Orangutan Diary (2007) s02e05 Episode Script

MICHAELA: This week on Orangutan Diary.
The rescue team's nerve is tested in their most precarious mission yet.
Big changes are in store for Nody, as he prepares to leave the nursery group.
And Lone gives Hercules a taste of freedom.
STEVE: Lone Droscher Nielsen runs the biggest ape rescue operation in the world.
The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation cares for over 600 rescued orangutans.
Babies in nursery needing 24-hour care, orphans in Forest School, learning the skills they'll one day need for a life in the wild and older orangutans, who graduated to the river islands and are almost ready for release.
Some were confiscated from the illegal pet trade, others rescued as their forest homes were ripped from under them.
As the destruction continues, time may be running out for Borneo's orangutans.
But the team here do everything they can to rescue, care for and return orangutans back to the wild.
These little babies in the nursery are so cute and adorable that it's hard not to smile when you see them.
In fact, it's easy to forget that it's an absolute tragedy that they're here in the first place.
Many of them have witnessed their own mothers being killed right in front of them and they themselves have experienced cruelty, some being put in small boxes, chained up, even beaten.
Their mums would have been the best teachers they could have had and they would have stayed with them for about eight years before they would have been ready to be on their own in the wild.
So, this nursery is the start of a very long journey of recovery and learning for all of these little ones.
MICHAELA: It's not the natural one-to-one relationship they'd have with their mothers.
But these surrogate mums provide 24-hour love and reassurance to the 30 or so orangutans in their care.
It's thanks to them that all the orphans seem so content, despite their traumatic start in life.
But, today, a couple of them will find that no matter how good it is here, they can't stay forever.
Well, this is actually the biggest one of our nursery group.
They're all ready a little bit over a year old.
And here we've got a couple of orangutans that are, sort of, getting more and more used to, like climbing trees on their own.
They're getting quite agile up in the trees.
We've got a couple of them that we are going to move over to Forest School.
MICHAELA: At two-and-a-half-years-old, Nody is one of the oldest and most confident babies in the nursery.
Lone thinks he's ready to graduate and join Forest School, where he'll continue his education and learn the skills he'll one day use, out in the wild.
LONE: What they learn here is, first of all, they get lots of love and attention, that's the main thing.
But we also teach them how to make little nests and stuff.
Nody is doing it right now, actually, making a little nest.
Just collecting branches for his nest now.
This is really, really good.
This is exactly what they're supposed to be doing.
But that is why he's leaving.
MICHAELA: Nody maybe king of the swingers in the nursery group, but his first day in Forest School could come as a bit of a shock.
He's about to leave behind everything he's ever known, including the babysitters, who've nurtured and comforted him most of his life.
In the wild, Nody could have stayed with his mother for eight years.
At such a tender age, Forest School will be quite a challenge.
(CHUCKLING) Don't lick on it.
MICHAELA: But at least Nody won't be the only new boy.
Marley, a new arrival down at the centre, should also be joining when he leaves the quarantine group.
Marley was found chained up in a tiny cage, barely big enough to stand in.
Like many of the babies that end up in the illegal pet trade, he was cruelly treated by his captors.
He still bears the physical scars from the chains around his neck.
But, incredibly, his mental scars are healing.
Like all new arrivals, Marley is spending time in the quarantine group before he joins the orangutans in the forest.
Today, he's finally been given a clean bill of health, and is due to join Nody on his first day in Forest School.
STEVE: A short distance from the centre, the Rongan River cuts its way through the dense forests.
Lone and the foundation have bought some of these small islands.
They're a sort of halfway house for orangutans who've made it through Forest School and will, hopefully, one day, go back to the wild.
The biggest orangutans at the centre are kept on these islands.
And that's for a reason.
They're so big and strong, even the technicians struggle to control them.
The trouble is, during the dry season, the river level can go down and then the islands aren't quite islands any more.
The more adventurous orangutans can simply wade across to the mainland.
And that can get a bit dodgy, because there are villages close to these islands.
And if these orangutans, who are very used to humans, wander in there, and start helping themselves to food, then they tend to get into quite a bit of trouble.
It's a problem the staff at the centre are getting pretty used to.
Miko, one of the medical team, has received an urgent call.
An orangutan has escaped from the islands and has been spotted on the mainland.
He has to move fast and get it back before it gets into trouble.
He's in luck.
The orangutan hasn't moved far.
But there's another problem.
The orangutan, a female called Bonni, isn't coming quietly.
She's retreated to the very top of the trees and won't come down.
Miko will have to dart her.
Getting the last dose of tranquiliser is critical.
Too much could be fatal.
Too little and Bonni won't fall asleep.
Miko's one of the best shots in the centre, but Bonni's so high, she's right at the edge of the tranquiliser gun's range.
If that wasn't hard enough, Miko also has to hit her arms or legs.
A dart anywhere else runs the risk of damaging her internal organs.
It's very high risk, yeah.
So many branches in the trees and it's not good position for shooting orangutans.
STEVE: There's no rushing this shot.
The stakes are too high.
It's got to be perfect or not at all.
(GUN FIRES) It's a hit.
An incredible shot.
(SHOUTING IN BAHASA INDONESIA) The team have to get the net in position before the sedative takes effect and Bonni plunges to earth.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) STEVE: The tranquiliser has done its job.
But orangutans are completely at home in the trees, even when Bonni is fast asleep, her hand refuses to let go.
If she's not going to fall, the only way to get her down, is to send somebody up.
The only question is who? (HAMMERING) (SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) MICHAELA: A mystery illness is sweeping through the quarantine group.
And Lone has come to check on Marley, who should be heading off for his first day in Forest School.
LONE: Are you hot, too? Hmm? We've got a couple of the guys from the quarantine group, that actually has a bit of a fever today.
It's high enough that we need to wash them down to cool them off, even though we all ready gave them some stuff to make the fever go down, but it takes a little while before it starts working.
Especially in this temperature, it's difficult to keep the temperature down, because we've got, maybe, 35 degrees.
The best way is just washing them down with cold water.
Most likely, it might be malaria, or it might just be some non-specific infection.
And we can't always figure out what it is.
The most common things will be malaria, typhoid, or just some sort of bacterial infection.
Marley, when I saw him this morning he looked a bit off and now, he's starting, you know, to have a fever, so I wouldn't be surprised if it's malaria.
MICHAELA: Not good news for Marley.
Just as he was about to leave the quarantine group, and join Nody in Forest School, it looks like he might have to stay here and sweat it out instead.
- Who's the problem? - Marley.
David Irons, head of the medical team, has been called.
It's vital that he makes an accurate diagnosis.
Orangutans are so genetically close to humans, that disease can rapidly spread between them.
With so many staff and orangutans here, epidemics can easily break out.
Although, not all David's patients share his sense of urgency.
Wait! We just got this water.
It's not for you to (ALL LAUGHING) MICHAELA: A quick examination doesn't reveal anything unusual.
Until David can find out what Marley has contracted, he won't be allowed to leave the quarantine group.
It's not looking good for his first day in Forest School with Nody.
STEVE: Down river and 20 metres up a tree, a heavily tranquilized Bonni has her hand locked tightly around a branch.
Someone's gonna have to go up there and get her.
Climbing is an essential part of being a man in Borneo, but Leo's not risking his life again.
He proved his worth a few weeks ago in a similar rescue.
The normal cue of red-blooded volunteers isn't forming.
This really is a very long way up.
Finally, Miko takes control of the situation and volunteers his friend Heskia.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) (SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) (PEOPLE LAUGHING) STEVE: Shimmying up a vertical trunk in bare feet might seem foolhardy, but this is a regular thing these fellas have been doing almost since they could walk.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) STEVE: Heskia is now about five storeys up, with no ropes or safety harness.
That net will break an orangutan's fall, but it may not save him.
From this height, one slip and it's all over.
He can't afford to let anything go wrong.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) Now Bonni's awake, she'll never let go of the tree.
It'll be impossible to drop her safely into the net.
With both feet firmly on the ground, it's easy for Miko to come up with an ambitious new plan.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) (SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) STEVE: Heskia will have to climb down the tree with one hand, lowering 18 kilos of semi-conscious orangutan with the other.
It's a knee-trembling descent.
Even the banter below has stopped.
Things could go very wrong, very quickly.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) But Bonni is in no mood to be thrown out of a tree.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) In her groggy state, Bonni is grabbing on to anything she can, including Heskia.
If she falls now, she's taking him with her.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) STEVE: At last, she's down.
And, seemingly, no worse for her adventure.
Heskia risked his life in a tree higher than a block of flats.
But he takes this all in his stride.
For him, it's just another day at the office.
MICHAELA: Lone's driving the short distance from the centre to the nursery.
It's time to collect Nody for his first day in Forest School.
I'm just going to call Sedeep to say that we're on our way, so she can be ready.
MICHAELA: But Nody's not his usual self.
The others have been playing in the trees all morning.
But Nody's barely left the arms of his babysitter.
Even the prospect of a swing in the hammock leaves him grouchy.
It's almost as if he knows something big is about to happen.
Lone always tries to be there for a big day like this.
For every orangutan here, she's a comforting and familiar face.
LONE: Hey, Nody.
It's a very big day for them, but Nody almost looks a bit, sort of, like, you know, "I don't really want to go.
" He's being all, "I want attention.
" I'm sure that they know that something's gonna happen.
It's like kids, they have these days where they just wanna, they're a little bit more like, "I wanna be with Mommy.
" It just seems a bit, sort of, like, "I don't know what's happening today.
" Leave! Getting out of here is a bit difficult.
MICHAELA: Nody is leaving behind the nursery and the other orphan babies for good.
It's unsettling, but an essential part of growing up at the centre.
Only time will tell how he'll get on in Forest School.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) STEVE: Now Bonni is safely down the tree, Miko can make sure she didn't sustain any injuries during her descent.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) She's still pretty groggy from the anaesthetic.
But it won't be long before Bonni will be back on her island.
The technicians all know Bonni's story of terrible suffering and years of abuse in captivity.
In the wild, at four-and-a-half-years-old, she'd be preparing for life as an independent orangutan.
Her mother would have already taught her so many of the skills she'd need.
Maybe this natural instinct to spread her wings is why she keeps trying to escape from her island.
But, sadly, it would be very difficult to give Bonni the freedom she craves.
She was chained for years in a cage, when she should have been with her mother, learning how to be an orangutan.
Without that experience, it's unlikely she could survive in the wild.
For Lone and the staff, every individual orangutan is precious.
Even those who'll never make it back to the wild, are given the best life the team can offer.
They're trying to save a species.
But it's clear how important each individual orangutan is to everybody here.
MICHAELA: This is Hercules, one of the hairiest orangutans you're ever likely to see.
What? What? MICHAELA: Hercules was kept as a pet for 16 years, until Lone managed to rescue him and bring him here.
But all those years in captivity have taken their toll on this magnificent orangutan.
He was kept in a very, very small cage, where he could not climb.
That's why his hands and his feet got screwed up.
He literally could not open his hands.
His feet are still totally bent, like this.
He cannot open his toes at all.
We managed to work on his hands for a long time.
Getting him to a large cage, where he can actually move around.
And he's managed to be able to open his hands now.
Unfortunately, he can't climb trees because of his feet.
So what we do is that, every year, during the dry season, we put him out on one of our islands, to give him a little bit of freedom.
See the girls.
He's a real beach bum, by the way.
He spends most of the time just wandering up and down the beach, scaring everybody, of course, 'cause even all the males that are out there, are much smaller than he is.
He's very gentle with me, but if I have a man around me, he gets very, very upset, and very jealous.
(HERCULES GROANING) He knows very much I'm a female.
Want some more? MICHAELA: Lone has a special relationship with this gentle giant.
He may be a big softy with her, but get on the wrong side of him and a fully-grown male like Hercules, could literally tear you to pieces with his bare hands.
LONE: Oh, you've seen the syringe? It's something Bram, one of the vets, is all too aware of.
Especially as he's trying to stick him with a big needle.
(CHUCKLES) It's only once the anaesthetic has taken effect, that it's safe for seven people to manhandle 102 kilos of unconscious ape onto the truck.
Next time Hercules opens his eyes, he'll be surrounded by trees and the wide open spaces of the river islands.
MICHAELA: In the quarantine group, Marley is looking very sorry for himself.
His mystery illness has been confirmed as malaria.
During the dry seasons, streams dry up, leaving stagnant pools, for mosquitoes to hatch their young.
And more mosquitoes means more malaria.
Malaria in any age group is dangerous, but particularly for children and these are children, basically.
In this sort of area of the world, after a few years, the humans would always get partial resistance.
Mainly because they have actually received malaria attacks on a regular basis during their life.
And it's the same for orangutans as it is for humans.
But at this age, there's no chance of them having that acquired resistance.
MICHAELA: Marley will be closely monitored until the disease has run its course.
Under doctor's orders, he's being held back and won't be joining Forest School today.
With so many orangutans here, they're incredibly vulnerable to all kinds of diseases.
But until a safe place in the wild can be found, the team here do everything they can to keep these refugees as healthy, and happy as possible.
(CHATTERING) MICHAELA: Hercules is still fast asleep, motoring up the Rongan River.
He's heading to the islands that are home to the bigger orangutans.
Because of his disability, he can't climb.
It wouldn't be safe to leave him here all year round.
The river can rise dramatically during the rainy season and he could easily drown.
But with the river low, Lone can undertake the herculean task of moving him from his cage to the islands.
It offers him a taste of the freedom and dignity that 16 years in captivity have denied him.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) In the shade, he can recover from the effects of the anaesthetic.
Perhaps he'll remember his previous holidays here.
LONE: Well, Hercules is still trying to wake up.
It's probably gonna be a little while.
You know, sometimes they tend to take it as a nice nap.
He's been here before, obviously.
He comes out here during the summers.
As long as the water stays down, like this, this is just perfect, he's got his beach, he does like to be a beach bum.
Last year, we'd always find him sitting out at the edge of the river, playing with the water and It was really lovely.
MICHAELA: Hercules will never go back to the wild.
But it's not difficult to imagine what a huge improvement life here on the island is, compared to one in a cage.
LONE: Come on, sweets.
MICHAELA: Thanks to Lone's unyielding drive and dedication, every one of over 600 orangutans at the centre are given the best possible life she can provide.
From the smallest, being given the skills he'll need in the wild, to the largest, given back just a small piece of the life that was taken from him.
LONE: You have a good time now.
There's lots of girls here for you.
Yeah? I'll come and see you in a few days.
Next time on Orangutan Diary.
Hercules does something that surprises everyone and could change his life forever.
Lone welcomes the newest and smallest addition to the centre.
And the team battle to reach a baby orangutan being held illegally right in the heart or Borneo.