by Carla Caruso

An Adelaide zookeeper, who’s been raising funds for a Ukrainian animal shelter, has had some star power behind her cause.

Canadian actress Karin Konoval, who played ‘Maurice the Orangutan’ in the Planet of the Apes movies, has been regularly contributing to the fundraiser.

As we previously reported, Jodie Sheridan, the orangutan project lead at Adelaide Zoo in Park 11, has been campaigning on behalf of Ukraine’s Sanctuary Happy Animals after striking up an online friendship with its founder, Nina Fedorkina.

So far, Jodie has helped raise over $12,000 to assist Nina in caring for more than 50 war-affected animals - including horses, donkeys, and goats - in a temporary shelter. Jodie has also raised over $1500 for another campaign, assisting displaced families, plus hospitals and defence teams in the Kharkiv region.

She’s pleased as punch Karin’s among her supporters.

“Karin and I crossed paths through the orangutan world with her role as Maurice in Planet of the Apes,” Jodie explains.

“Karin spent a lot of time studying orangutans [to play the part], predominately at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

“In 2012, I presented at the International Orangutan Husbandry Workshop in the US and Karin stopped in to listen to a few of the presentations… Years later, Karin offered a small group of orangutan carers the opportunity to mentor them in the art of storytelling.

“Having spent so much time around orangutans and their caregivers, Karin heard about the interactions we have with the orangutans [and] reminiscing about things that had happened.

“Karta [an orangutan Jodie had had a special bond with at Adelaide Zoo] had died by this time and a friend of mine put my name forward to be part of the storytelling program.

“Karin and I became friends through this process as she helped me bring a few of those memories forward and get them down on paper.”

Karin’s screen credits also include recurring roles in TV shows Snowpiercer and The Good Doctor, and the lead in the movie, Cable Beach.

Karin told us: “I met Jodie through the Orangutan Species Survival Plan and got to know her better through the wonderful stories about orangutans she has written.

“When I saw she had created the fundraisers for Ukraine and Nina’s efforts there, I was so happy to begin to contribute in a weekly, small way, and continue to – because the dollars raised go immediately to Nina, and Jodie has been faithfully updating the supporters of the fundraisers about exactly to what and where and when the donations are going.

“It is like a two-way gift, giving those of us contributing, in whatever way we can, a feeling of truly being part of this specific and special undertaking.”

Back at Adelaide Zoo – and Jodie’s day job – we asked how its two Sumatran Orangutans, Puspa and Kluet, are coping with the wet weather.

“In the wild, orangutans will use large leaves and other items to create a makeshift raincoat,” Jodie says.

“So, that innate urge means the orangutans at the zoo will use similar items, or their blankets, to cover up to keep light rain off.

“As Adelaide’s weather is so different to what wild orangutans would experience in terms of temperature and humidity, we always allow the orangutans the option to come inside to their dry, heated areas.

“This way, the orangutans always have the choice of where they want to spend their day. We love to give the animals choice and control over their day.”