JUNIOR CATEGORY

FIRST PRIZE

Ariscca Michael Sekolah Menengah Sains Seri Puteri, Kuala Lumpur,

TOPIC 1 Write about your favourite primate and say where it is found, and why you like it.

My favourite channel has always been Animal Planet since I was a young girl. I could watch a show about orangutans for hours just imagining what the world would have been like without these primates. I’ve always found the behavior of orangutans fascinating yet similar to us humans. Ethology has always been something I’ve wanted to study. It intrigues me how orangutans have personalities, minds and feelings so similar to humans. Jane Goodall, who is a primatologist, shared the same thoughts when she first started her research about primates. One of the other reasons why I love these furry and loving mammals is because of their odd yet warm hands that look like humans’. I still clearly remember the day when my family and I visited the Zoo. We stayed back to watch the animal show in the evening and we were lucky to get the experience to meet and greet one of the famous orangutans there. Her name was Diana and she could give the best hugs ever. I will never forget that sweet moment when she held my hand. The feeling of her hand was beyond my expectations. At the innocent age of six, I never expected the hands of an orangutan to be warm, smooth and very ladylike. I can still remember crying and not wanting to let go of her warm grasp but I was forced to leave anyway. Apart from that, I also believe that orangutans should not only be appreciated for their looks but for their intelligence too. As orangutans are our closest living relatives in the animal kingdom, I don’t see why they don’t share some of the intelligence we’ve been gifted. Researchers have conducted many experiments to test the intelligence of these primates and they found that the orangutans managed to past their tests with ease. If we can ace exams, why can’t they too? As humans,we didn’t know how to use toilets, sing or even draw as soon as we were born. We had our parents to teach us and we just had to learn how to do all these. This proves that orangutans are intelligent as they have their own way of getting solutions to their problems; through observation and training. Do you know that not only orangutans need rainforests? Rainforests need these primates too. Orangutans are well known as the ‘gardeners of the rainforest’because of their ability to germinate seeds. As we all know, orangutans consume a variety of fruit, and they play their part in balancing the ecosystem by digesting the seeds of these fruits. Who knew orangutan poop could play a role in sustaining the species of plants? Wondering how? Theorangutans help to germinate those seeds through their faeces. I would like to express my disappointment in the irresponsibility and greed shown by some humans who neglect and harm orangutans. Orangutans share as much as 97 percent of genetic material with humans. We should play our role in fighting and protecting the rights of orangutans as they are . Just imagining the planet without these animals would be heartbreaking. It infuriates me when people purchase them illegally for their children to keep as house pets or when they are forced to be models for zoo visitors to take the perfect selfies to upload on their Instagram. They deserve to be respected and to be given a proper habitat. If forests go through destructions, these animals go through extinction as well. When I grow up, fighting for animal rights is something I’m going to pursue for the betterment of our future. Who says the voice of one doesn’t matter? If people just take the time to learn or educate the young generation about these primates, I’m sure that the risk of orangutans facing extinction would be decreased. Neither Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift nor Kim Kardashian is my role model, Jane Goodall is. She is my inspiration to bring change and to make the future better for us and for primates as well. At 84 years old, age is not going to be a barrier to stop her from educating the young generation about primates. Just like Jane Goodall once said, “Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.” Who cares what age, gender or skin colour we have? We are all the same and we are all here for a reason, to bring change.

Judges’ comments A very thoughtful and well-structured piece on her love for orangutans, drawing from her experiences growing up. Good use of a famous quote from Dr. Jane Goodall to express the missing connection between humans and our closest living primate relatives. Every individual matters and can make a positive change; a clear message from an insightful essay.