Orangutans: My Cousins, My Friends: A Journey to Understand and Save the Person of the Forest

• The four specific characteristics which differentiate the orangutans from other Great Apes
• Why orangutans are the most intelligent beings on the planet today, second only to humans
• Leif's personal journey to know and understand orangutans and how he came to be an expert witness in a human rights case on behalf of an orangutan named Sandra
• The five things you can start doing today to help save the orangutans from extinction and preserve the last remaining populations of these critically endangered species in the wild
• Learn how by protecting and conserving their rainforest habitat we can also save the planet for future generations
• Plus the remarkable, heart warming stories of some of the orangutans, Leif has come to know as friends
• And much, much more

"I am often asked why I choose to work for orangutans. And my honest answer is, that in many ways, it was the orangutans who first chose me. As I’m sure you can imagine, my answer is often met with quizzical looks, raised eyebrows, and an even greater curiosity on the part of the questioner. But the truth is that I never consciously planned to do this work. Nor did I envision myself as becoming an author, a speaker or an outspoken campaigner on their behalf. And I certainly had no idea that I would one day found and lead an international conservation charity, The Orangutan Project, to ensure the welfare and survival of our remarkable orange cousins. However, from experience, I’ve come to see that life has a way of putting unexpected possibilities and significant choices across our paths, and the decision is always our individual responsibility as to how we will respond. So it was for me, that by the time we started The Orangutan Project back in 1998, it had become the single, most obvious course of action for me to take. In fact, to not start the organization and dedicate my life to this work was simply no-longer an option...."