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MICHAELA: Today on Orangutan Diary,
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Lone has found a safe area of forest
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and is on the verge of one of the most
ambitious releases she's ever attempted.
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But will feisty adolescent Mustopa
put a spanner in the works?
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These hormonal males
are just like impossible to predict
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what they're gonna do.
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And after spending a year in a cage,
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Mama and Baby Pika are just a step
away from a life back in the wild.
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(ORANGUTAN GRUNTING)
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(LAUGHING)
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Is that so funny?
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Lone Droscher Nielsen runs the biggest
ape rescue operation in the world.
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The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation
cares for more than 600 orangutans.
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Some were confiscated
from the illegal pet trade.
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Others were rescued from the wild
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when their forest homes were ripped
from under them.
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And as the destruction continues,
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time may be running out
for Borneo's orangutans.
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But the team here do everything they can
to rescue, care for
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and, ultimately, return orangutans
back to the wild.
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STEVE: After months of planning
and negotiation,
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Lone is finally ready to get
one of the biggest releases
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the centre has ever attempted, underway.
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Twenty five orangutans are about to get
a second chance at life
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in a safe area of forest.
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They haven't been in cages long
and are still very wild.
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(SQUEAKING)
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These were all brought in as adults
so they know how to survive in the wild
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and, more importantly, as you can see
with this behaviour here,
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this kiss-squeaking
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and all this swinging around,
they're still frightened of humans.
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And that's what's gonna keep them safe.
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They know how to survive and they
don't wanna be anywhere near people.
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STEVE: That said, for the next few days,
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they'll be surrounded by medics,
technicians and a whole host of people
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helping to make sure
they arrive healthy.
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They'll be tranquilised for the journey,
so they'll sleep through most of it
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and hardly remember a thing.
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It's all running
with military precision,
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except for one difficult customer
holding everything up.
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(GRUNTING)
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Mustopa, a fiery adolescent male
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is causing all kinds of problems
for Bram, one of the medics.
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It's so difficult because he's angry
with the blow dart and very aggressive.
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It's so difficult because he moves
to the left, right, up and down.
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STEVE: All the commotion
attracts one of the orangutans
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from Forest School.
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Like the rest of his school mates, he's
an orphan that grew up at the centre.
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He's never seen a huge, wild orangutan
like Mustopa before
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and is fascinated
and even a little terrified.
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It's okay. Oh, is he really big?
You see, is he really big?
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He saw Mustopa
and he just went all goosebumpy
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and went like, "God! What is that?"
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LONE: You've never seen
such a big one before, have you?
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NARRATOR: Finally, Bram gets his shot.
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In a few minutes, Mustopa will be able
to join the others orangutans
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on the last truck to the airport
and start his journey back to the wild.
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It's hoped that, one day,
even the orphaned orangutans
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raised in Forest School
can make a similar journey.
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But Lone's priority is to get
adult orangutans like Mustopa out first.
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He's had minimal human contact,
so a better chance of survival.
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Unfortunately, with so many
wild orangutans coming in,
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the Forest School orangutans
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are continually bumped
to the back of the cue.
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In fact, right now, it's hard
to see them ever reaching the front.
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(CHATTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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(LAUGHING) Are you being a little bit
brave here now, are you?
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Look at this big guy.
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STEVE: In a strange way,
these orangutans are lucky.
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They were rescued from marginal
and rapidly shrinking patches of forest,
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where, eventually, they would've
been killed or starved to death.
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But now they're heading to one of the
largest areas of safe orangutan habitat
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left in Borneo.
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Airlifting 25 orangutans
into one of the remotest
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and most inaccessible forests on Earth
is a logistical nightmare for Lone.
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There are so many people, agencies
and departments involved
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and it only takes one link to fail
for the chain to break
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and send her back to square one.
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(LONE SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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(ALL LAUGH)
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The release has already been delayed
by over two months.
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And some of these orangutans
have spent nearly a year
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in a cage waiting for this flight.
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Lone is desperate to get them back out
quickly, while they're still wild.
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But nothing can be left to chance,
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especially when you've got
powerful orangutans like Mustopa
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on a small plane.
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LONE: We haven't had anybody
who's tried to escape yet.
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So, I'm not too worried about it,
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but, because he is a hormonal male,
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and we're going to be 50 minutes
on that flight.
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I really do not want him
to, sort of, break out.
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I mean, him escaping, you know,
being in midair,
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I'm not quite sure the captain
is going to appreciate that.
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LONE: But these hormonal males
are just like almost impossible
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to predict what they're gonna do.
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They're normally very quiet
on the planes because of the sound.
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So they don't know what's going on
around them, it's dark, it's noisy,
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so they, very often,
just sit really quiet inside the cage.
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MICHAELA: At the centre,
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orangutans occasionally escape
from their cages
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and it's not always straightforward
getting them back in.
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An adolescent male, a little younger
than Mustopa, has got loose.
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At this size, he's already many times
stronger than the technicians.
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If he doesn't want to come quietly,
there's not a lot the staff can do,
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except keep him distracted until
one of the medics can deal with him.
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It's obvious now why Lone was
so careful to secure Mustopa's cage
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before takeoff.
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He's even bigger than this guy
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and the thought of him loose
in the aircraft isn't a good one.
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STEVE: Flying hundreds of feet
above the forest,
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the precious cargo of orangutans
is getting close to its destination.
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Everything is calm at the moment.
One of the females,
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sort of banging around a bit
in her cage.
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Usually, they sleep during the flight,
or they're so scared,
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they just sit inside their cages
and just hold on.
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It's a bit of stress, obviously,
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then, later, when they're gonna go
in the helicopter as well,
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is also a bit stressful
but, after that, they're free again.
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STEVE: The plane has landed
on an isolated airstrip.
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It belongs to a mining company
who've worked in this remote area
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since the 1970s.
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They've helped Lone
release orangutans before
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and the relationship she's built up
with them is invaluable.
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This air strip is the fastest way
of getting them deep into the jungle
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and to freedom.
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For the local children, who normally use
the runway as football pitch,
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the arrival of a plane
full of orangutans
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is intriguing enough to stop play.
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Just up the road is the mining camp,
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a tiny island of human activity
in a vast sea of forest.
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It's a very strange place.
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The neatly-trimmed lawns
and wooden chalets
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feel totally at odds
with the wild surroundings.
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But, without this outpost,
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releasing the orangutans
would be virtually impossible.
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The cages Lone had specially made
for a previous release
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are still standing and filling up
with orangutans again.
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All these ones that are already in cages
now, already arrived yesterday.
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They came in, we had two flights
yesterday and one flight today.
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As you can tell,
they're a little bit stressed
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because there's quite a lot
of people around right now.
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They'll calm down soon, though.
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STEVE: It may seem like
just another cage to the orangutans,
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but it's only a short stay to give them
a chance to stock up on food
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before the final leg of their journey.
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(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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Like all the orangutans being released,
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Mustopa has had very little
human contact since being rescued.
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Out in the wild, his natural fear
of humans should keep him safe
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and away from possible conflict
with people.
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Mama Pika and her baby
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have already learnt this lesson
and paid the price.
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They were found wandering hungry
in a palm oil plantation.
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But they were lucky,
Lone got to them in time,
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and, tomorrow, Baby Pika will start
her new life back in the wild.
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When we got Pika,
she was about two years old.
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So she's already lived in the wild.
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She's only been in a cage for the last,
a little bit less than a year.
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Now she's gonna go back
in the wild again.
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I don't think she's ever gonna remember
that she's actually ever been in a cage.
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MICHAELA: Pika is lucky.
She still has her mother,
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which means she can be raised
in the wild.
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But the majority of baby orangutans
at the centre are orphans.
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Kopi is the latest to arrive.
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She was found in a palm oil plantation.
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Her mother was probably killed
by hunters,
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hired to protect the plantation
from uninvited guests like orangutans.
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Without her mother, it's going to be
hard for Kopi to get back to the wild.
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At three years old,
she couldn't survive on her own.
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But, at the moment, she's too wild
to join Forest School.
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It's a dilemma the staff
had been mulling over,
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until Kopi took matters
into her own hands.
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At the first opportunity,
she makes a bolt for it.
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Her instincts tell her that
she's safe in the trees.
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In the wild, she'd rarely come down.
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And she could spend years without ever
touching the ground.
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The speed and ease with which
Kopi moves between the branches,
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shows how at home she is up in the trees
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and she's desperate to be
where she belongs.
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(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
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Orphaned and too wild to join
the others in Forest School,
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it's hard to know where she'll fit in.
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If only she'd arrived with her mother,
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she would've been top of the list
for release.
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(THUNDER RUMBLING)
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As the rain starts to fall,
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the technicians have to leave Kopi
in the trees.
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They'll come back later
when she's hungry
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and see if she can be tempted down
with some fruit.
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STEVE: Lone's leaving the mining camp
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and taking another 40-minute flight
to the first release site.
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Here she can set up a base camp
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and prepare for the orangutans
to be airlifted in.
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Borneo was once entirely covered
in pristine forest like this.
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But over half has been cut down
for timber and to grow oil palms.
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Palm oil is big business.
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One billion people around the world
consume it.
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It's in everything from biscuits
to lipstick.
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One in ten supermarket products
contain it.
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And with growing demands for its use
in bio-fuels,
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the economic incentive for Borneo
to destroy its forests
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and grow even more, is compelling.
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Palm oil is now the single biggest
threat to the orangutan's survival.
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Over 90% of the orangutans Lone rescues,
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have come from areas being cleared
to make way for oil palm plantations.
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But here, large areas
of pristine forests still exist.
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So far, its inaccessibility
has kept people out.
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Tomorrow morning the first orangutans
will be airlifted in
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to release site one,
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a small clearing just big enough
for the helicopter to land.
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It's where Lone and the team will be
setting up camp for the night.
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The helicopter barely touches down.
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With light fading fast, the pilot needs
to get back to the base camp,
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leaving the release team to bed down
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somewhere in the middle
of this vast tract of wilderness.
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We're right in the middle of Borneo,
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right smack in the middle, actually.
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Within the heart of Borneo,
which is a big conservation area
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between Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
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There are still logging concessions
and mining concessions here.
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But these are some of the last frontiers
of proper, untouched forests
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that's left in Borneo at the moment.
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I love it out here,
because you don't have no hand-phone
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you have no computer access,
you can't get on the internet.
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Once we've got the orangutans out,
being able to just sit,
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you know, in a hammock in the forest
and listen to the water
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and the sounds of the forest.
It's lovely.
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It gives you a little bit of rest.
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STEVE: Early next morning,
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00:18:28,120 --> 00:18:32,193
and Lone hasn't quite had the
restful night she was hoping for.
232
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:37,439
We got invaded by bees like
4:00 in the morning here.
233
00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:41,035
We've been awake since then listening
to this humming
234
00:18:41,120 --> 00:18:42,917
and a bit of snoring.
235
00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:47,191
Those two guys, my two assistants here,
they slept perfectly fine.
236
00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,317
They were snoring all night because
they kept me awake for most of it,
237
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,915
but it's always good sleeping in a tent
with a lot of guys.
238
00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:59,989
STEVE: It's been an early start
back at the mining camp, too.
239
00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,833
The first orangutans are being prepared
for the short flight
240
00:19:02,920 --> 00:19:05,275
to meet Lone at the release site.
241
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:14,755
Today, at this particular clearing,
we're going to have four adults.
242
00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:20,397
LONE: And then we'll then move on
to another clearing to release Pika,
243
00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:22,198
with her mother, obviously.
244
00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,678
We'd rather give them
that second chance out here.
245
00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,268
I mean, I can't promise that everybody's
gonna make it.
246
00:19:30,360 --> 00:19:33,113
LONE: But they're wild animals,
they're intelligent.
247
00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,472
Even if 90% of them make it, you know,
248
00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:38,357
we still managed to save those 90%,
249
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:43,275
because they would've been killed
for sure in the palm oil plantation.
250
00:19:43,360 --> 00:19:45,669
So, at least we managed to save
90% of them.
251
00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:51,120
STEVE: The first orangutans
are in the air.
252
00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,716
At last, the final stage
of the release is underway.
253
00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,436
(CHATTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
254
00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:01,877
MICHAELA: For the orangutans
at the centre,
255
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:07,671
the wild is still a very long way off,
especially for all the orphan babies.
256
00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:11,878
When they arrive at the nursery,
some are very traumatised.
257
00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:14,997
All they really need is love
and affection.
258
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:19,232
But, even at this young age,
their natural instincts are strong.
259
00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,670
At about two years old,
they start in Forest School.
260
00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:42,594
The babysitters try to teach them all
the skills they'll need.
261
00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:45,956
But it's no substitute for a life
in the tree tops.
262
00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,113
In the wild, their mothers would've
spent eight years
263
00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,839
teaching them how to be an orangutan.
264
00:20:52,920 --> 00:20:56,356
But so little is known about
this intimate relationship,
265
00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,876
it's hard to know what lessons
these Forest School orangutans
266
00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:01,916
might be missing out on.
267
00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:11,156
But orangutans are so intelligent
and adaptable
268
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,595
that, even in this artificial setting,
269
00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:16,717
they seem to pick up
the skills they'll need.
270
00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:18,998
At about six years old,
271
00:21:19,080 --> 00:21:23,312
they're independent enough to live out
on islands in the nearby river.
272
00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:28,076
Here, they're fed daily, but
human contact is kept to a minimum,
273
00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:32,073
because the next step will be to
get them out into the wild.
274
00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:37,990
Even though these orangutans have little
memory of living outside the centre,
275
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,436
Lone is quietly confident
that their time in Forest School,
276
00:21:41,560 --> 00:21:43,596
their intelligence and instincts,
277
00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:47,673
will be enough for them to survive
as wild orangutans.
278
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:55,869
STEVE: At the release site,
279
00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:59,794
the first load of orangutans
finally swings into view.
280
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,879
Among them is the mighty
and unpredictable Mustopa.
281
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,669
He's so strong, he had too be caged from
the moment he arrived at the centre,
282
00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,150
and needs to be handled
with extreme caution.
283
00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,155
LONE: Mustopa is just like a teenager
284
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,549
who's like, "Don't show fear,
attack first, "
285
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:25,872
sort of thing and also, you know, just
do things before you think about it.
286
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:30,349
And he is one of those animals that
could turn around and run after us
287
00:22:30,440 --> 00:22:32,237
instead of running into the forest.
288
00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:35,790
And the more groggy he is,
the safer we are.
289
00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:38,873
I don't want him totally out of
sedation before we let him out,
290
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,350
because I just don't trust him.
I've seen hormonal males before
291
00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,113
and they can be, potentially,
very dangerous.
292
00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:50,716
STEVE: The release team move well back,
293
00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:54,395
just in case Mustopa comes out
like a rocket.
294
00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:00,752
The dubious honour of opening his cage
falls to the reluctant Ahmat.
295
00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:27,271
He's eating, is he?
296
00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:28,395
(LAUGHS)
297
00:23:29,520 --> 00:23:33,399
LONE: So much for this really aggressive
male rushing out of the cage.
298
00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:35,914
STEVE: Mustopa has decided
he's the boss.
299
00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,798
And things will happen at his pace.
300
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:43,476
Since he's still feeling the effects
of the anaesthetic, that's pretty slow.
301
00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,593
It took three doses to put him down,
so he's still very groggy.
302
00:23:50,160 --> 00:23:54,472
STEVE: Lone would love to stay
and watch Mustopa find his feet,
303
00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:59,396
but more orangutans are already
on the way to the next release site.
304
00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,270
LONE: It's gonna take a while
before he feels good again.
305
00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:05,794
I sort of suspect he's probably
gonna be sleeping
306
00:24:05,880 --> 00:24:09,316
somewhere on the ground tonight
because he's still too woozy.
307
00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,949
STEVE: When he was rescued,
Mustopa was an immature male,
308
00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,999
but he returns to the wild
as an impressive young adult.
309
00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:20,231
His cheek pads have grown,
and he'll soon be looking for females
310
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,357
to father a new generation
of orangutans here.
311
00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,632
It's important for the team to spread
the orangutans out.
312
00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:32,508
It takes a huge area of forest
to support each one.
313
00:24:33,920 --> 00:24:37,799
In one of these cages,
is Mama and Baby Pika.
314
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:39,871
It's an extra special moment
for the team
315
00:24:39,960 --> 00:24:43,236
to see Pika given the chance
to grow up in the wild.
316
00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:48,158
For Lone, it embodies everything
she and all the staff at the centre
317
00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:49,958
work so hard for.
318
00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:51,598
I can hear somebody moving in here
319
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:54,035
but I can't see if it's
the mother or the baby.
320
00:24:54,120 --> 00:24:56,395
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
321
00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:03,870
STEVE: Mama Pika and her infant
have spent a year in a cage
322
00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:05,996
waiting for this moment.
323
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,476
A year Lone has spent finding this safe
area of forest
324
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,597
and organising their return to the wild.
325
00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,477
It's a lot of time, it's a lot of money
investing in a wild animal,
326
00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:20,676
but, on the other hand,
I think they're worth single dollar
327
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:22,318
that we put into it.
328
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,234
LONE: I don't think you can put a price
on an animal that's going extinct.
329
00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:29,073
I don't think you can, sort of, say,
it's not worth it.
330
00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:34,152
For us, getting to the end of this road
is like, it's so wonderful.
331
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:39,598
It's probably one of the most wonderful
feelings that a human can experience.
332
00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,355
It's a sort of love in many ways
to these animals.
333
00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:46,909
It's like giving them back
what they deserve.
334
00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:52,555
STEVE: With her traumatic time
in captivity behind her,
335
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:57,031
Baby Pika now stands a chance of living
the natural life she should.
336
00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:03,836
Over the next two days,
all 25 orangutans
337
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:06,593
will be released in this river basin.
338
00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,195
Like Mustopa and Baby Pika,
339
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:15,195
everyone is being given back the freedom
that humans had taken from them.
340
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,712
LONE: Every single orangutan here
that we're releasing now
341
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:24,678
can be actually saved from being killed.
342
00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:30,076
For us, getting them out and seeing them
just take off into the trees,
343
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,037
it makes me feel very, very happy.
344
00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:35,918
It's probably the best feeling
in the world.
345
00:26:37,200 --> 00:26:39,953
They'll spread out and they'll find
their own little territories
346
00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:44,033
and settle down and become
real orangutans again.
347
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:57,516
It's just been a fantastic experience
this time.
348
00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,751
It took a lot of planning, but,
you know, it's gone really well.
349
00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:04,554
I think the best thing is probably
seeing this fantastic forest here
350
00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:06,710
along the Banana River.
351
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:09,110
I've flown over it,
it looked absolutely wonderful.
352
00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:13,796
But sitting here, thinking, this is,
probably, the most fantastic spot
353
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:15,836
for the orangutans to be released.
354
00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:23,435
So, after this it's back to
the centre again,
355
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,398
where we've had, just before I left,
in the last two days,
356
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,914
we had seven more orangutans coming in.
357
00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,149
It really is a never-ending job.
358
00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:36,395
STEVE: Despite all her efforts,
359
00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:40,553
orangutans arrive at the centre
faster than Lone can release them.
360
00:27:40,640 --> 00:27:43,950
Time really is running out
for the entire species.
361
00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:49,398
It's been predicted
that, in just 13 years,
362
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:54,190
only two percent of the orangutan's
Indonesian forest could remain.
363
00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:58,350
Lone is doing some incredible work
364
00:27:58,440 --> 00:28:01,830
to help save a species
on the brink of extinction.
365
00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:03,672
But it's not a solution.
366
00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,435
It's a sticking plaster trying to cover
an ever-expanding wound
367
00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:10,876
left by Borneo's disappearing forests.
368
00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:19,988
MICHAELA: Next week on Orangutan Diary,
369
00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:22,594
we'll be taking a last look
at the orangutans
370
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:24,671
that have captured our hearts.
371
00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:28,638
And what the future might hold for them.