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Willagee orangutan conservationist launches new book

Aaron CorlettMelville Gazette

WILLAGEE resident Leif Cocks has been protecting orangutans for more than 30 years but his fight is not over.

Mr Cocks is the founder of The Orangutan Project, a charity that has been fighting deforestation and habitat loss for 21 years.

He has written his third book, Find Our Humanity is meant to be a philosophical journey.

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“I was looking at what it means to be human and what’s holding us back from impacting change,” he said.

“It was a great experience writing the book, I wrote most in the jungles of Kalimantan.”

There are three species of orang-utan, Sumatran, Bornean and Tapanuli, which are all listed as critically endangered by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

493645 Leif overseas with an orangutan. The Orangutan Project
Camera Icon493645 Leif overseas with an orangutan. The Orangutan Project Credit: Supplied/The Orangutan Project

Mr Cocks said his passion for orangutans started when he was working at Perth Zoo about 30 years ago.

“I noticed they are people just like we are,” he said.

“I had a vision that they should live safely in their own rainforests.

“I spent half my time overseas learning about orangutans, rescuing orangutans and work on projects that help with strategies to improve their ecosystems.”

The book is available from www.orangutan.org.au.