Jungle Love

Outpost: What jungles have you been to?

Ian Wright: The first time I ever went into a rainforest was in Guyana, in South America. It was an operation rally thing set up in the Prince’s Trust in England where they send kids out just for a different environment. We lived in hammocks for about three months non-stop. The extraordinary thing is they said that we wouldn’t see any wildlife at all because they would hear us coming and they’d run a mile. But there was nothing we didn’t see. Honestly, you woke up in the morning to the chorus of howler monkeys, which is one of the most extraordinary sounds I’ve ever heard. It’s a cross between a dragon and a lion roar.

O: During that experience, what was the most surprising thing you learned about jungles?

IW: I don’t know the figure, but, absurdly, we only use about three percent of plant life out of the rainforest for medicine in the west. When I was there, I was with this guy, a guide, and I was walking and I had a bit of a tummy upset. He was like, ‘Oh, hold on then,’ and he went off into the forest and came back five minutes later. He’d scraped a little bit of bark and he said, ‘Just chew on that and swallow the juice.’ And I’m thinking, ‘This is just voodoo nonsense.’ And so I did it; it was disgusting. But I swear to God, after about 15 minutes, the stomachache had completely gone.

O: Do you think jungles are as dangerous as people seem to think they are?

IW: The only danger that people think there is, which is rightly so, is just getting lost in them. That’s the only danger, how to survive in any environment if you’re lost in it. I don’t think there’s much to worry about from wildlife, because it’s different when you’re out there. You sort of just get on with it, because it’s part of the life of the jungle.

O: What survival tip can you suggest?

IW: Take a helicopter with you; that always helps, I find. Take bin liners, a decent pair of walking boots, boring things like that. And take a bloody map and a compass and go on a course to learn how to use them. And the best preparation is to try, as hard as you can, to keep everything dry. That’s the trick.

O: What rewards does the jungle hold for a traveller?

IW: It’s those smells, and that heat, and the rain that is warm; that “patter, patter.” Even when it’s raining, it’s beautiful. And you just feel the whole thing moving and shifting. It’s like a beast. It’s one of the liveliest natural environments you can be in.

O: Tell us about your recent visit to the Orangutan Appeal at the Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Borneo, Malaysia.

IW: (The orangutans) are orphans that they’re trying to put back into the rainforest and their centre is right next to the forest. They’re amazing. Their eyes are just like human eyes, and when they stare at you, you’ve got the feeling that they’re just checking you out completely. But there are only about 15,000 of them left and I spoke to the woman the other day and even now she said there’s a new push for logging, especially in Indonesia. It’s looking sadder and sadder, I’m afraid, as we plough through that rainforest at a rate that’s ridiculous. Deforestation is the main thing. Like with most animals that are on the danger list, it’s all about human impact on their environment.

O: What steps should people be taking?

IW: It would be a conservational or an awareness thing. (Going on) wildlife or plant tours and things like that. Just do something to save it. If everyone did a little bit, or a humongous bit, then at least we’d be building for a future, not just for the wildlife, but for us as well. ‘Cause we’ll be next on the list. When the orangutans are gone, we’ll be next on the list. And there won’t be any bloody forest lef

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