Jakarta Globe, September 24, 2013
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| In ‘Expedition Sumatra,’ Cousteau and his team take viewers to see how deforestation has affected the island’s endangers species and indigenous people. (Photo courtesy of CNN) |
Philippe
Cousteau hopes people will be “amazed by the beauty” of Sumatra when they watch
his new television series which follows his trek across the island’s rainforest
on CNN.
The CNN
special corespondent and environmental adventurer and his team recently
journeyed to see how deforestation has affected the island’s endangered species
and indigenous people.
Throughout
the eight-part series “Expedition: Sumatra,” which launched on Sept. 13, the
team visits an orangutan sanctuary, learns how farmers repel elephants instead
of killing them, and witness the changing rainforest.
“I hope
people are amazed by the beauty of this special place, I hope they are outraged
by its destruction, but most of all, I hope they understand the power each of
us has to change its future,” Cousteau said of the new series.
“We are
linking the show with online resources and campaigns by terrific organizations
who are encouraging the government to establish 30 Hills as a National Park and
protect this critical habitat we were filming in.”
The
33-year-old environmental advocate, who is the grandson of French explorer
Jacques Yves Cousteau, said the logistics were the biggest challenge they faced
while filming in a remote location.
“Traveling
with no infrastructure everything takes twice as long. All the details had to
be planned out in advance,” Cousteau said .
“One of the
things people always seemed fascinated by are some of the basics; for much of
the expedition our toilet was a hole in the ground and our shower was a
bucket.”
The social
entrepreneur shared some of his thoughts with the Jakarta Globe about what he
learned from his expedition across the Sumatran rainforest.
What was
the most unexpected experience you had during filming?
When we
visited the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the staff had me help teach an
orphaned baby orangutan how to find food. They gave me a rotting piece of wood
colonized by termites and told me I had to suck them out of the wood to
demonstrate to the baby what to do.
This is an
important source of protein for orangutans in the wild so I had to do it. I
don’t think I’ll ever forget the intent look on that little face as I did my
best to slurp down termite larva.
What
relationship were you able to develop with the local people?
One of the
experiences that stands out for me was a visit to an indigenous Talang Mamak
school. It was inspiring to see how engaged the young students were in learning
about the truly unique part of the planet they call home. It was part of a
school run by the Frankfurt Zoological Society to engage the local communities
in understanding the importance of conservation. I got to test my creative
skills with drawing pictures of local animals and participating in a puppet
show.
In such
extreme environments, what safety precautions do you take?
We couldn’t
have made the trip without our friends and partners on the ground including the
World Wildlife Fund and the Frankfurt Zoological Society.
From
navigating issues like illegal logging and poaching to connecting with local
communities and organizations, their assistance was invaluable.
Were you
ever in any danger?
There was
always the potential for danger. There were definitely groups that did not want
us to tell this story including illegal loggers, poachers and representatives
from industries and companies engaging in the pillaging of the island’s
critical natural resources.
How do you
think “Expedition: Sumatra” will contribute to environmental awareness?
Today,
people want to experience the behind-the- scenes reality of how these types of
expeditions unfold. With ‘Expedition: Sumatra,’ we made every effort to make
viewers feel like they are part of the expedition team. The serialized format
of the program creates a sense of anticipation of what will happen next that I
think will appeal to viewers of all ages.
“Expedition:
Sumatra” airs on CNN International each Friday at 10:30 p.m., Saturday at 8
p.m., Sunday at 4:30 p.m., Monday at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. and on
Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.
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