A Tribute to Oyoy
Oyoy’s untimely death on Orangutan Island was deeply saddening for all of us. Oyoy was one of the most independent orangutans on the island and no one imagined he would die like that…
Many people have written in to express their feelings– and the subject has received a lot of attention on the Orangutan Island message boards: http://www.orangutanisland.org/
Our colleague Michelle Desilets, Director of BOS UK, remembers Oyoy, who she knew as a baby:
“Oyoy is a favourite of mine. When he was very little in Forest School One, he used to take me by the hand when I went out in the forest in the morning, and take me on walkabout for like an hour or an hour and a half, showing me his favourite spots, playing in the water, trying to get me to climb a tree with him. He was so tenacious he would not let go of my hand. Of course it was about 90 degrees out and 100 % humidity it seemed and I would be absolutely soaked with sweat and exhausted. The babysitters looking after him would shout, ‘Oyoy, let your poor mum rest… can’t you see you are tiring her out!’
“The babysitters laughed when I told them about my Polish grandmother who when she was annoyed with my behaviour would remonstrate me with a ‘oy-oy-oy-oy-oy!’ so that anytime Oyoy acted up they would all go, ‘oy-oy-oy-oy-oy!’ just like my grandma!”
