It took Biruté over twenty years to begin to understand Orangutans. This is because it takes at least two generations to confirm the way any animal behaves. For female Orangutans, that’s at least sixteen years. Before this, it was a widely held belief that Orangutans couldn’t be studied. Like her beloved Orangutans, for Biruté’s work to succeed, she needed to disappear. She became invisible in the forest for many years. Biruté’s consummate patience even led to her being ‘adopted’ by an Indonesian family. At the time, this was the only way to secure lifelong residency for the good of her research. However, the trade-off was Biruté’s promise she would never leave. From the outset, twists of fate ensnared her in, as she puts it ‘the cat’s cradle’ of life. Reflections of Eden by Biruté Galdikas is that story.
‘Since orangutans do not encounter each other very often, they interact on a scale of time that almost seems to be in slow motion.’
Reflections of Eden by Biruté Galdikas
This book has had a huge impact on me. I’ve been reading it while researching my second book. The plan is to call this: How to Survive the Next 100 Years: Lessons from Nature. One can’t help feeling a bit of a fraud. When telling stories about animals, wisdom and nature, we’re following in the footsteps of people like Biruté. A researcher who literally suffered hardships for decades to bring us evidence many now wheel out like we discovered it. Yet it’s as relevant now as ever. We are only just starting to believe in our place among nature.
Celebrating our similarities and respecting our differences
What better way can we learn, than from our most closely-related animal cousins? Among the discoveries Biruté and her friends Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey made, is that people and animals share similar intelligence, emotions, even facial expressions. Meaning our similarities to wildlife may be more important than our differences.
Beautifully written and inspiring. In its representation of nature, this book will make you feel more human
Even today the idea of empathising with animals is considered unscientific. However, the more I think about it, the harder this is to disregard. Those who have spent time in the field studying wildlife know this to be the case. Our human-centric view of the world disables us from humility. Hence, it jeopardises our future by treating animals as commodities. Plus, it detaches us from the truth that we are animals and part of an ecosystemHow ecosystems function An ecosystem is a community of lifeforms that interact in such an optimal way that how ecosystems function best, is when all components (including humans and other animals) can persist and live alongside each other for the longest time possible. Ecosystems are fuelled by the energy created by plants (primary producers) that convert the Sun's heat energy More community.
To think, Biruté was possibly the first other animal species to have ever communed with an Orangutan since they evolved millions of years ago. If anything, this was a pivotal moment in the whole history of humanity. As readers of this blog and my book will know, I firmly believe animals are humanity’s best hope. For me, this is more historically significant than walking on the moon.
Over time I’ve become more obsessed with this idea. I see it everywhere from the jumping spiders I observe closely, to the reaction of a blue whale. We share the intelligence to read each other’s minds.
‘Clearly, TP had become habituated, but so, I realized, had I. The proces was reciprocal. Gradually, TP and I worked out an unspoken agreement. lf he didn’t want me to advance, he would angrily slap or shake the vegetation near him until I stopped moving. I learned that if I didnt make eye contact with TP, I could come within ten feet. So I would walk head down, my eyes to the forest foor. Otherwise TP would go wild, kiss-squeaking and bouncing slapping and snapping branches. I grew proficient at pretending that I hadn’t noticed that he had come to a stop and was standing ahead of me. As soon as our eyes locked, I would act surprised at his presence and look elsewhere as if I were disracted by an unusually interesting piece of foliage.’
Reflections of Eden by Biruté Galdikas
It’s a language as old as time that enables co-existence of wildlife communities. Even within Orangutan society, males and females follow extremely different and complex patterns of communication, evolved to ensure harmony with nature.
Lessons from nature
Evidence for our relationship with wildlife is everywhere. It might be easier to see in the facial expressions and behaviour of our closely related Orangutans. But in its representation of nature, this book will help you feel more human. It might make it easier for you to discover some of this empathy for yourself. Even with the animals and birds in your backyard, you can have similar experiences. If you’re patient enough.
Albeit written in the last century, Reflections of Eden by Biruté Galdikas remains critically important to our future. Today as we navigate the complexity of humanity’s current predicaments, we need the lessons from nature that Biruté’s wisdom provides.
I’m grateful to have had the chance to read this autobiography. Biruté’s writes beautifully. It’s a lovely written account of being in the field which trancends the normal dry statistical nuance of most of the work I mostly read about wildlife today. It describes in intimate detail the relationship between Orangutans, Orangutans and the forest, Orangutans and people, and even people and people.
Thank you to Biruté and Kobe at The Orangutan Foundation. Please consider visiting here and making a donation.
Tanjung Puting National Park
Today, you can visit Biruté’s home for many years at Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting National Park. If you do visit, try to take your time. So many visitors stop for photos and leave without a true regard for the magnificence of these animals. We were lucky enough to be able to sit and watch a mother and baby for an hour and a half, long after everyone else had left the feeding station. These are among the moments that fortified my love of nature and why I write about it and try toi inspire people every day.
Enquire about travel: https://deluxelife.com.au/experience/indonesia-expedition-orangutans-of-kalimantan
