Mahal: Baby orangutan’s tale inspired creativity
Source: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online
Today we start a remarkable three-part series by reporter Jan Uebelherr about a baby orangutan named Mahal, the Milwaukee County Zoo’s newest attraction.
If Mahal isn’t a star yet, this series is sure to make him one - even if the little guy does look a bit like Homer Simpson.
You may know part of his story. The red-haired great ape was born in Colorado Springs just over a year ago to an orangutan mother who rejected him. He was flown here by private jet in February to live with a surrogate mom. The story about Mahal’s arrival ran on the front page.
But Jan’s series, which Tina Maples helped edit, will reveal much more about Mahal’s turbulent start in life.
This isn’t just a story about a cute, cuddly zoo animal - although Mahal is most definitely adorable. The series explores some of the questionable moves taken by well-intentioned people in charge of Mahal’s fate before he was ever put on a plane to come here. It’s a story about survival and about protecting a dying species. It also touches on big issues such as the destruction of the rain forest and the purpose of zoos.
Serious issues aside, I can’t think of many stories that have been as fun to manage and edit. We’ve done a lot of things with this series that are new and innovative to help spread the word about Mahal and to reach new audiences, including building a “Friends of Mahal” page on Facebook.
The online package at www.jsonline.com/mahal includes video, slideshows, orangutan sounds and interactive graphics from Enrique Rodriguez. Interactive guru Bill Schulz set up a camera outside Mahal’s enclosure. We call it our “Good Morning, Mahal Cam.” The camera is on 24/7, but the best viewing times are in the morning, when Mahal wakes and is feeling playful. We also have downloadable desktop wallpaper featuring Mahal.
My favorite bonus features online are part of the “Children’s Nook” on the Mahal series page put together by Web producer Alison Fonte.
The nook includes a wonderful coloring page created by graphics editor Lou Saldivar, a drawing contest for kids and a children’s book version of Mahal’s story that Jan and I co-wrote. The book is titled “Little Mahal and the Big Search for a Real Mom.”
Did I mention that we’re having fun with this?
The children’s book idea hit me about three weeks ago when I was editing the second part of Jan’s story. I came across a single, four-word sentence that stood out: “Sandra was so old.” That may not have much meaning until you read the rest of the series. But when I read those words, I felt like Jan was telling a bedtime story.
I’m a new dad, so I find myself reading stories to my little son, Luke, every night. Jan’s four words and my little boy inspired the idea of a bedtime version. And we had such a blast making it happen. I wrote the first draft that night. Jan and I traded drafts for a couple of weeks until we got it just right.
Gary Markstein, one of our features designers, produced a fabulous cover illustration. Creative director Lonnie Turner designed the book with photos from Jack Orton. It came together really quickly.
Some might think we’re going a little overboard for a zoo animal, but we should always be innovating and trying new things. We can’t just go about our jobs in a business-as-usual sort of way anymore. And we always need to be thinking about reaching a new generation of readers.
