so tragic. It makes me feel so selfish when I’ve been stressed out about Ellen and the weather and things that are so trivial compared to an entire species going extinct, and for what? Money?”
A zookeeper appears behind us, offering us a friendly smile. “It’s very sad, isn’t it? So many think that deforestation means the current trees are cut down, and others grow in their place, but deforestation kills everything: insects, animals, plants, even the people who live there can be killed or forced out of their homes, and once a species is gone—it’s gone permanently. But it’s complicated.”
Arlo places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing gently. “She’s you’re audience.”
The zookeeper smiles. “Those who work for deforestation companies, they need money. Most aren’t doing it because they want to hurt the animals and plants—and some of that is a lack of understanding the impact—but mostly it’s because they’re trying to feed their families.”
“So, what’s the compromise? Does that mean the orangutans have to die for those people to live?”
The zookeeper’s smile is slight and falls too quickly. “We hope not. The Indonesian government is trying to find areas of land they can continue to grow and harvest without impacting the orangutans or Sumatran tigers, which are both critically endangered.”
“Will it happen?”
“In my lifetime, the forest has been cut in half, but I’m hoping that it will stop. We can all help by not purchasing products that have palm oil, and making sure we recycle and just by spreading the word.”
I try to smile out of habit, a show of appreciation for her time and knowledge, but it falls as flat as hers had. Beside us, the orangutans start to play again, and the zookeeper moves on to another guest who asks questions about their diet.
“That was a punch to the gut,” Arlo says.
“Right? I had no idea, which seems even more shocking. Like how do I know every name of the Kardashian family without even watching the show, and I don’t know that there’s less than fourteen-thousand Sumatran orangutans?” Arlo’s hand is still wrapped around my shoulder, the pressure and weight comforting as another piece of my heart feels heavy and wilted.
“I think people are so inundated with information and news that it’s hard for them to hear or focus on things that matter anymore. We constantly have twelve social media accounts, smartphones, smart TVs, internet … it’s so much, and there’s so much competition that I think people look for either the scariest shit or shit that require the least thought in an attempt to gain attention.”
“Did you just tell me I’m dumb, and it’s not my fault?”
He grins, his eyes soft as he pulls me in a little closer to him. “No. Sometimes Rae Rae will get on a tangent about how unregulated the oceans are and all the problems that come with it because that’s what she loves. People sometimes have a tough time thinking about things that don’t directly impact them. I mean, this, for instance, is happening on the other side of the world, and if they did go extinct, we’d really be none the wiser. We don’t see them here. They don’t do anything to benefit or worsen our lives,” he shrugs. “We have a billion people competing to be the next YouTube star when what we really need is a billion people competing to be the best humanitarian. But we lose sight of that real fast, unfortunately.”
“Money makes everything messy.”
“But, it can buy us some ice cream.” He points to a small restaurant advertising ice cream and burgers, and though it seems like we just ate breakfast, my stomach growls. I glance at my watch to find it’s already past one. The morning has passed by so fast, and yet, as I reflect on the laughter and conversations we’ve shared, it’s been an almost perfect day.
Arlo finishes his chocolate ice cream, and I finish my strawberry one, our burgers and fries devoured.
“Let’s go see the elephants,” he says.
We clear our trays and step back outside, where the weather is miraculously holding for us. “You could write your first children’s book about orangutans,” Arlo says.
I smile, glancing at the map.
“I’m serious,” he says. “What if you switched up your degree? You don’t have to give up technomath, but you could just take some courses. Learn if it’s something you’re interested in. I might have asked a few people if they know anyone in the publishing business…”