Liesbeth van der Burgt, founder of the Weesaapjes Foundation, holding the orangutan calendar of the Masarang Hong Kong Society
Liesje is the daughter of Tanjung and Mamat. Both of these orangutan parents had a terrible past with unimaginable suffering forever engraved in their memories. Mamat, the father, arrived in a state of virtually complete paralysis due to years of malnutrition and was not expected to live through the first night when he arrived at the Sintang Orangutan Center. But thanks to our dedicated vets and the help of a team of volunteer physiotherapists he did recover to such a level that he can now climb trees again and actually fathered a baby (through the bars of their separate enclosures!) with Tanjung, the other rescued orphan orangutan. We named their daughter Liesje, after Liesbeth van der Burgt, the founder of Weesaapjes, an organization dedicated to helping primate orphans. In this way we wanted to honor Liesbeth and those who greatly helped our orangutan center through her.
Liesbeth helping the keepers with the enrichment for the orangutans at Sintang Orangutan Center
Liesbeth was a staunch supporter of our work in West Kalimantan and volunteered with us in Sintang, in the heart of Borneo, working on enrichment for the orangutans and special care of orphaned gibbons too. Liesbeth passed away on August 24th, 2016, and before her death asked her close friend Ingrid van der Locht, to take over the reins of her foundation. Ingrid, supported by Liesbeth’s friends, did so but being full time occupied could not realistically continue that work with the vigour and passion that Liesbeth was so well known for. A realistic approach had to be taken and Weesaapjes was gradually closed down over the last three years with the last newsletter coming out in August 2019, three years after Liesbeth’s passing. That moment has arrived now.
Weesaapjes has sponsored the Lies clinic for orangutans in West Kalimantan in the Jerora facility of the Sintang Orangutan Center. It is located in the middle of the compound, an area of natural forest dedicated as an orangutan forest school.
The center is also an environmental education center where local groups can visit the organic garden, the traditional medicinal plant collection and learn about sustainable agriculture.
In a few weeks Liesbeth’s friends are coming over to witness Tanjung and her baby return to the virgin rainforest of Borneo in the Betung Kerihun National Park. Mamat will unfortunately not join them. He is permanently handicapped in his movements and eye sight after six years of malnutrition prior to coming to the Sintang Orangutan Center. Due to his special needs he is unlikely to survive in the wild and will have to live out his life in a sanctuary.
We hope that the supporters of Weesaapjes and Liesbeth will continue to help the orangutans that she also helped. Please be aware that we will continue to report on the project and the orangutans through the website and newsletter of Orangutan Rescue from The Netherlands and the Sintang Orangutan Center website.
Fond memories of the breakfast table at Father Jacques’ at the Sintang Orangutan Center. On the left Willie’s wife Adrienne Watson, founder of Masarang Hong Kong, and dear friend of Liesbeth van der Burgt who is sitting on the far right in the above picture. Father Jacques Maessen serving his volunteer guests.
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