there is an animal that deserves the status of personhood.

In his new book, Orangutans: My Cousins, My Friends, the vegan, non-leather wearing founder of The Orangutan Project argues that these critically endangered great apes of Sumatra and Borneo are far more intelligent than we give them credit for and so must be given special recognition and priority.

His arguments are scientifically and emotionally compelling and his stories are hilarious and deeply moving; this man has looked deep into the eyes of many orangutans and seen a special wisdom he believes could help us become better people.

'Friends for life'

Cocks discovered an affinity with our long, orange-haired cousins when he began working with them at Perth Zoo in 1988.

He was immediately charmed by their shy, elusive, intelligent nature and soon became close to his charges.

"A friendship with [orangutans] is much more pure than a human friendship because they don't need or want anything from you," Cocks says.

"Plus, they have long memories so they are friends for life."

The most famous orangutan in popular culture is probably King Louie — the power-hungry, boastful, greedy and aggressive creature of Disney's The Jungle Book.

But orangutans are actually the introverts of the great apes; they live high in the canopy in semi-solitary yet connected communities.

Cocks says they are patient, loving, independent and capable of complex thought.

They are also the Tibetans of the apes — the most peaceful of all on our family tree.

Humans have killed more than a million orangutans, yet not one has killed a human, despite being seven times physically stronger. A mother will defend her baby to her own death, rather than the death of a man with a machete.

Orangutans are the most intelligent of all animals, Cocks says, because they have a developed theory of mind — "the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others".

They have a sense of ego and identity, distinct personalities, and recognise themselves in the mirror.

An affinity for Nicole Kidman photos

In his book, he tells the stories of cheeky, temper-filled teenager Temara, traumatised babies and a lovelorn orangutan who loved flicking through women's magazines and pulling out photos of his favourite redhead, Nicole Kidman, to decorate his enclosure.

Orangutans are actually not our nearest relatives. DNA coding proves we share 99 per cent of our DNA with chimps, slightly less with bonobos and 98 per cent with gorillas. Orangutans come next with 3 per cent DNA difference.

Yet there is no doubt their intelligence is exemplary. Cocks cites a zookeeper adage: "Give a screwdriver to a chimpanzee and it will throw it at another chimpanzee. Give a screwdriver to a gorilla and it will use it to scratch itself, (they are like the sports scholarship winners of the great apes, beautiful, but not bright). But give a screwdriver to an orangutan and it will use it to escape!"

And escape they do. Cocks details several ingenious orangutan plans that fooled zookeepers.

Sweet, diabetic male Hsing Hsing escaped his enclosure at Perth Zoo and was only caught because he stopped to free his friends.

Fellow inmates and mother and son team Puluh and Puan may have gotten further in their great escape had they not visited their neighbours for sex.

It seems we humans can learn a lot from the smartest of the great apes

Their child rearing style, for instance, has led Cocks to believe that humans' 'tough love' strategy is actually damaging.

"They are the most deeply-loving, supportive, nurturing and devoted mothers," he says, adding that their spatial skills and ability to read body language are far more advanced than ours, and their peaceful nature is worthy of emulation.

When I ask Cocks whether he is anthropomorphising the animals he so clearly loves, he insists all his arguments are backed up by science.

But as he grew to see his charges as friends he became uncomfortable with their incarceration, which led to conflict with zoo authorities.

In 2011, after 27 years of zookeeping, Cocks quit his job at Perth Zoo to set up The Orangutan Project, in the hope that if we recognise orangutans as people, we will grant them freedom, compassion and protection.

The project aims to protect the species against extinction and has so far cared for more than 200 orangutans, protected 3,500 animals and 332,000 hectares of rainforest.

But the next few years are critical if key ecosystems are to survive. The project also aims to foster change in the way land is used, and work with the Indonesian Government to provide on the ground protection.

Yet with 80 per cent of their habitat destroyed by logging, palm oil plantations and forest fires, it has a hell of a job ahead of it, and not a lot of time.

I have been to Sumatra and seen the swathes of cleared land, the thick smoke of forest fires that burn for months and the endless line of trucks laden with palm nuts on their way to be crushed for oil.

It's a depressing and overwhelming sight that leaves one feeling guilt and shame. The sight of an orangutan swinging high above you in the wild is a rare pleasure that brings indescribable joy.

But then Cocks believes we need to save the orangutan for selfish as well as altruistic reasons.

"We pay a huge price for our technological advancement," he says.

"The orangutan reflects the most noble part of being human and saving them helps us connect back to the natural world."

Topics: non-fiction, land-clearing, animals, australia

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