Welcome Speech by Suri

Hello, my name is Suri. I’m a female Orang-Utan, obviously from my name. I’m about 15 years old, and haven’t seen my parents for a couple of years. God knows what your kind has done to them, bless them. I’ve told that Orang-Utans only live in Borneo and Sumatran these days, so I’ve thought on searching my mother but it was to no avail. Moreover there isn’t much left of a jungle out there, is there?

Some elders of Orang-Utans small community had told me some history of our kind. Long ago, a sailor by the name Andrew Battel claimed he saw two monsters, which well, were actually my ancestors. He named them Pongo and Engeco, and those were one of the first names given to us, besides our traditional current name which offers you many way to pronounce it. For instance orang-outang, by the English men.

Since I was born in Borneo, so my whole lot is covered in black hair, unlike those Orang-Utans in Sumatran which have lighter coat on them. Thus I hope you can differentiate us from this moment onwards, or it would be such a shame not to recognize your own national Orang-Utans, wouldn’t it? Apart from that, my lot and Sumatran’s lot are just the same in looks and manners. We have big body, thick neck and arms as twice as our bowed legs. And if you are looking at an ape with a tail, its definitely not us, pals!

The male Orang-Utans have cheek flaps which get larger as they get older. The boys use the flaps to compare who is more ‘powerful’ among them, and they also use the flaps as a signal to the females that they are ready to mate. While for the female, we reach puberty at 12, so you can guess that I already have experience with the proud male flapping their face, and I even gave birth to my baby boy, Atan (in the picture above). Unlike you humans, I don’t get to live with my child forever, they will leave me after 6/7 years, it’s only natural.

i still keep the picture of Atan's father, you know.

At last our dignity is brought to a slightly higher level when Orang-Utans are remarked as the world's most intelligent animal other than humans, with higher learning and problem solving ability. On your face chimpanzees! Haaha.

* We can make rain hats and leak proof roofs over our nest out of leaves in case it rains cats and dogs, cool huh? We ensure our family has the best cozy home there is.

* Adults like me would teach youngsters like Atan here on how to make tools and find food! We give children good education on surviving skills, but I’m not sure if the next generation would ever learn more or make new discoveries, seeing what is happening to my species eh? If given a chance we might be even more developed than you human, who knows?

* Our two representatives succeeded in learning 40 signs and linguistic skills taught by those nerds at the lab within two years. If only we were given such chance more often.

* And our distance relatives, Sumatran Orang-Utans get the chance to play games via the touch screen computer at Zoo Atlanta! How jealous Atan is! I have to tell him that this country isn’t that rich to give us all the games, but the boy can smell the truth.

* as for me, the ordinary Orang-Utan who is yet to be discovered for any unusual talent, i row boat if it is necessary, and I even eat using cutlery. What did you expect? A bunch of Orang-Utans eating using mainly our fingers?

Those are only some examples of why we ranked as second most intelligent species on the earth. People, there are lot to be learn from my kind, but why are you being so ignorant and cruel? It is because of your selfishness for your own profitable activities and for your development’s sake, that we have to face threats in our own home? Did you know that now our numbers are less than 14 percent of what it was in the recent past? And did I mention that each time your school bell rings, an Orang-utan had just died? I wonder which ringing of the bell will mark the end of my life and Atan’s, too.

Remember people, it is just your luck and fate that you were not the one who would have to feel this way.

Help us.

Truthfully,

Suri.