Orangutan Outreach Website - Saving the Orangutan

Hi my name is Dr David Irons. I’m a medical doctor and have been working in general practice and emergency medicine for 20 yrs. At present though I’m working in Borneo at the BOS centre in Nyaru Menteng home to Fio, Kesi, Lomon, Grendon and about 650 more wonderful personalities. My function there is mainly based around adding an extra dimension to the medical services for the orangutans, but I have also been getting my hands (very) dirty building climbing / feeding platforms, helping Lone Droscher Nielsen, the Project Manager, plan new facilities and generally trying to solve problems and add my experience to Lone’s amazing creation (and trying to take a little of the huge weight off Lone’s shoulders).

So, I suppose the obvious question is why or how does a doctor end up working with orangutans? Well after working for myself as a GP and also medical teaching for 16 years I decided it was time to ‘give something back’ so I started working voluntarily with periods of ‘fund raising’ working as an emergency doctor and GP locum, in between voluntary jobs. I decided to split my energies between human and animal work, so I ended up working in a wild animal rescue centre in Thailand and also with severely under- privileged children in Argentina.

I’d had a little experience with orangutans and was generally interested in ape conservation so I used to receive various newsletters, one of which was from BOS UK. Then last Christmas I read that BOS was looking for £3000 to buy an area of forest for rescued orangutans from Thailand and I decided it would be a privilege to donate this. So I contacted the Director, Michelle Desilets, and offered the money and decided to send my CV just in case they could use my experience at the centre. Although they rarely have volunteers there they decided to take a chance with me.

So, as I say, I have added a different perspective in the medical management. I think its obvious that medical diagnosis and treatment of animals and humans is part of a continuum and where Great Apes are concerned there is a significant overlap between veterinary and human medicine. Orangutans have 97% of their DNA in common with us, their anatomy is very similar and their systems work in most cases practically the same as ours. They are prone to similar and often the same diseases and respond to similar treatments to us. Medical treatment of most Orangutans closely resembles human paediatric and adult medicine.

With these facts in mind it’s obvious that using the experience of both Veterinary and human doctors gives a more thorough, global view of what are often very challenging and serious conditions.

An example of the challenges and the problems faced relates to a recent and sad case. One of out trainee Bandit boys Julius; usually fit, very bright and naughty contracted what is normally a ‘mild’ type of malaria (malaria is very common in Orangutans and is a major source of medical problems), he was started on treatment and seemed to be doing well, suddenly we had to rush to the clinic as this normally robust baby (approx 3 yrs old) was convulsing. The veterinary team worked well and between us we controlled his condition and checked and treated him for all possible causes. He was receiving intravenous fluids and medicines and was constantly monitored. Sadly the cause of this probable Meningitis was too strong for even his constitution and he died peacefully a day later. Most of the staff had known him all his life and these hopefully rare losses are still very upsetting.

From a medical point of view, events like this have a series of ramifications. Any unknown infection has the possibility to spread and cause epidemics so clearly we had to keep Julius isolated but the problem then was to screen and quarantine any of his forest school group or sleeping compartment group who developed any suggestion of illness. Happily, no other cases presented and we suspect that the cause was a rare complication of Malaria.

However most medical problems have happy endings but I point this case out to demonstrate the demands we face particularly regarding treatment facilities and preventative care. There is always a need for funds for more sleeping quarters (to prevent the spread of disease), diagnostic equipment and tests and of course medicines.

I am always amazed to watch the orphans playing every evening after forest school. The range of personalities is as wide as any playground scene and I must admit I hardly see Orangutans now, I see children playing. I was so shocked when I first saw Lomon, I’d seen him on Orangutan diaries as a waif, mentally scarred and undernourished, so you can imagine my shock when one of the burliest largest orangutans of forest school 1 walks up to me like a simian John Wayne, sniffs my hand and then puts my arm around him (unlike, I assume, John Wayne would have). Without Lone’s unique system of forest schools and surrogacy, this now thriving gentle giant would not be with us!

I have visited and investigated numerous organizations and what I have experienced in Nyaru Menteng is remarkable, nothing is wasted and what money that is raised I can assure you goes to saving, rehabilitating and reintroducing Orangutans.

Dr David Irons MB ChB MRCGP

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 at 2:50 pm and is filed under News & Updates, Voices from the field. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.