Lying on her back helpless and dying, Green the female orangutan is a picture of sadness as she faces her final hours.
The
tragic female ape has been confined to a mattress inside a shack after
her rainforest home was logged and burned to the ground through ruthless
deforestation.
She
clutches at her pillow and sits lifelessly on her mattress, defenceless
as the lush Indonesian ecosystem she called home is destroyed, leaving
her homeless.
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Lifeless: Green lies on a mattress at a rescue centre, where filmmaker Patrick Rouxel said she was 'dying of sorrow'
Tragic:
Green the female orangutan appears to be plucked from the mud in
Sumatra, Indonesia, after deforestation left her without a home
Homeless:
Ruthless deforestation in Indonesia is thought to have destroyed 70 per
cent of the country's forest cover since the 1950s
Later
on in the heart-breaking film, rescue centre workers carry a body bag
away from the room where Green saw out her last few days, highlighting
her as the latest victim of deforestation and palm oil plantations.
Her
plight was filmed as part of a poignant 48-minute feature film by
Patrick Rouxel, who obtained footage in Indonesian national parks to
show the extent to which he believes deforestation is 'raping our
planet'.
Mr
Rouxel's incredibly moving film aims to show how the timber, pulp and
paper and palm oil industries, along with general consumerism, are
combining to ravage natural resources worldwide.
The
footage of Green's final days and hours is interspersed with shots of
trees being hacked down in Sumatra, Indonesia, along with shots of the
wood products which result from the widespread deforestation.
Defenceless: Green had been rescued from a palm oil plantation and taken to a hospital, but could not be saved
Makeshift home: Green lies helpless on her mattress at a rescue centre
in Kalimantan, Indonesia, just days before she passed away
Filmmaker Mr Rouxel took footage of Green for three days, but sadly
there was nothing that could be done to save her after she was left
paralysed down her left side.
Rescued: Part of the heart-wrenching film shows Green being hauled from
the mud after hanging on to one of the last Sumatran rainforest trees
during deforestation
In
one particularly distressing segment, Green lies on the muddy floor
helpless, the tall trees which were normally her natural habitat having
been hacked down.
The film then shows her being packed into a large rucksack and driven away on a pickup truck.
Mr
Rouxel said Green was taken to orangutan refuge in Kalimantan,
Indonesia, after being rescued from a palm oil plantation several days
previously.
'Being a captive animal in Indonesia is pure hell because the notion of animal wellbeing does not exist there.'
The
filmmaker told Al Jazeera Green had suffered an intracerebral
haemorrhage, leaving her paralysed on the left side of her body.
He
the filmed Green at her bedside for three days, culminating in a
heart-wrenching final shot where the mattress on which she slept is seen
empty.
Mr
Rouxel, who has previously worked as a cameraman for Greenpeace and the
WWF in Indonesia and Africa, received critical acclaim for his moving
film.
The film, which has no human commentary at all, received over 35 international awards at various wildlife film festivals.
Mr
Rouxel himself, who is half Swedish and half French, told Al Jazeera
Green was taken to a hospital after being rescued, but 'died of sorrow'
because she had 'lost everything'.
Ravaged: Experts believe around 2 million hectares of forest cover are burned down or logged in Indonesia each year
Decline: Estimates show that around 160 million hectares of forest cover existed in Indonesia in the 1950s
However, this image, taken in 2009, shows how rampant deforestation in the area has taken its toll
Mr Rouxel said: 'Being a captive animal in Indonesia is pure hell because the notion of animal wellbeing does not exist there.
'And every day, through the things we buy, we encourage this destruction and suffering.'
Earlier
this month it was reported how environmental activists have taken to
rescuing orangutans left injured or trapped by workers felling trees for
palm oil plantations.
Hundreds
of primates like Green are regularly trapped and face death through
slaughter or injury in large parts of Sumatra, Indonesia.
Malnourished: An injured orangutan found by environmental activists
waits for medical treatment at a palm oil plantation in Rimba Sawang
village, Indonesia
Rescue: Activists of from the SOCP carry the injured orangutan away for
medical treatment. The dedicated workers aim to save as many of the
primates as they can during deforestation
But
dedicated team members of the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme
(SOCP) aim to save as many of the primates as possible.
Without
their work the helpless primates are left in often deadly conflict with
ruthless loggers in Indonesia's degraded forests.
Indonesia is said to have one of the world's worst deforestation rates, averaging at around 2 million hectares a year.
The process expanded in the 1970s following greater demand from the timber and palm oil industries.
Experts
believe that although forest cover in Indonesia in the 1950s was around
160 million hectares, today less than 48 million remain.
Mr Rouxel's film can be viewed at www.greenthefilm.com/?cat=7
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