This organisation has been close to my heart for a few years now. My interest started with their fundraiser "Cakes for Apes" at my studio, where I donated kiln firing money for this.
I have grown to have a deep love of orangutans and what really inspires me about International Animal Rescue is that every life counts. No animal is too small or insignificant to be rescued and treated if needed.
IAR works in Borneo with their partners YIARI, who run 'Forest School' an intermediate protected environment which is used to rehabilitate orangutans, who are suitable for release back into the wild. They are not as large as WWF, for example, but the work they do is monumental.
I have corresponded with them regularly, and I am happy to say a couple of my vases have been raffled for Cakes for Apes this year, hopefully with impact for both of us.
I look forward to continuing this friendship.

International Animal Rescue is at the forefront of rescue/rehabilitation and release back to the wild, for species such as orangutans, sloth bears, sloths, Armenian brown bears, and in recent years increasingly howler monkeys, who are often electricuted on the uninsulated electric wires which are common in Costa Rica.
There are more species than those I have mentioned - their policy is that every life matters.
Until I started researching these issues, I thought that in our failing human world, that compassion and rescue from cruelty for the other creatures that we share the earth with, was the most important thing. Since researching I have discovered that there are lots of charities and organisations trying to make a difference and save our planet ( as we knew it ). So conservation, be it in zoos, protected areas or in the wild is one of the important tools available to us to try and turn this ship around. I can almost draw a parallel of the new organisations, and rightly so, started by young people, young activists to preserve nature as the new 'start up' businesses of the current climate. These echo the 'start up' businesses that were frequent in the 1980s to 2000s.

International Animal Rescue also involve the community and indigenous people. This is the way forward many conservation charities are following. People can be helped by education and simple scientifically based ways to improve their crops. The 'Vegetable Boat' is an example of where a small intervention, providing a boat instead of waiting all day for a ferry. This prevented their fruit and vegetables from spoiling in the heat and they arrived at market fresh therefore generating a much better price.
The villagers are also eyes and ears on the ground and can be useful as a protective patrol for the animals. Women rangers are now working alongside IAR, the Black Mambas. These are new innovative systems.

We are now recognised as being in the Anthropocene Age. This is a new geological era, started by man's destruction of the earth. Of course wars, which are raging now, are hindering the global conservation effort.

YIARI are the Indonesian partners of International Animal Rescue. They specialises in orangutan rescue, rehabilitation then release back into the wild. They work alongside regional governments and have a rescue centre in west Borneo. They also restore areas of rainforest. Causes of the decline of the orangutan population are illegal hunting, habitat loss, palm oil plantations and forest fires.

I first got involved with IAR with their 'Cakes for Apes' challenge. I didnt hold a coffee morning, but put the collecting box along with the bunting in my studio, and when people had tea/coffee and a biscuit, I would ask them if they wanted to donate 50p into the tin for the refreshments. I have done this for quite a few years. Latterly I have been putting student's firing money in the tin. It is a small but much needed contribution.
I have donated some of my work that is no longer needed in the MA to be part of a raffles in events held to generate funds with the Cakes for Apes appeal. It is very important at this stage in man's journey to increase awareness of the climate and biodiversity crisis. The vase was chosen first out of the raffle prizes, which I took as a great complement!

With my MA, I wasn't really sure where my research would take me. I decided that primates were going to be one of my animals. But I have found orangutans so endearing that all of my work on primates is on orangutans. If I had more time on the MA, I would have taken up the howler monkey cause.
An average life span of a wild orangutan is 35-40 years, so they are very long lived.
An interesting fact is that 300 varieties of fruit are eaten by orangutans. They are known as the 'Gardeners of the Forest' as they distribute the seeds in their faeces. If orangutans are to survive in the wild there needs to be enough forest left for them. They need food and shelter and be able to move from one part of the forest to the other to ensure breeding opportunities and genetic diversity. IAR works with local and national governments, the private sector, other NGO and consulting firms and international certification schemes to try and secure this for them. The orangutan team is based in the island of Borneo, South Indonesia.

https://www.internationalanimalrescue.org