Pamela Voysey
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Pamela paints in watercolour , acrylics, oils and most other mediums, generally a still life painter, but Pamela does also like to paint animals and other subjects.
ARTIST'S REASON FOR PARTICIPATING
Orangutans are wonderful endearing creatures and am excited to have the opportunity to finally paint one for this great cause. I am dismayed by the threat of their extention. This is my small way of contributing to their survival.
SIGIT
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From Baby Clothes to the Bornean Canopy
In the summer of 2009, a tiny male orangutan named Sigit arrived at the International Animal Rescue (IAR) Centre in Ketapang, West Kalimantan. Just 1½ years old at the time, he was brought in by a Chinese man who had kept him as a pet, dressing him in baby clothes. Although well-meaning, this man eventually realised Sigit deserved a better life and handed him over to the IAR team.
When he first arrived, Sigit was inquisitive and bright. During his first outdoor sessions, he would tentatively explore the grass, leaves, and sticks before tiring out and scampering to the safety of his caregiver’s arms. He occasionally played with fellow orphans like Melky and Bunga, but being so young, he still relied heavily on human comfort.
Sigit had a long road ahead of him. Like many pet orangutans, he had missed out on the natural learning process that young orangutans undergo in the wild—learning survival skills from their mothers. At IAR, he gradually progressed through baby school, then forest school, and eventually into pre-release training on forested islands where he practiced climbing, foraging, and nest building under the watchful eyes of his caregivers.
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After more than a decade of rehabilitation, Sigit was deemed ready for the wild. In 2021, he became the eighth orangutan released by IAR that year—a proud milestone in both his journey and the Centre’s mission.
Now free in the forests of West Borneo, Sigit represents not just a survivor, but a success story—a symbol of what compassion, patience, and proper care can achieve when orangutans are given a second chance.
