Mark Divall
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
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Mark Divall was educated at the Julian Ashton Art School. There he was the recipient of the William Dobell scholarship and Henry Gibbons drawing prize in 2010.
ARTIST'S REASON FOR PARTICIPATING
As all art is generally held to be quite useless I was glad for the opportunity to make a difference.
JIMO
From Sewer Chains to Sanctuary Strength
Jimo’s story is one of the most heartbreaking—and inspiring—rescues in International Animal Rescue (IAR)’s history.
For over a year, Jimo was chained in a filthy yard, directly over puddles of contaminated sewer water, exposed to rain, blazing sun, and total neglect. His captor? A local policeman in West Kalimantan who repeatedly refused to release him, despite his legal and moral obligations. Jimo was malnourished, infested with worms, and deprived of all comfort, companionship, and care.
His rescue required a multi-organisation effort, with the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), IAR, BOS Foundation, and respected primatologist Dr. Willie Smits coordinating with the police chief of Sintang. When they arrived at the house with the superior officer, the owner finally surrendered Jimo—placing him, ironically, in the front yard to appear cooperative.
Once at IAR’s rehabilitation centre in Ketapang, Jimo was placed in a large adult quarantine cage, where he began his long journey toward recovery. He was later moved into a socialisation enclosure, reunited with old friends Monte and Jingo, and surrounded by orangutans like Pingky, Suki, and Neng.
Now significantly stronger, Jimo tests the limits of his enclosure daily, bending bars and keeping the maintenance crew on their toes. He’s even begun “long calling”—a deep vocalisation used by dominant adult males in the wild. It’s a powerful sign of his growing confidence, and one he shares with Monte, another strong male in care.
Jimo is considered unreleasable due to the trauma he endured, but he now lives a rich, social life with expert care, enrichment, and the dignity he was once denied. He is a symbol of the fight for justice—not only for orangutans, but for the ecosystems and lives destroyed by ignorance and cruelty.
