OHP Staff

The project is led by Ivona Foitova, a Veterinary Doctor from the Czech Republic with a PhD in Wildlife Disease. The project employs several Indonesian Field Assistants at research sites in Sumatra and Kalimantan, as well as local guides for the project’s monthly volunteer program. All staff at the project base are also local Indonesians. By employing only local staff, the project provides important financial support to people in the immediate community and in the areas neighbouring each of the research sites.

The project’s monthly volunteer program offers international volunteers the opportunity to join the project for a two-week period, providing valuable assistance to the project through the gathering of data on overnight expeditions in the rainforest and by assisting with basic but necessary tasks back at the project base. In addition to monthly volunteers, OHP relies on the assistance of volunteer Project Coordinators and Assistants (generally volunteering with the project from three to six months, but sometimes longer) to keep the project running smoothly locally, while Ivona conducts work back in the Czech Republic, including important research and data analysis.

A PERSONAL LOOK – CURRENT OHP STAFF

Dr. Ivona Foitova Ph.D., Founder of OHP and Principal Investigator

With an ever increasing human population on the Earth and the pressure they exert on natural resources, some other animal species are becoming more and more endangered. Habitat destruction can lead to closer contact between people and wildlife, which finds itself fighting for survival on the borders of the last remaining refuges. Fortunately however, we humans continue to share the Earth with these other creatures, and we have a lot in common: nature, weather, some kinds of food and diseases too. For more than 17 years Ivona has been extremely interested in diseases called zoonosis – diseases common to people and animals. Her special field of investigation is zoonosis and parasitological diseases in Orangutans - a species of Great Apes which are genetically very closely related to ourselves. Ivona believes in the hypothesis of self-medication behaviour and her studies relate to questions about this hypothesis. She believes that we can learn a lot from the study of nature and the wild animals living in its midst.

Local Field Assistant, Tumino

Tumino has been working as a Field Assistant for Ivona in the Bukit Lawang area since 2004, when he first entered the jungle under her guidance and training. As difficult and exhausting as it can be, Tumino says that he does indeed enjoy his work, which usually entails following an orangutan from the time it leaves its nest in the early morning hours to the time it makes its nest for the night. Tumino actually prefers it if the orangutan is frequently on the move, searching for different food stuffs, travelling deeper into the jungle and away from any obvious trails.

He understands the importance of the orangutan not only for what its presence means to the livelihood of the local community (as a draw for tourists), but what it means for his country, being one of the last places on earth where orangutans still live. He also realizes how vitally important the orangutan is to the rainforest, saying “The orangutan needs the forest and the forest needs the orangutan. This relationship is essential, in order for both to thrive and survive.”

Head Guide, Wanda

Wanda has been a guide, taking people into the rainforest, for 18 years. He became a guide because he loves the jungle and enjoys meeting people from different countries. In 2001, Wanda met Ivona through a mutual friend in Bukit Lawang and they became friends, which eventually led to Ivona asking Wanda to join the OHP team. In fact, the day that Ivona asked Wanda to work with OHP is as vivid in his mind today as though it happened yesterday. The greatest thing that Wanda enjoys is learning and OHP has helped him to do that. Through his work with OHP, Wanda not only learned a great deal about orangutans, but about other wildlife in the rainforest, as well, and he was able to broaden his knowledge of many of the plants and trees in the rainforest and their medicinal properties. His favourite animal in the rainforest is the mosquito!

Wanda says: ”My most memorable experience working for OHP was when we were followed by a Sumatran tiger. We heard growling and roaring on three different days. It was following and watching us. We did not finish the trip and had to return to town. I love everything about the jungle. I love the power of the jungle. My wish is that people who come here will realise that to save the rainforest, they must first look after the people in the area and help the local economy. In that way the local people will be educated and will not need to make money by cutting down more of the rainforest.”

Recent Project Assistant, Emma

Emma has always had a great passion to work with animals, starting at 14 working for the Natural History Lecture Service, which involved caring for a wide range of exotic and native species including reptiles, mammals an birds. After studying her degree in Zoology, she went on to obtain masters in Animal Behaviour. Her master’s project brought her to Kenya in 2004, studying grooming behaviour on a sanctuary group of chimpanzees. This research ignited a passion for primates; especially the great apes and she began looking into volunteer projects to gain more field experience in the species native countries. Emma worked as an ecologist within a UK based consultancy for the next 3 years, leading to an experience in British protected species including great crested newts, water voles, otters and bats and has a good knowledge of field techniques and reintroduction programmes. In 2007, Emma volunteered with Global Vision International (GVI) in Kenya, studying Angolan Colobus monkeys within the costal forest, and was taken on as terrestrial research officer thereafter. However her passion for the great apes was still strong leading her to apply for the position at OHP. Emma has also spent a year travelling and working around Australia, is a PADI qualified scuba diver, holds the RYA level 2 boat handling qualification as well being an associate member of the Institute of Ecological and Environmental Management and a member of the Primate Society of Great Britain.

Emma says, “Conservation is of great importance to me, with the rainforests being one of the most tranquil and beautiful places on this earth. People of the western world become so involved with material things they forget where they once lived and how wonderful these places are and the importance of protecting them. The great apes are our cousins and I personally want our future generation to be able to see them, not just read about what used to be. When I first saw chimpanzees and gorillas in the wild, the emotion was overwhelming, and I sure the orang-utan, one of the world’s most charismatic and charming of the great apes will have the same effect”.

Recent Project Assistant, Danielle

Danielle has had a love of primates since her first hands-on experience at Western Plains Zoo in Australia when she was 16 years old. She completed an Honours degree in Animal Science at the University of Sydney and hopes to later continue her research with a Ph.D in Primate Conservation. After travelling the world for 7 months looking for exciting volunteer opportunities, Danielle discovered OHP. She joined the team in February 2010 and will be spending the next six months as a Project Assistant in Indonesia.

Former Project Coordinators and Assistants include:

Abigail Mackinnon
Alejandro Feged
Alex Daraseng
Amity Jordan
Andrea Molyneaux
Anne Miehs
Anthony Hurford
Becky Persun
Beverly Raimondo
Cazz Arnsby-Wilson
Chris Banister
Clare Hunt
Eric Nicholson
Eve Hailey
Hannah-Marie Martin
Hayley Wood
James Pattenden
Jennifer Miller
Jenn Lewis
Karen Bachelder
Karen Jeffers
Keely Severn
Laura McLauchlan
Mary Pope
Paul Gilmore
Penny Gardner
Rachel Laurie
Samantha Sherman
Sarah Carroll
Sarah Proctor
Sophie Adwick