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[mysterious music playing]
[David Attenborough] This forest is home to the biggest and heaviest
of all tree-living animals.
[branches rustling]
-[whimsical music playing] -[David] During their long lives,
they may never even put a foot on the ground.
That is why so little was known about them
until just a few decades ago.
Yet they are one of our closest relatives,
sharing nearly 30 physical characteristics with us.
Even their name, orang hutan, means "person of the forest."
Despite their great size and strength,
these are gentle, thoughtful, problem-solving creatures…
and perhaps more relatable to us than any other great ape.
[bird chirping]
Looking at an orangutan, it's hard not to see something of ourselves.
And while we may never know exactly what they're thinking,
think, they surely do.
[whimsical music continues]
[music fades]
[contemplative music playing]
Orangutans once lived right across the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
But much of their forest has now been felled.
And today, the few thousand that remain are restricted to the far north.
Here, one place stands out.
Suaq.
A small stretch of swamp forest…
bordered to the west by the Limbang River,
which acts as a barrier to human development.
[majestic music playing]
Suaq's forest has remained unchanged for thousands of years.
It's prime orangutan habitat…
and now has the highest density of these red-haired apes
as anywhere on the planet.
[whimsical music playing]
It's a neighborhood of over 200 identifiable individuals.
And for the last 30 years,
they have been watched by scientists of the Orangutan Research Project.
But whether the observers are field scientists or filmmakers,
just glimpsing an orangutan in the treetops of the swamp below
is not enough.
You need to see them close up, high in the canopy.
[branches cracking]
And new filming techniques, such as small drones,
are now enabling us to do exactly that,
revealing more details of their private lives than ever before.
Orangs are normally solitary,
but those living here are remarkably social.
[whimsical music continues]
They watch and learn from one another,
and by doing so have created a unique culture.
The use of tools is rare among orangutans elsewhere,
but not here,
and such skills are passed down to each new generation.
[music fades out]
At the center of this long-running study are three closely related females.
The most senior is Friska,
skilled at sucking termites out of sticks.
[gentle music playing]
She's over 60 years of age and one of the world's oldest wild orangs.
Next, Friska's daughter Ellie, always eating.
And lastly, Ellie's child, Eden,
who is approaching the biggest milestone in an orang's life.
She's recognizable by the spike in her hair,
a feature she's had since she was a baby.
This is Eden, aged two,
with Mum Ellie.
The bond between mother orangutan and child
is one of the longest and strongest in the natural world,
second only to humans.
A young orangutan will spend thousands of hours watching its mother.
That is how they learn which of the jungle's many species of plant
are safe to eat…
and, just as important, how to eat them.
It's an education that can take a decade.
But all that was six years ago.
Eden is now eight and knows quite a lot about the jungle.
She's learned which plants in this sea of green are good to eat.
What hasn't yet changed is her relationship with her mother.
[animal calling]
Ellie is never far away,
and watching her is still Eden's quickest way of finding food.
Such as these termites.
For Eden, sharing with her mother is a way of life.
Until now.
That slap is not a good sign.
Something has changed.
[intriguing music playing]
There has been a new arrival.
It's about half the size of a human baby
and probably the first newborn that Eden has ever seen.
[chitters]
All rather bewildering.
Though the newcomer is surely worth a closer look.
But her mother doesn't want her too close.
[whimsical music playing]
For eight years, mother and firstborn have done everything together.
[contemplative music playing]
Now, two have become three,
and it all seems different.
Nevertheless, it's still best to follow Mum.
[whimsical music playing]
Even at the age of eight, Eden has always kept her mother in sight.
That is not easy in the dense jungle…
but getting lost would be dangerous.
And wherever Ellie is, food is not far away.
To power their big brains and bodies,
orangutans spend much of their day eating.
These melaka fruit are just one of over 300 kinds of food
that Ellie and Eden will eat.
Collecting some food requires special techniques.
[munching]
For Eden, copying Mum has always been the best policy.
But when a snack can bite back…
[mandibles clanging]
…you've got to get the technique just right.
Eden will quickly learn that using your fingertips
is not the best way to pick up ants.
[shrieks]
As ever, nothing comes between Ellie and her food,
and that includes baby's arm.
[baby squeals]
With a new baby to support,
Ellie must eat around 3,000 calories a day.
Leaves are an important part of their diet.
But even the right kind need some processing.
Which means spitting out the bitter-tasting tannins.
[whimsical music continues]
[gentle music playing]
Newborn orangutans spend a lot of time sleeping,
just as human babies do.
The only difference is that they must do so
while keeping a tight grip on Mother.
After a few hours spent feeding, orangutans like to take a nap.
But now, the new baby seems to have taken Eden's place in the nest.
It's hard when your mother doesn't seem to be as interested
in you as she once was.
Soon Eden will have to find a new home in this forest
and fend for herself.
[animals chittering]
[contemplative music playing]
Elsewhere in the neighborhood,
Eden's cousin Pepito is facing his own moment of truth.
His mother, Piniata, is ready to have another baby.
A year older than Eden,
this is as good a sign as any
that it's time for Pepito to go off by himself.
[expectant music playing]
Going solo is the most dangerous time in a young orang's life.
To succeed, you need know-how, confidence,
and vigilance.
[suspenseful music playing]
[intriguing music playing]
And what better way to show confidence…
than quelling the demons in the swamp below?
[adventurous music playing]
Even if it's only a harmless turtle.
[music intensifies]
[tense music playing]
[adventurous music playing]
This might appear to be a somewhat over-the-top reaction,
but in orang society,
boys are known to be more boisterous than girls.
And that isn't the only difference between the genders.
[music fades]
To fulfill their potential,
newly independent young males like Pepito
must find an adult male as a role model from whom to learn.
[contemplative music playing]
In the meantime, there's an opportunity to watch the use
of an important Suaq skill.
The fruiting of cemanang trees
is much anticipated by adult orangutans.
The pods contain very nutritious seeds.
But you have to know how to get at them.
Until they ripen, the pods are almost impossible to open.
Inside each are dozens of seeds,
protected by thousands of glass-like hairs.
Once open, the only safe way to reach the calorie-rich seeds
is by using a tool.
And with decades of experience,
60-year-old Friska is an expert.
[upbeat music playing]
With the right size stick,
she can pop out the seeds without touching the irritating hairs.
Suaq's orangs are virtually the only ones able to do this,
though perfecting the skill can take years.
Females have usually learned it by the time they're about 14 years old.
Most males take a little longer than that.
Youngsters like Pepito and Eden have to watch the adults carefully
if they're ever to master the technique and enjoy this high-protein food.
And remarkably, even after they've been chewed by the orangs,
the seeds are still able to germinate.
-[animals chittering] -[music fades out]
Old Friska is on a trip through the neighborhood.
[whimsical music playing]
She's come to visit her daughter Ellie.
Perhaps she's aware of the new addition to her family.
Friska is not just mother of six, she's also a great-grandmother.
And this new baby is her fifth grandchild,
making her the neighborhood's most successful female.
But the relationship between grandchild number five and number four,
spiky-haired Eden, remains frosty.
Mothering styles among orangutans vary.
Friska is known to be strict.
The researchers noticed that compared to other mothers,
she let her infants cry more often
and gave in to their demands less frequently.
A tough-love approach that has been inherited by Ellie,
who is now applying it to her oldest child, Eden.
[gentle music playing]
Her mother's attention is now focused on the new baby,
who seems to have won over even grumpy Granny.
Like cousin Pepito,
the moment has come for Eden to spend time away from Mum.
It will be a whole new experience,
being on her own.
And without her mother,
she will have to deal with many unfamiliar orangutans.
[music fades]
One of these will be very interested in the more independent Eden.
[intriguing music playing]
Twenty-eight-year-old Sulli,
always on the lookout for new relationships.
So any movement in the trees catches his eye.
Despite his age, Sulli hasn't yet developed into a fully mature male
with the pads on his cheeks that are known as flanges.
And even for an unflanged male, he's still rather small.
But what he lacks in stature, he makes up for in determination.
And Sulli the unflanged has just spotted a familiar face.
[intriguing music continues]
Twenty-one-year-old Lily.
As a subordinate male,
Sulli must take the initiative when it comes to befriending females.
She doesn't seem interested,
but when you're an unflanged male, you have to persevere.
[music fades]
[tense music playing]
With his focus on Lily,
Sulli hasn't realized that he's being watched by Split Lip Otto,
Suaq's old but still dominant flanged male.
He won't tolerate a subordinate like Sulli
getting friendly with females on his patch.
[music intensifies]
[music becomes quiet]
Otto must remind him who's boss.
Sulli had better make himself scarce.
[music intensifies]
One advantage of being an unflanged male
is that you can move much faster than heavyweights like Otto.
So staying one step ahead isn't hard.
For Otto, it's not easy putting the frighteners on someone
if you can't get close.
But shaking branches
is a flanged male's way of saying, "Get lost."
Job done.
At least for now.
[tense music becomes quiet]
[warbling call echoes]
[warbling continues]
This sound is a long call…
[calling]
…made by another flanged male.
[calling]
[moody music playing]
Titan.
He wants Otto's title.
If he gets it, he will be the one that breeding females will choose.
So Titan the challenger goes in pursuit,
and Otto makes a run for it.
[dramatic, action music playing]
[calling]
Combat risks injury or worse.
So flanged males will only fight if they have to.
Far better if the contest can be decided by a show of strength.
And Titan knows how to rattle the old man's cage.
[animals howling]
Otto's only goal now is getting as far away from Titan as possible.
[music becomes quiet]
Titan may have seen off Otto,
but he's not yet the dominant male.
To win that title, he will probably have to face much stronger opponents.
This won't be one of them.
[comical music playing]
-It's Pepito. -[music fades]
For a newly independent young male,
Titan is the perfect role model to learn from.
[upbeat music playing]
At nearly 90 kilos,
Titan can use his weight to swing across gaps between trees, and so save energy.
That's worth a go, surely.
[upbeat music becomes lively]
The problem of being a lightweight.
[music becomes quiet and suspenseful]
But there are other ways to cross gaps.
[music becomes mysterious]
The question is, will this vine carry his weight?
Perhaps it's a bit risky.
It's a big drop to the swamp below.
Oh, what the hell.
[adventurous music playing]
He's not saved any energy,
but play is all part of the learning experience.
[music stops]
[calling]
Titan is advertising.
[Titan calling]
[upbeat music playing]
Time for Pepito to resume his shadowing of the big, flanged male.
[calling]
If he can disentangle himself from these branches.
[Titan continues calling]
Long calls are not just about power and territory.
Scientists have recently discovered they also communicate future travel plans.
Titan's call tells other orangutans in which direction he'll be traveling,
even into the next day.
[Titan continues calling]
[music becomes ominous]
Fair warning to any other flanged male in his path.
[animal grunting]
[music becomes quiet and dramatic]
It's not good news for Split Lip Otto.
Once the king of Suaq, what he now needs is a quiet retirement.
That could lie on the other side of the river,
but how's he to get there?
Orangutans are afraid of water.
[animal grunting]
A bridge used by the monkeys could be the answer.
But Otto is more than ten times heavier than a langur monkey.
And there could be crocodiles in the river below.
[music becomes moody]
Otto's self-imposed exile from Suaq marks the end of an era.
And without an established dominant male,
other younger males will rise from the ranks to claim the position.
So it won't be long before Titan will have to face another opponent.
[music fades out]
[upbeat music playing]
[animal calling]
Over the last few months,
Eden has settled down in her own patch of swamp forest,
not far from Ellie, her mother.
She's returned home several times,
but such visits are now less frequent.
And like all the neighborhood orangutans,
she's getting used to being by herself.
But she still wants to know what's going on when other residents appear,
particularly if they are family or friends.
It's Olala, a juvenile female.
She isn't family,
but here in Suaq, young unrelated females often tolerate each other.
[dramatic musical hit]
-But not this time. -[mischievous music playing]
Eden and Olala's families have had a long-running feud.
And there's no sign of it cooling.
Eden must try to drive Olala away.
[dramatic music playing]
[music becomes quiet and dramatic]
[gentle music playing]
Standing up to Olala and defending her territory
shows she's come a long way since leaving home.
She returns to her berries,
not yet aware of a new visitor.
[mysterious music playing]
It's Sulli, the unflanged.
[whimsical music playing]
He's come here to make friends with Eden.
Eden seems unsure.
She's never been alone with a male before.
Eden pauses, perhaps to assess the situation.
He seems friendly.
But what Eden doesn't know
is that Sulli's strategy is more calculated.
If he can develop a friendship with her now,
he might have more of a chance when she's old enough to breed.
[music stops]
[contemplative music playing]
Maybe that look was an encouraging sign.
Eden settles down with a stick full of termites.
And when Sulli catches up,
he shares her stick.
So far, everything Eden has learned has come from her mother, Ellie.
But watching Sulli is a chance to learn other ways of doing things,
expanding her knowledge of how to live in this forest.
And while motherhood is not yet on her mind…
perhaps this strange male is more interesting than she first thought.
[music fades out]
Not far away, Eden's mother, Ellie, is in a mango tree.
[heartfelt music playing]
Her baby is doing well.
The human observers have named him Emen.
Three months old, he still has a lot to learn about the world around him.
[whimsical music playing]
In Suaq, termites are a very familiar sight.
The shy, fluffy-backed tit-babbler, on the other hand…
[chirping]
…is more often heard than seen.
There are thousands of different species of animal in this forest.
And wherever the two orangs go,
there will be new things for Emen to wonder at.
[upbeat music continues]
[grunts]
Emen will eventually become familiar with most of these creatures…
and learn which are harmless,
and which are not.
[music becomes ominous]
Ellie needs to warn her son when animals are dangerous
so that Emen knows how to avoid them.
A bite from a pit viper could be fatal.
[music stops]
[gentle music playing]
Like Eden before him,
Emen will be closely guarded by Ellie for many years to come.
It's why infant survival is higher among orangutans than any other great ape.
It's time for Ellie to make a nest for the night.
She prepares a leafy mattress.
It will be years before Emen is able to build a nest for himself.
Exactly how to do that is something he'll learn from his mother.
Orangutans build new nests every night.
And they're the most complex made by any great ape.
The style varies from one individual to another.
Some even add leaf pillows.
[yawns]
[quiet snoring]
[music fades out]
-[contemplative music playing] -[animals chittering]
It's 6:00 a.m.
Wake-up time.
[insects buzzing]
For those having a lie-in, the morning alarm is about to go off.
[music stops]
[whooping sounds]
Siamang gibbons.
[rapid whooping]
Suaq's dawn chorus.
Their inflatable throat sacs amplify their calls.
[whooping continues]
And it's deafening, if, like Titan, you've been sleeping right underneath.
[lively music playing]
Other residents are already on the move.
There are over 30 different species of termite in Suaq.
These are processional termites.
They feed on leaves, lichen and bark, which they take back to their nest.
Their columns can be hundreds of meters long.
[car horns honking]
Termites play a vital role in recycling nutrients back into the forest…
[loud rumbling]
[faint screams]
…and are also themselves food for large, hairy apes
like Titan.
[whimsical music playing]
[music stops]
Pepito is still watching what goes on.
Anything he learns from Titan
will be useful if he eventually becomes a flanged male.
Titan, however, has more important matters on his mind,
such as ripe fruit.
And he knows where there is a tree full of it.
[adventurous music playing]
He takes the shortest route…
only stopping if he sees other delicacies on the way.
Titan was an adult when he first appeared in Suaq,
but over the last decade he's built up a mental map of the fruiting trees,
memorizing not only where they are, but when they will be ready to pick.
If he wants to add to his already impressive physique
and become king of the jungle,
he needs to eat, eat, eat.
As many as 8,000 calories a day.
[lively music playing]
[animals chittering]
[mischievous music playing]
Unable to keep up with Titan,
Pepito has homed in on Olala, the young female.
She is eating the fruits of a medang baru tree.
It's likely that Pepito has never been around her before.
So she's worth a closer look.
And she seems interested in him.
But whether this was the introduction she had in mind…
is hard to say.
At this distance, Pepito can really check out her feeding technique.
And maybe learn something new.
But Olala has had enough of being stared at.
For Pepito, learning from his peers is another part of his education,
and might even increase his survival prospects.
[music stops]
[upbeat music playing]
There's something else on Titan's mind.
And it doesn't appear to be Yulia.
As the leading male, he's a magnet for adult females like Yulia
who are looking for a relationship.
Oddly, she's finding it difficult to get him in the right mood.
Perhaps it will help prodding him in a delicate area.
[sniffing]
[grunts]
Time for a rethink.
A gift of a few leaves, perhaps?
Well, there's a limit on what you can do
to get someone's attention.
Or is there?
-[grunts] -[music stops]
Yulia finally gets the message.
[melancholic music playing]
Leaving the distracted Titan to his thoughts,
anxious, perhaps, about the possibility of a challenge
from a more powerful flanged male.
[thunder rumbling]
-[loud thunder rumbling] -[music stops]
Eden has found her own medang baru fruits.
[upbeat music playing]
By her side is Sulli, the unflanged.
His perseverance appears to have paid off.
To filter out the fruit's unpalatable bits,
Eden sieves the juice through her fur.
Surprisingly, Sulli uses Eden's fur for the same job.
But has he overstepped the mark with this apparently intimate action?
She puts a little distance between them.
Sulli follows.
He's nothing if not persistent.
Researchers at Suaq have always known Sulli to be a friendly, playful character…
but he's not reading the signs from Eden.
[shrieking]
What might be playfulness starts to look more threatening,
and Eden wants no more of it.
[thunder rumbling]
[music fades out]
Not even a sudden rainstorm can dampen Sulli's enthusiasm.
It's all too much for Eden.
[thunderclap]
And Sulli is left alone to ponder.
[introspective music playing]
[raindrops falling]
[distant thunder rumbling]
[music fades out]
[tense music playing]
[orangutan calling]
The long calls of mature males are as individual as fingerprints,
and this one isn't Titan's.
[calling continues]
It's another flanged male,
and one with fresh scars of battle.
[deep breathing]
This is Rakus.
Ten months ago, he was a subordinate male.
Since then, a huge surge of hormones
has caused him to nearly double his size and grow cheek pads.
[deep breathing]
-Rakus now wants the top spot. -[branches cracking]
but he hasn't yet seen off his current opponent.
It's Titan.
-[calling] -[dramatic music playing]
[calling continues]
Titan's title defense could be over.
[music ends]
And Rakus looks like being the new contender,
though it has come at a cost.
[tense music playing]
He has a badly cut hand…
[low groan]
…a broken middle finger…
and a torn face.
These wounds will heal in time,
but his severed thumb is a different matter.
Despite his injuries, Rakus must try and stay alert.
Titan could still return.
[bird chirping]
But he can't keep watch forever.
Exhaustion will take its toll.
[tense music continues]
[insects buzzing]
Passing overhead is Sulli, the unflanged.
Ten months ago, when Rakus was still unflanged, the two were friends.
[music becomes suspenseful]
Not anymore.
And males challenging for dominance
have a very short fuse.
[dramatic action music playing]
[grunts]
In his haste to give chase, Rakus makes an error of judgment.
-[branch cracks] -[loud thud]
-[animals chittering] -[music stops]
[tense music playing]
But he seems okay.
[moody music playing]
He's in desperate need of rest.
[calling]
But even now, Rakus finds the energy to send out
one more message to the neighborhood.
It's a warning to flanged males, and an invitation to adult females.
[animals chittering]
[music fades out]
[dramatic music playing]
Old Friska is the first to respond to Rakus's call.
[branch cracking]
[music becomes tense]
[calling]
The sound of her moving in the trees above sets him off again.
He doesn't yet realize it's Friska.
[continues calling]
[melancholy music playing]
The two have known each other for years…
though Friska may not have seen Rakus since he became a flanged male.
But wise old females like Friska
are very good at telling who the next dominant male will be.
So her visit is a vote of confidence for the new contender.
And if Friska is to breed again and have her seventh child,
it's likely to be with him.
[music fades out]
[contemplative music playing]
[animals chittering]
Friska's grandson, Emen, is one,
and ready for his next big milestone.
[music becomes playful]
For the first four years of its life,
a baby orang is carried by its mother wherever she goes through the forest.
But Emen has reached an age when he wants to explore the world away from Ellie.
[playful music continues]
And he gets an opportunity whenever she stops.
As now.
[chitters]
It's a long way down.
Best hang on tight.
But this playtime is over.
[squeaking]
Now the laws of physics come into play.
Ellie must apply just the right force to overcome the resistance.
Another opportunity?
Emen slips off again.
[playful music continues]
This may well be the furthest Emen has been away from his mother.
Three points of contact are usually recommended…
but which toddler doesn't push the boundaries?
[insects buzzing]
Emen's moment of freedom, however, is largely an illusion.
Like mothers the world over,
keeping an eye on baby is second nature to Ellie.
And when he is bored of going solo,
Mum's body makes an excellent playground.
[playful music fades out]
[soothing music playing]
Eden has returned home.
There are still important things for Eden to learn from Mother.
Watching Ellie and Emen together might be the best opportunity Eden has
to see mothering in action before she has her own baby.
So will her style be…
[Emen exclaims]
…tough love?
[comical music playing]
[soothing music resumes]
Or the more nurturing kind?
As with all orangs,
watching and learning will be key to Eden's success.
[upbeat music playing]
And if there's one thing that gets the attention of all adult orangs,
it's a tree hole.
Things live in them,
sometimes edible things.
So it's worth checking out every hole.
[insects buzzing]
And when something is buzzing around the opening,
such as stingless bees,
it's even better.
Because that means grubs or honey.
[upbeat music continues]
Small holes require stick tools to reach what's inside,
but not this one.
Mmm, finger-licking good.
And the best thing,
it's a honey meal with no stings attached.
Unfortunately for Eden, sharing isn't an option.
Eden must look for her own honey pot.
And she knows of one.
-[upbeat music continues] -[bees buzzing]
Like Ellie's, insects are buzzing around the entrance.
A good sign.
But these look bigger and more menacing.
It's time for a smash and grab.
[music becomes lively]
The thing about sticking your hand into a wasp's nest
is that you make them very angry.
The handful of grubs may not have been worth all the stings.
She'll know better next time.
[music becomes gentle and heartfelt]
Several months have passed since Rakus's fight with Titan.
His eye wound has healed nicely.
And he has established his status as the undisputed king of Suaq.
To remain on top, he must stay fit and strong.
High-protein termites will help.
Though working around rotten wood comes with risks.
[comical music playing]
[loud thud]
Ouch!
It's not a good start to Rakus's day,
but a sore head can feel better after a cool drink,
and in this forest, that's not difficult to find.
[upbeat music playing]
Pitcher plants.
[water trickling]
The forest's natural water pots.
Each contains a mixture of rainwater and partially digested insects.
Nice!
As the now dominant male, Rakus' life will never be the same again.
[contemplative music playing]
He will form relationships with neighborhood females
like Friska and Ellie.
But he will shun all other orangutans.
Yet, as the established king,
his very presence will stop unflanged males from developing flanges.
And this will extend his reign, which could last as long as ten years.
[music stops]
[heartfelt music playing]
Things have also moved on for Eden.
She is fashioning a stick tool…
to try and reach whatever is in this hole.
For the very first time, she's figured out how to use a tool
without her mother, Ellie, showing her how.
This one, however, hasn't produced the right result.
She needs a rethink.
She's really trying to solve the problem.
So could this vine do the trick?
[uplifting music playing]
The stick is longer,
but perhaps it's still not long enough.
It will be a few years before Eden is an accomplished tool user,
but this skill is a major milestone in her own journey.
A sure sign that she's ready for an independent life in the jungle.
There will be other challenges ahead for Eden,
but the biggest challenge for her and all the neighborhood orangs
will come from the world beyond their boundaries.
[music becomes heartfelt]
When old Friska was Eden's age, orangutans were found across Sumatra.
Not now.
In the last 20 years,
a staggering 80% of the world's orangutan jungles have gone.
So will Suaq's forest last long enough for Pepito to make a long call?
Or for Eden to raise her own family?
With their long education,
these slow-growing apes cannot cope with rapid changes to their habitat.
Today, only the narrow Limbang River
stands between Eden's home and relentless human development.
But as long as Suaq's forest remains protected,
the story of these remarkable relatives of ours will continue for generations yet.
That, surely, is not too much to hope for.
[music fades]
[mysterious music playing]
[orangutan calling]
[lively music playing]
[music ends]