My boss sent me this video link  Green, Death of Forests. Now, usually environmental video is not really my favorite subject (does not mean that I am ignorant about it though), but it’s not the kind of video link that I will excitedly jump onto (unlike upcoming blockbuster trailers!).

Out of curiousity, I checked it out anyway (hey, the BOSS sent it!). And there I came across a “visual essay” about deforestation in Indonesia. Deforestation is not a new topic, but the movie maker is brilliant enough to tell the story through the eyes of a dying orang-utan (her name is Sandra. And according to the movie-maker’s blog, Sandra still survives but partially paralyzed :() The genius of this ‘visual essay’ is there is audio commentary. You will only hear ambient sounds, with some background music. The camera work was done at times as if we are seeing what Sandra sees.

Do check out the video yourself. The first 5 minutes will already wrench your heart.

If you look closely at the orang-utan scenes (do skip forward if you want, it’s a rather long video), you will notice how eerily similar orang utan with us in many ways. Look at the scared eyes, the whimpering when they are caught and tied-up, or even the ‘love’ shown between the mother and its baby.  The poor orang-utans were driven out because another species has insatiable thirst for wood and land for the palm-oil industry. Humans have been long taught that they are the ‘most supreme being’ on this planet, and hence the license to do as they wish to other living beings and nature.

Through the orang-utans’ eyes though, we are more like a curse to their existence.