Dr. Gary L. Shapiro is a pioneering primatologist, author, and conservationist with over 50 years of experience dedicated to saving orangutans and their forest homes. As the first person to teach sign language to ex-captive orangutans in the wild, his groundbreaking work in Borneo laid the foundation for understanding orangutan intelligence and communication. He is the founding president of the Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF), an organization committed to conservation through education, training, and advocacy in Indonesia.
Dr. Shapiro launched the Orangutan Caring Scholarship program, supporting hundreds of Indonesian students in fields critical to environmental stewardship. He has collaborated with international NGOs, local universities, and indigenous communities to advance conservation science and empower the next generation of forest guardians.
He is the author of Out of the Cage: My Half Century Journey from Curiosity to Concern for Indonesia’s “Persons of the Forest,” with a foreword blurb by Dr. Jane Goodall. A frequent speaker, Dr. Shapiro continues to share the wisdom of the orangutans while advocating for their legal personhood and long-term survival.More...