Orangutans, large apes with reddish-ginger fur, are among humans\u2019 closest relatives. They are in good company with chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas, who rank slightly closer to us. In the Malay language, Orangutan means \u201cforest person.\u201d These intelligent creatures use sophisticated tools and fashion branches and foliage into elaborate sleeping nests in the trees, where they spend most of their time.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, orangutans are critically endangered, and The Orangutan Project that supports them is at the top of the philanthropic list for Katrina Sriranpong, a Vancouver, British Columbia-based former lawyer and philanthropist.<\/p>\n
In addition to The Orangutan Project, Sriranpong supports animal welfare through the Soi Dog Foundation and Elephant Nature Park, nonprofit organizations in Thailand that have captured her heart. She also supports various child-centric nonprofit organizations, including UNICEF, Save the Children, War Child, the New Hope Foundation, and Operation Underground Railroad. <\/p>\n
Katrina Sriranpong\u2019s career in advocacy started as a lawyer<\/a>. She has a deep interest in assisting vulnerable populations and spent much of her career assisting refugees and immigrants navigate the complex web of immigration law and policy. Sriranpong represented victims of human trafficking through difficult circumstances in their life. She is also an advocate for the rights of children in war-torn countries and supports programs aimed at developmental aid. <\/p>\n As a former lawyer, philanthropist, and full-time mom, Katrina Sriranpong wants to make the world a better place for her two young children. She has consistently supported charities<\/a> and nonprofit organizations through donations of both time and money internationally and in Canada, where she resides with her family.<\/p>\n \u201cThailand has a dark truth regarding its treatment of elephants. Elephants<\/a> are usually taken from the wild as calves. Due to the close familial bond and instinct to protect their young, the whole herd is usually slaughtered to steal just one baby elephant. The calf is then tortured for several weeks as it is believed to break its spirit and become loyal to the new human owner,\u201d says Katrina Sriranpong. Unfortunately, international tourists unknowingly fuel this abuse by financially supporting elephant shows and rides. Many do not realize the torture that domestic elephants endure to become subservient. <\/p>\n Elephant Nature Park located in northern Thailand<\/a> serves as a sanctuary for elephants. Sriranpong and her husband visited the sanctuary and witnessed these beautiful creatures roaming freely for acres without chains. They decided to financially support the organization and support its cause. <\/p>\n Elephant Nature Park also protects the local Thai culture that surrounds it. The park creates local employment and purchases food from the area\u2019s farmers to assist the villagers in protecting the park. The nonprofit organization also hires local wildlife rangers in the pursuit of maintaining the cultural integrity of the local community.<\/p>\n As Katrina Sriranpong\u2019s family is from Thailand<\/a>, she has supported Soi Dog Foundation, based in Phuket, Thailand, for over 14 years. Soi Dog Foundation aims to alleviate the suffering of homeless dogs and cats living on the streets. Soi Dog Foundation provides animals for adoption, provides emergency medical assistance, and has implemented spay and neutering programs to control the population of dogs and cats in Thailand. <\/p>\nElephant Nature Park<\/h2>\n
Soi Dog Foundation<\/h2>\n