This live update comes to us from Dr. Raffaella Commitante who runs the OC/OVAG Workshop for the Orangutan Conservancy.
Greetings from Kuala Lampur, Malaysia! This year, the OC/OVAG Workshop is being held in Malaysia for the very first time. This, our 4th workshop is really getting the royal treatment. Today, the official opening ceremony, at the Universiti Putra Malaysia, was a really special event.
The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Malaysia opened the workshop! YB Dato’Sri Douglas Uggah Embas’s presence at our workshop brought out the local media. The minister and I were interviewed together. The other officials at the opening ceremony were the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International) of the University Putra Malaysia (UPM), YBhg. Prof. Datin Paduka Dr. Aini Ideris, The head of the Center of Wildlife Research and Conservation, (UPM), YBhg. Prof. Dato’Dr. Abdul Rani Bahaman, and Dr. Raffaella Commitante of the Orangutan Conservancy (yes, that would be me).
Topics covered so far have been: Disease Bio security and protocols, several orangutan case studies from the various sites, and a presentation on orangutan stress.
We have 44 participants – our largest group ever, and we have several vets and researchers from Malaysian Borneo joining us for the first time.
Kuala Lampur is a wonderful city and the University has been extremely welcoming and between the university and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, they have come up with some partial funding for this workshop – a lovely and unexpected surprise!
Stay tuned, more to come…
Raffaella
Learn more about the OC/OVAG Workshop and how you can help support this annual event.
