Orangutan Diary (2007) s02e06 Episode Script

MICHAELA: This week on Orangutan Diary.
There's a lot to take in for Nody on his first day in Forest School.
The confiscation team set off on their most demanding rescue yet.
And Hercules enjoys a taste of freedom on the river islands.
Lone Droscher Nielsen runs the biggest ape rescue operation in the world.
The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation cares for more than 600 rescued and confiscated orangutans.
Babies in nursery needing 24-hour care, orphans in Forest School learning the skills they will need for a life in the wild.
And older orangutans who have graduated to the river islands and are almost ready for release.
Many have been confiscated from the illegal pet trade, or rescued when their forest homes were ripped from under them.
As the destruction continues, time maybe 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.
When you look at these guys, it's easy to see why some people might think that they'd make good pets.
At this age, they are as cute as anything and they all have their own characters.
Some love cuddles, some love to play the fool and others are real ankle biters.
You can all get out now.
(CHUCKLING) Come on, you.
All of these little ones have still got a lot of growing up to do.
And, in fact, some of them in Forest School are already proving to be quite a handful.
But it doesn't stop some people from deliberately killing their mothers and taking the babies to sell into the pet trade.
And when that happens, their only hope is to be saved by the confiscation team and brought here to the centre.
STEVE: Siska, one of the medics at the centre, has quickly assembled a confiscation team.
She's received an urgent call about a baby orangutan held captive in a remote village.
But a few days' heavy rain has turned the dirt roads into a rutted, slippery mess.
For the rescue team, it makes driving there a very difficult proposition.
Unfortunately, we got a flat tyre here.
It's been a lot of rain and the road has become very slippery and, unfortunately, we got still three more hours from our destination, so, hopefully, we can reach it safe and sound.
(CHUCKLING) STEVE: Things are rarely straightforward out here.
But these setbacks come with a territory.
It takes over two hours to jack up the car, get the punctured tyre off and a spare back on.
Travelling so far off the beaten track in Borneo is always risky.
There's no breakdown recovery here.
If you can't rescue yourself, no one's gonna do it for you.
They're on the road again, but valuable time has been wasted.
It's vital Siska reaches the baby quickly.
No one knows how long it's been in captivity, or what condition it's in.
Every second lost lowers its chance of survival.
But the road is turning from bad to dangerous.
A wooden bridge, weakened by the heavy rain, was unable to support the weight of this truck and simply collapsed.
No one was hurt, but these men will be stranded here, possibly for days until help can get through.
It's a fate Siska and the rescue team refuse to contemplate.
Eventually they make it through and arrive rattled but in one piece at the village.
(SPEAKING LOCAL DIALECT) This is the man who reported seeing the orangutan.
(DISCUSSING IN LOCAL DIALECT) Siska doesn't understand the local dialect.
She has to rely on forestry official, Mr Sukiyanto, to translate into Indonesian.
But, in any language, it's not good news.
The orangutan is not here and we might use some small boat to go to the village farther from here and there is some problem.
I don't know whether we can use the boat or not.
Just (CHATTERING IN LOCAL DIALECT) STEVE: The baby orangutan is only a few miles away, but the roads are impassable.
Siska and the rescue team are stranded.
(CHATTING IN LOCAL DIALECT) I'm hitching a ride up river with the technicians and making a twice-daily food drop to the islands.
Orangutans can't swim, so these islands are the perfect staging post for the older ones, who've graduated from Forest School and are waiting for a chance to be released.
And it looks like they've been expecting us.
Hello, boys.
Breakfast time.
STEVE: Every day, the 150 or so orangutans on these islands, munch their way through nearly one and a half tonnes of fruit.
Hello, Chen Chen.
I remember you.
There you go, boys.
Excellent.
We've got the jackfruit as well.
Although they look big, these guys are still quite young.
They're only about 6, 7, 8 years old, and they'd be with their moms till they were 9 in the wild.
(ORANGUTAN SPUTTERING) (STEVE CHUCKLING) Really, if you're gonna live on your own, you're gonna have to learn to peel oranges yourself.
Okay? Now, I'm happy to do this once.
But watch me again.
Get the peel from the outside, then you can eat it.
No grabbing.
STEVE: It may look like their natural habitat, but an island this size would barely support one orangutan.
With so many here and so little space, they're totally reliant on the food the technicians bring them every day.
But it's better than being in the cage.
These islands obviously give them everything else that they would get in the forest, trees to climb in, to nest in.
And this is a great staging post, 'cause the next place they'll go is back out into the wild.
STEVE: Unfortunately, finding safe places to release these orangutans is increasingly difficult.
It's hard to say how long they could be waiting here.
But, until a permanent wild home can be found, at least the islands give them an independence and a quality of life they would never have in a cage.
One orangutan who probably appreciates this more than most, is Hercules.
MICHAELA: Before he was rescued, Hercules was kept in such a tiny cage, it left him permanently crippled.
He'll never have full use of his hands and feet, which means he can't live on these islands all year round.
Without being able to climb, he could drown when the water level rises during the rains.
For half the year, he sits in a cage at the centre.
But now, with the river low, Lone can watch her old friend enjoying a taste of freedom.
(SNIFFING) You smell so much nicer when you are out here than you do in the cage.
Uh-uh, you smell so much nicer.
No, not two hands.
One hand is enough.
(CHUCKLES) I am so used to having him behind bars.
You only use one hand, okay? One hand, one hand, one hand.
One hand, hmm? Okay? MAN: He's very gentle, Lone, isn't he? He is very gentle, but, you know, I wouldn't say that Let's say if he got a hold of my leg or my arm, like really good hold of me, he's not gonna let me go.
He's gonna keep me here for a few days and wander me up and down the beaches.
The males do that on Kaji island.
They change females quite frequently.
And they actually, sort of, like, take them on strolls along the beach.
It looks, sort of, like Baywatch or something, sometimes.
(CHUCKLING) Just need the little red trunks and the bathing suits.
MICHAELA: But Hercules may not be the beach bum Lone thinks.
For the first time ever, he's been spotted climbing in the trees.
It could be a life changing moment for Hercules.
If we have a long dry season here, my hopes really are that he would be able to, like, get some physiotherapy for his feet by climbing.
And, who knows, if he does really well and he actually manage to move, you know, between trees, we might keep him out here, even during the rainy season.
It is almost like you are not putting a human being in prison for the rainy season or for the winter sort of thing.
I mean, for him sitting in a cage is just like for a human being in prison.
There's nothing for him to do.
Even though we give him lots of enrichment and stuff, it's still not the same as being out here where he can There's other orangutans, there's females he can try and catch.
He hasn't quite managed to do that yet.
Um, there's lots of things to stimulate him here where it's not just It is very much a prison sentence to have them sitting in a cage and we'd rather not do that.
MICHAELA: The last time we saw Nodi, it was clear he'd outgrown the nursery group.
He's already learned many of the basic skills he'll need in Forest School.
And today is the big day.
Forest School is just a short drive from the nursery.
But it's a million miles away from everything Nodi has ever known.
Since being rescued, he's enjoyed the peace and quiet of the nursery.
Arriving here must be like landing on a strange planet, with even stranger goings-on.
Everything is totally alien to him.
No wonder he looks a bit bewildered.
But as he leaves the hustle and noise of the centre behind, Nodi catches his first glimpse of the forest that will be his classroom for the next four years.
There are over 200 orphans here, scattered in different classes.
Under the watchful eyes of the babysitters, they learn all about the forest, gaining the knowledge that will one day enable them to be wild orangutans.
(SPEAKING BAHASA INDONESIA) MICHAELA: Nodi will join the youngest group, who are only just beginning to explore and understand their natural surroundings.
Hey, Nod.
What is all this? This is a big tree root, isn't it? Yes, it is.
Uh-uh.
This is a big guy, yeah? You've never seen them this big before, have you? The other ones actually don't seem interested at all in these two newcomers.
Usually, we'll have about five or six of them coming over and sniffing them and pulling at them and stuff like this.
MICHAELA: At least it gives Nodi time to take it all in.
Wild orangutans can live in the trees for two years without ever coming down to the ground.
So it's obvious how much Nodi still has to learn.
But everyone's got to start somewhere.
LONE: Who's that? Hmm? Is it good to be here? Lots of big friends that you can play with.
The other ones are gonna be pulling you out of the trees.
(CHUCKLING) Uh-uh.
MICHAELA: Seeing Nodi in the crowded Forest School, it really hits home just how many orangutans the team care for.
The centre is already bursting with over 600 orangutans.
And new arrivals keep coming in.
(CHATTING IN LOCAL DIALECT) STEVE: Siska is struggling to find a local with a boat who's willing to take her up river to where the orangutan is being held.
But she's come too far to turn back now.
There must be another way.
So the only way to go to the village where the orangutan is there is by motorcycles.
And it might take half an hour to an hour to go there.
STEVE: No one's really sure how they're going to get three people and the baby orangutan on the back of a moped.
But Siska doesn't have time to think it through.
She has to get to the orangutan quickly before it's too late.
Mopeds are the only way to reach the village by land.
No car can follow this route.
It's a bumpy ride that will take Siska deep into the forest.
It shows what incredible lengths the teams go to in order to rescue just one animal at risk.
(CHATTING IN LOCAL DIALECT) STEVE: Just as it seems they're going to get there, they meet a local who's come from the village.
He has some very disheartening news.
(SPEAKING LOCAL DIALECT) The villager has just said that it is raining down there, and they dare not to go there with the six of us.
So, I think we should get back and rearrange our next plan, okay? Hmm.
Let's go.
(CHATTING IN LOCAL DIALECT) STEVE: It's difficult for everyone to turn back when they know, just a few miles down the road, a baby orangutan is desperately in need of help.
But, with more rain on the way, these roads will soon become impossible.
Siska and the team can only hope that a few more hours aren't going to mean the difference between life and death for the baby orangutan.
(WOMAN SINGING IN BAHASA INDONESIA) LONE: That's a very bad bite you have on your tongue MICHAELA: Lone has taken delivery of yet another victim of Borneo's forest destruction.
Last night, the Forestry Department brought a tiny orangutan into the centre.
Stand up.
Stand up.
Our little fellow here, we still haven't given him a name yet, um, came in last night about 8:00.
And he came in from the area where we did our last confiscation.
He's very strong.
He's only probably a month or two months old and he's still Look at this, I mean, just hanging on and having fun.
Is it fun? Is it? Is that fun? Huh? MICHAELA: It's so spell binding watching Lone and the newest arrival.
It's easy to forget that yesterday, he might have been clinging to his mother in the wild.
He's had such a traumatic start to his young life, but looking around the nursery, it's all too common a story.
LONE: We get a lot of this size orangutans in.
Pickle, Peanut, Chili, had come in, they came at the same size.
Fitz was younger than he was.
Um, he was only a couple of days old.
Need a lot of energy to take care of these little ones because they can go at it all day.
At this age, they need 24-hour care, or at least up until they are probably about a year old or something.
Need lots of Lots of love.
Even when they are like one year old they still need 24-hour care.
He'll probably sleep with one of the babysitters or I might even take him a couple of nights.
(CHUCKLES) He's absolutely fantastic.
I've never seen cheek pads on such a little fellow before.
He's got fantastic muscles.
Look at those compact little arms here.
Maybe we should call you Arnold.
Arnold, that's it! (LAUGHS) You just got it.
You're an Arnold, aren't you? Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Are you an Arnold? Are you? Are you an Arnold? Hmm? Are you? I think you are.
MICHAELA: Given the love and nurturing the babysitters will provide over the next five years, I'm sure that little Arnold Schwarzenegger will grow into his name.
But by the time he's ready to go back to the wild, it's difficult to know whether there will be any forest left for him to return to.
In Forest School, Nodi is still trying to take it all in.
Everything seems to be a lot bigger than he's used to, including some of the other orangutans.
Runa is playing truant from one of the older classes.
She is one of the biggest orangutans in Forest School.
Even the babysitters find it hard to handle her.
Nodi would do well to stay out of her way.
It looks like she's only interested in getting her hands on a juicy papaya.
But Nodi has never seen an orangutan this big before and, just when he was finding his feet, it's given his confidence a knock.
It's a reminder that he still has a lot to learn in Forest School.
The babysitters are always right there to give a little reassurance.
It won't be long before he's back into the thick of things.
It's small steps but, on the whole, Nodi has had a very successful first day.
It's time for all the classes to head back to the centre for food and a play before bedtime.
(LAUGHING) STEVE: It's only been a few hours since Siska was forced to abandon the mopeds, but, back in the village, she's had a breakthrough.
She's found a boat.
We're going to the village where the orangutan is, and we are using small boats and they said that the river is quite fast flowing, so it will be an adventure for me too.
So let's see how it goes.
STEVE: It seems like the whole village has turned out to see Siska off.
They seem highly amused by the situation.
Perhaps, it's because they know what lies upstream.
It's so hard to get around Borneo.
Rivers are the best and, quite often, the only means of travel.
They've always been the life blood of communities along their banks.
For most, it's a life of subsistence.
Fishing or farming, it's survival and any opportunity to make a little money is seized.
Sadly, selling a baby orangutan into the lucrative pet trade is often just too tempting.
The rain that made the road so bad had swollen the river.
It's not certain they'll be able to make it up the rapids ahead.
This is Siska's last hope.
If they can't get there by river, she'll have no other option but to abandon the rescue and the baby orangutan to its fate.
The current is proving too much for the boat's small engine.
It's going flat out but they are not making any head way.
In fact, they seem to be going backwards.
The man is changing the propeller and the rower needs to be stepped a little more back because they need the boat to be heavier on the back.
STEVE: After rearranging the load and changing the propeller, it's time to give it another go.
The boat has run out of steam right at the top of the rapids.
They're not going backwards or forwards.
They just need to get a few metres further in to calmer water.
Finally, the driver physically hauls them up and Siska and the team are on their way.
This rescue has thrown everything at Siska.
But, as their destination approaches, she still has to overcome the biggest obstacle yet.
Convincing people with virtually nothing to hand over a valuable orangutan.
(MAN SPEAKING LOCAL DIALECT) (WHOOPING) (DOG BARKING) STEVE: This is the house but no one's home.
It's clear they don't have much, but do they still have the orangutan? Having come so far, the team can't wait for the owners to come home.
If there's a baby orangutan here, they need to find it.
(CHATTERING IN LOCAL DIALECT) Oh, yeah! We find the baby.
STEVE: Inside the house, there's more than Siska bargained for, two baby orangutans.
SISKA: They're quite healthy.
I think they're about a year.
I guess they killed the mother and they took the baby.
That's what happens commonly here.
STEVE: It's hard to imagine killing such a beautiful animal and taking its baby.
But for a poor family living out here, each orangutan could be worth a month's wages.
One orangutan will cost about $50, if they sell to people, and it's quite a lot of money for them.
STEVE: Although Siska has the law on her side, it doesn't mean the owner will hand over the babies quietly, especially as it's the team's policy never to give money.
Sometimes they will get very angry if we do not give any money at all.
STEVE: It's tempting to avoid a nasty confrontation, take the babies and leave.
But it's important for Siska to talk with the man who's done this.
Education is a vital part of what the team does.
If Siska can't convince him to hand over the orangutans voluntarily and understand why it's wrong, it may not be long before the team are back here confiscating yet another orphaned orangutan.
And, without their mother, it's a very long road back to the wild.
MICHAELA: Nodi has only just started on this road but he's exhausted already.
His first day in Forest School has really taken it out of him.
While the older orangutans play on the lawn, all he can do is watch from the sidelines.
But he won't be the new boy for long.
Baby orangutans come into the centre weekly and, like Nodi, will need years of schooling.
Watching so many on the lawn, it's obvious the centre is bursting at the seams.
But as their forest continue to be ripped up, there's simply nowhere else for them to go.
Lone does her best to make room for every new arrival, but it's hard to know how much longer the staff, Lone and the centre will be able to take the strain.
Next time on Orangutan Diary.
Siska discovers that the man holding the baby orangutans captive is also holding a gun.
Lone finds a new companion for totally blind Wu Wu.
And after months of planning, Lone journeys deep into the hearts of Borneo looking for a safe place to release more orangutans back into the wild.