A live, open, worldwide interactive video forum on the Internet for one hour

Questions for consideration: What is the situation inside Indonesia now politically and socially in terms of protecting orangutans, an endangered species, and stopping the destruction of the rain forest? What is being done to spread the word? What could we be doing? What is the current status of orangutans?

Listen to speakers, ask questions, give your own point of view by voice or instant messaging.

Saturday, Nov 12, 2011 for one hour only (for those in North America, Europe and Africa; Sunday, Nov. 13 in Australia and Southeast Asia)

Starting times around the world: 5 p.m. Saturday eastern time (U.S.); 4 p.m. Saturday central time (U.S.); 3 p.m. Saturday mountain time (U.S.); 2 p.m. Saturday Pacific time (U.S.); 8 p.m. Saturday Brasilia, Brazil;10 p.m. Saturday London, England; 11 p.m. Saturday Amsterdam; 11 p.m. Saturday Barcelona, Spain; 11 p.m. Saturday Berlin, Germany; 12 a.m. Sunday Cape Town, South Africa; 12 a.m. Sunday Helsinki, Finland; 4 a.m. Sunday New Delhi, India; 5 a.m. Sunday Jakarta, Indonesia; 6 a.m. Sunday Perth, Australia; 6 a.m. Sunday Singapore; 6 a.m. Sunday Shanghai, China; 6 a.m. Sunday Beijing, China; 5 a.m. Sunday Singapore; 9 a.m. Sunday Sydney, Australia.

Join the speakers: Gary Shapiro, an orangutan scientist and the president of the Orang Utan Republik, just back from Indonesia; Leif Cocks, head of the Australian Orangutan Project; and Hardi Baktiantoro, an orangutan campaigner and the head of Centre for Orangutan Protection in Indonesia.

moderator: Shawn Thompson, author of The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of an Endangered Species

Part of the purpose of this forum is to foster a community of people communicating with each around the world to work together to save orangutans. This will be the first interactive video web forum in this series at www.bigmarker.com. Ideas for future broadcasts include hearing from leading ape scientists, conservationists and campaigners, like Marc Ancrenaz in Borneo, live video tours of different ape sanctuaries around the world, and a special session on musicians, music and apes. Other forums can be organized on topics of your choice.
You can reach the moderator and organizer Shawn Thompson by email at email at www.bigmarker.com/orangutan or intimateape@hotmail.com

The Orang Utan Republik is a non-profit organization working at the grass-roots level in Indonesia to create an awareness within the country about orangutans.

The Australian Orangutan Project is a non-profit organization headed by Leif Cocks that raises money for its own projects and many other projects such as: Nyaru Menteng, Orangutan Care and Quarantine Centre, PanEco, Sumatran Orangutan Society, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Orang Utan Republik, Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Program, International Animal Rescue, and Centre for Orangutan Protection. For more information on these projects visit www.orangutan.org.au

The Centre for Orangutan Protection is "a direct-action group of Indonesian people who campaign to bring an urgent end to the destruction of our rain forests and the killing of orangutans." For information see http://www.orangutanprotection.com