Heartwarming stories from the largest animal rescue center for orangutans in the world where the caring staff do their best to help the young apes adjust, come of age and eventually return to the jungle.
Genre: Documentary
Cast:Rebecca Parr , Keeley Hawes , Laura Shavin
A unique orangutan arrives in the center - a young albino female. One of the orangutans is put on diet but he rebels. Several apes are being sent to the center's island where they can adapt to communal life with other orangutans.
A team has spent two days working to capture 18 orangutans from a pre-release island so they can continue their journey back to the wild. It's not always an easy task. At 200 pounds, 16-year-old Kasper is the king of the island, and he's not willing to give up his crown without a fight. The stakes are high: with the strength of seven men, an irate orangutan is not a charge to be taken lightly.
It's a big day for the team when an extraordinary new arrival shows up. Five-year-old Alba is unlike any orangutan seen at Nyaru Menteng before. Snow white with blue eyes, Alba has albinism, making her one of the rarest orangutans in the world. She's suffered traumatic experiences in the wild, but here she seems willing to trust the humans who have her best interests at heart.
It's hard to predict how orangutans approaching adulthood will react to life on pre-release Bangamat Island. When four large males are set loose, chaos ensues, putting all the residents in danger. One agitated ape threatens to topple a boat, risking the safety of other orangutans on board. The staff must act fast to stave off disaster and think quickly to safely release the rest of the orangutans.
The wild jungles of Borneo can be treacherous. The island is home to nearly 160 species of snakes--many of them venomous. When a keeled pit viper unexpectedly appears in the compound, the staff leaps into action. After quickly capturing the intruder, they decide to give the orangutans a crash course in snake awareness. From the very first moment, it's clear this is no ordinary classroom lesson.
It's another busy day at Nyaru Menteng. Rescued orangutan Josh has a broken wrist, and Beni's bad breath warrants a trip to the dentist. Alba ha recovered from a typhoid scare, but when she's removed from isolation, will the other orangutans welcome her back? What's worse, a forest school youngster is struck by malaria. Can the staff stop this deadly disease from sweeping through the school?
It's a time of change at Nyaru Menteng. Beni, the gentle giant, is now on a strict diet, much to his chagrin. The older students are in an age of discovery, with hormones running wild. The arrivals of two new babies mean things are getting crowded in the nursery ward. In a surprise twist, a mysterious new orphan shows up at the school--and it's not an orangutan.
There's trouble on Bangamat Island. Pregnant Ponti is missing, and her baby is due any day. Scouring the forest in search of a runaway orangutan is no simple task. Meanwhile, Clara and her infant Clarita are finally healthy enough to join the rest of the orangutans after overcoming a traumatic kidnapping, but an icy reception from the other residents could spell disaster for this little family.
The pressure is high at Nyaru Menteng. A clumsy climber faces being held back if she can't start making progress. After being denied bananas one time too many, an overweight orangutan takes matters into his own hands. And for six remarkable jungle school graduates, it's a day of new beginnings. Journey into the heart of Borneo as these special creatures are finally set free.
The Jungle School team race to rescue a baby orangutan. Three-month-old Monita joins the other orphans at the school, including Alba, the world's only known albino orangutan.
At Nyaru Menteng, the Year One orangutans are about to go from the nursery to jungle classrooms. But a scary accident lands two young ones in the sick bay. Over on Bangamat Island, a flood distresses the orangutan population, particularly a gentle female named Kesi. Back at the compound, a pair of sun bears prove there's room for all who need help. It's a stirring testament to the commitment of people who dedicate themselves to the well-being and rehabilitation of endangered orangutans.
Timid Kesi, who's on pre-release in Bangamat Island, faces a moment of truth. Can she hold her own against a bully? Back at the compound, two very different groups of students prepare for release: a pair of sun bears and two female orangutans. Despite the seriousness of the school's mission, a little levity arrives courtesy of the youngest residents. The handlers have a trusted weapon to get these fun-loving orangutan toddlers back in line: fruit kebabs!
Infant orangutans confined to the sick bay have a serious case of cabin fever. Not only are they missing their friends, but they're also missing vital lessons, from nest-building to foraging for termites. Things are also busy at the sister facility Samboja Lestari, where a pair of sun bears are placed until they're ready for release. Meanwhile, Shelton and Kopral are two orangutans with one thing in common: disabilities so serious, it's unlikely they'll ever be released. Dive into the daily drama of the most heartwarming school in the world.
At Nyaru Menteng, deep bonds emerge in unlikely places. Two youngsters struggle with serious infections, while a three-year-old orangutan strikes up a special friendship with a curious macaque. Meanwhile, infants learn about a secret treat inside rubber trees, while young mom Sampit and her son get a second chance at freedom. Add hat theft, an orangutan with a speech impediment, and a sun bear who has picked a fight with an electric fence to the mix, and one thing becomes clear: dull moments are in short supply at the jungle school.
With sick orangutans, if they're misbehaving then they're probably feeling better. Erik is no exception as his mysterious head infection finally begins to lift, allowing him to rejoin his fellow students. Meanwhile, in forest school, the nursery group takes to the trees for a tutorial on arboreal living, but 9-month-old Alejandra suffers a terrible fall. While she's being treated, the rescue team gets a tip about a baby orangutan held in a village. Can they reach her in time?
Beni and Lala get an unexpected visit from Vet Arga, Kesi makes a new friend on Bangamat Island, and Alejandra deals with a new view of the world after the accident at forest school leaves her blind in one eye.
A flu epidemic has broken out at Nyaru Menteng. The prescription? Quarantined rest, lots of fluids, and...onion juice? Meanwhile on Palas Island, two female orangutans have broken through an electric fence. Back in class, coconut husking and tree climbing are on the curriculum, the latter with the help of some enticing fruit kebabs. Later, Beni is dismayed to discover he's back on a health kick, but his ability to dodge his diet shows his resourcefulness--a trait that will serve him well in the wild.
A freak accident during birth causes young mother Dilla to reject her newborn baby, putting its life at risk. Meanwhile, the staff at Nyaru Menteng are hard at work identifying the orangutans with the most advanced forest and social skills to nominate as candidates for release. There's good news as two female orangutans who escaped from Palas Island are tracked down. Elsewhere, low water levels on Kaja have given the island's orangutans an unexpected treat: an artificial beach.
Tense efforts to reunite traumatized Dilla with her newborn baby are met with mixed results, but the staff isn't giving up. Meanwhile, troubled Luthy is paired with a female orangutan to help with her behavioral issues. And on the Rungan River, a flash flood threatens the release schedule of female Clara and her baby Clarita. Not with them on this journey is Alba, a rare albino orangutan. Unlike Clara and Clarita, her condition means she may never be eligible for the stated mission of the jungle school: an eventual return to the wild.
An inside look at the Nyaru Menteng Rescue Center in Borneo to explore how the orangutan school curriculum works, from nursery through graduation.
