Original subtitles

NARRATOR: In Sumatra,

orangutans are losing their last wild home to logging

and palm oil farms.

MAN: I always refer to them as refugees.

NARRATOR: Often, these orangutans

have also lost their mothers

and are too young to make it on their own.

MAN: They're really slow growers, just like humans.

NARRATOR: Some lucky babies get rescued.

It's really hard to believe

what this little creature has been through

at the hands of humans.

And they go to school to learn how to survive.

Yes, you are doing so well!

What a good tree climber.

But how do these special jungle schools know what to teach?

We watch a family of wild orangutans to find out

how they live in the treetops.

Wow, look at that!

It is like a giant bird nest.

And their remarkable ways of finding food.

WOMAN: They produce a tool

and then use it to get the seeds out of the fruit.

NARRATOR: But can these refugees learn to survive

in the last orangutan Eden?

NARRATOR: I imagine when we first encountered the red ape,

we may have mistaken them for an unusual tribe

of tree dwelling people.

We even named them "Orang Utan,"

meaning, "people of the forest."

They were mysterious, yet so familiar.

They once roamed right across the islands of Sumatra and Java.

But today, fewer than 7,000 Sumatran orangutans

remain in the wild.

They've become the unwitting poster child

for the tropics' most endangered animals.

In a corner of northern Sumatra a pocket of wilderness

three times the size of Yellowstone has become

a battleground for both scientists and conservationists.

Around 85% of Sumatra's orangutans are found here,

in the Leuser Ecosystem.

It harbors the most sophisticated

orangutan culture on Earth,

and it's the last stronghold

for the remaining wild Sumatran orangutans.

My name is Chris Morgan.

I've come to the island of Sumatra

to better understand what's at stake

for Asia's only great ape.

So, we're here. We are over it now.

With me is renowned conservationist,

Dr. Ian Singleton.

He's taking me over

a portion of the Leuser Ecosystem

that's now at risk.

SINGLETON: Leuser is the last hope for

Sumatran elephant, Sumatran rhino, Sumatran tiger,

and the Sumatran orangutan.

Only here do you find the populations of these species

still in viable numbers --

hundreds, if not a few thousand,

compared to tens and dozens elsewhere on the island.

MORGAN: Stretching out below me is an ocean of green --

but a lifeless one.

The original forest was logged and burned

to make way for vast oil palm plantations.

Palm oil is found in half of all household products,

from perfume to peanut butter,

and it's the leading ingredient in biofuel.

Indonesia now ranks among the world's top

greenhouse gas emitters due to rapid deforestation.

The clearing of land for the production of palm oil

is the single greatest threat facing wild orangutans.

SINGLETON: When plantations go in,

they convert primary forest to palm oil.

During that conversion process they end up with barren land

and nothing survives that process.

It's hard to find a spider or a lizard, you know?

MORGAN: This quarantine center is the temporary home

to around 48 orangutans.

They've either been rescued from logged land

or confiscated from the pet trade.

Many have lost their mothers,

and all of them have lost their homes.

More than half the orangutans at quarantine

are under five years old.

In the wild they would still be nursing.

With such long childhoods,

the staff must act as their surrogate mothers.

SINGLETON: People always say that one of the biggest threats

to orangutans is the pet trade, but it's not --

the pet trade is simply a byproduct

of the large-scale destruction of orangutan habitat --

the killing of many, many orangutans in that process.

And the orangutans that end up in the pet trade

are actually the lucky ones.

They're the lucky survivors of that process.

And I always refer to them as refugees,

because the definition of a refugee

is somebody whose homeland is no longer available to them.

And that certainly represents

the case for orangutans.

MORGAN: But they don't survive long as pets --

most people are ill-equipped

to look after a baby orangutan,

and their only chance of survival

is to be rescued by centers like Ian's.

Surgical masks are worn

to prevent the spread of any human illness to the orangutans.

How old are these guys?

SINGLETON: Three, getting on four -- still quite young.

They're really slow growers, just like humans.

MORGAN: These youngsters still have a lot to learn...

And every day they go to school --

climbing school.

SINGLETON: You can see that they're actually more closely

attached to each other than they are to Henry.

And that's the way we want it.

MORGAN: Hello, hello!

Amazing to see.

So, I guess the physical interaction...

I know I'm not supposed to be touching them,

which is the most difficult thing

I think I've ever been through.

You try very hard to separate them from humans and...

SINGLETON: These guys used to be with their mothers,

and their mother was killed right in front of them.

They've already gone through this trauma

of being separated from their mother figure once,

and the last thing we want to do

is get them into that situation

where they have to go through it again.

MORGAN: Ian's goal is to get these orphans

to bond with each other, making their release

back into the forest as smooth as possible.

These guys are so obviously

very connected, aren't they?

They know each other well, they're very comfortable.

It's exactly what you're looking for, I suppose.

SINGLETON: They're all individuals,

and they're all completely different

in terms of personality, but also experience.

MORGAN: For an animal that spends its entire life

in the canopy,

developing their motor skills at an early age is vital.

And every day their confidence grows.

Little by little,

they're figuring out what it takes to be

a wild orangutan again.

It may be at least

another year and a half before they are ready

to begin the reintroduction process.

But there are no steadfast rules --

every youngster learns at their own pace.

Ian introduces me to their most recent graduate, Udin.

He's been at quarantine for the past three years,

but soon he'll be released back into the wild.

SINGLETON: When we found him,

he was only recently captured and he --

his mother had been clubbed or beaten

with logs or a machete or something.

But his skull was fractured.

If we hadn't confiscated him,

he would've almost certainly died,

you know, where he was.

MORGAN: Right, and how do you feel like he's going to do?

Is he a good candidate?

I think he is.

I mean, he's -- he's been with

other orangutans a lot,

but he's not seeking interaction too much.

I think he'll do very well.

And to look at him, he's gonna be a very handsome male.

He's gonna be the pick.

MORGAN: Udin's time in quarantine is almost over.

But for some new arrivals,

the road to recovery will be a long one...

And I soon find myself eye to eye

with two of the cutest orangutans I've ever seen.

It's really hard to believe

what this little creature has been through

at the hands of humans.

[Sighs] He was confiscated just this week and brought here

just a few days ago -- five or six days ago.

You can see he's hiding under this towel.

He's not very social and doesn't trust humans,

and understandably.

They found him in a plastic bag,

tied up in a plastic bag in somebody's back yard.

And he's totally dehydrated and malnourished.

While he was in captivity

he's been attacked by a dog,

so he's got scars around his neck

and on his shoulder blade there.

The trauma is unbelievable.

In fact, you know what's more surprising, though,

is that he trusts people at all.

He doesn't -- He must be hungry.

-WOMAN: Yeah. -MORGAN: He must be hungry,

but he doesn't trust people with food.

He's three years old, which is hard to believe

because his friend here that he's been socializing with,

is six months old, and they're the same size.

But sadly, his story is a common one.

SINGLETON: There's no way a mother orangutan will allow you

to take its baby without defending it to the death.

And so you essentially have to club this animal unconscious

or just beat it to death

in order to take that baby away.

It's those babies -- those very babies --

that end up being taken home, kept alive,

in the hope that they might be able to sell it somewhere.

MORGAN: The three year old is still far too weak to climb,

but for his little buddy,

climbing lessons have already begun.

Yes! You are doing so well.

What a good tree climber.

I have to say, when you are looking at them

it is like looking into the eyes of a human being.

There's so much going on back there.

You can see the intelligence in their eyes.

This one's six months old...

and as she's climbing through the trees

she's taking in this massive information all the time

and you really sense that she's retaining it

and is going to be able to use it.

And it makes you wonder whether they can learn enough

during the process of rehabilitation

to make it as a wild orangutan

on their own.

It's difficult to imagine what these orphans have lost.

What is home like for a young orangutan in the wild?

Where do they sleep at night? What do they eat?

To find out, I'm heading to

a remote jungle in the heart of the Leuser Ecosystem,

a place known as Suaq Balimbing,

home to the densest population of orangutans on Earth.

[Thunder crashing]

It's well before dawn.

We're getting an early start in the hopes of setting up camp

deeper in the swamp.

Researcher Caroline Schuppli is my guide on this expedition.

She's been studying the orangutans of Suaq

for the past four years.

It's a bit eerie.

Our journey into the forest starts with crossing the river

in the pitch darkness.

It's still hot even though it's night.

So, we get across the river and start hiking down the trail.

There is something really unnerving about

being in the forest --

being in a forest that you don't know

in the night.

And every little sound, and every little leaf drop

could be an animal.

It feels as if we've been

walking in the dark for hours,

and as dawn arrives, I'm relieved to finally see

what's around me.

Much of Suaq's wildlife remains hidden from view.

Yet you have the uncanny feeling you're being watched.

Thomas Leaf monkeys peer down at us

as we slog our way through the swamp.

In the distance, the mating calls

of an argus pheasant can be heard.

And somewhere in the forest,

sun bears seek out ripe fruit high up in the canopy.

There are many more creatures

that simply don't want to be seen.

Count yourself among the lucky few

if you catch a glimpse of a tiger.

But make no mistake, they are here --

perhaps even watching us as we pass by.

Many of Sumatra's most charismatic animals

are threatened with extinction,

including the Sumatran elephant, rhino, and tiger.

Even the seemingly common Thomas leaf monkey are found only here,

in northern Sumatra.

And like the orangutan,

they, too, are threatened with extinction.

As the day wears on, it's easy to understand

why so much of the life here prefers the trees.

The swamp is a nasty place to be.

Every step you take has to be carefully planned,

or you might --

Wow!

...get sucked into the mud.

SCHUPPLI: Do you need a hand?

MORGAN: I'll just end up pulling you in.

Oh, wow.

They call this place orangutan heaven and human hell.

Actually, as soon as I arrived on my first day,

one of the helpers walking out back to the village

just shook my hand and quietly said, "Welcome to hell."

It is miserable.

SCHUPPLI: The forest is not an easy forest.

You fall, you get hurt, you get stung,

you get stabbed by thorns.

But it's still --

what you see is so rewarding that, at the end of the day,

you don't think about how hard it is.

MORGAN: We set camp

on one of the few dry patches of earth in the swamp,

and settle in for the evening.

Long before I wake up,

the peat swamp is already bustling

with morning commuters --

thousands of critters starting their day.

For Caroline, this is just another day at the office.

Every morning she goes out in search of her orangutans.

And for the past four years

she's been following about 30 different individuals.

SCHUPPLI: When we are searching for orangutans,

every couple of hundred meters we wait, listen.

That's interesting, you wait and listen,

you don't wait and watch.

It's easier to hear them?

It's so much easier to hear them.

It's this -- [Whooshing]

And it's different from other monkeys,

because other monkeys leap and orangutans don't.

MORGAN: ToI'm hoping

to get a chance meet one of Caroline's orangutans.

And then suddenly, through the thick vegetation,

I hear that whooshing sound Caroline described.

It's an orangutan!

Do you know them?

SCHUPPLI: It looks like Friska.

Do you see the baby?

That's Friska's two year old son --

that's Frankie.

He's a very curious boy.

MORGAN: I was only expecting one orangutan,

but it looks like we've stumbled across an entire family.

And it's not just Friska's two year old infant,

but her adolescent son, Freddy.

SCHUPPLI: And Freddy actually spends

a lot of time still with Friska

and his little brother.

And, interestingly, the mom, Friska,

doesn't mind Freddy to hang around.

In fact she often takes care of both of them.

So, Freddy is allowed to sleep in her nest

and she still bridges --

so, helps him to travel between trees.

MORGAN: It was the most surprising thing,

seeing my first wild orangutan --

the way they moved through the canopy.

There was nothing awkward or clumsy about it

like the orangutans back at quarantine.

They've got so many characteristics

similar to gorillas, you know --

they've got that kind of hunched shoulders

and that swagger about them.

But then they have things in common with chimpanzees,

and they can get around in the treetops,

which gorillas can't.

And they do it very, very gracefully.

Remember this is an animal

that weighs as much as your average human being.

For an animal that size, their agility

is very, very impressive.

She poured through the treetops effortlessly.

Orangutans are as dependent on the trees

as we are on the earth beneath our feet.

It's where they sleep, how they get around,

and it's their main source of food.

And trees provide something else, too...

Safety.

Avoiding predators may be why orangutans

took to the trees in the first place.

Unlike other great apes,

orangutans don't live in strict social groups.

And the responsibility for raising young

falls solely on mum.

With an adolescent son and two year old infant,

Friska has her hands full --

especially at the age of 65.

Although we don't really know

how long orangutans live in the wild,

our best guess is somewhere between 50 and 60 years.

And there's a surprising amount we don't know

about wild orangutans,

which is why Caroline meticulously documents

everything they do.

And she's particularly interested in how

young orangutans learn.

SCHUPPLI: Frankie is now trying to follow her.

She's waiting...

waiting...

and now he can catch up.

For a young orangutan,

the road to independence is a long one.

SCHUPPLI: The orangutan mother-infant bond

is one of the most intense and intimate bonds

I've ever seen in any animal.

They feed together, they sleep in the same nest,

they are almost constantly in body contact.

MORGAN: A female orangutan will have a single offspring

once every eight to nine years.

It's the longest birth interval of any mammal.

And their entire world seems to revolve around their babies --

they nurse them,

let them take food from their mouth,

and help them travel through the canopy.

A young orangutan won't be ready to venture out on its own

until about nine years of age.

And even after that they pay regular visits to mum

until about the age of 11 or 12.

It's the longest childhood of any ape,

aside from us.

And this extended childhood gives them time

to learn everything they need to know to make it on their own.

And a young orangutan

has a lot to learn.

Termites are one of the few sources of protein

in an orangutan's mostly vegan diet,

so learning how to get at them is a high priority.

But once this youngster gets a hold of her own nest

she's got a new problem on her hands.

How did mum do this? What's the trick here?

Of course,

there's a technique to everything.

First, you break it in half.

And then bang the nest into the palm of your hands.

After watching mum a few times,

the youngster quickly figures it out.

Ah, sweet success!

Orangutans use their body weight to swing through the canopy,

but for the youngsters this is a bit of a challenge.

They simply aren't heavy enough.

Fortunately mum is always close by to help out,

using her body to form bridges between trees.

The majority of an orangutan's diet is fruit,

so knowing where

and when to find it is pretty important.

And eating fruit is not as simple as it looks --

orangutans use their lips and teeth

to peel the skin off some fruit,

while extracting only the seeds from another.

So, infants have to pay particularly close attention

to everything mum does.

And learning all this takes time --

in fact, it can take up to 12 years

before an orangutan knows how to find and process food

just like mum.

Because orangutans spend most of their time in the canopy,

sleeping and resting comfortably

in the trees means building a nest.

Sumatran Orangutans usually make a couple of nests a day,

one for taking a siesta in the midday heat,

and the other for sleeping through the night.

And it takes a lot of practice to build a nest.

SCHUPPLI: We often see young orangutans investigating

old nests, and also taking them apart,

and we think that's one way to learn to build a good nest.

Sort of like a reverse engineering.

MORGAN: And being a good engineer is essential,

especially when your bed sits 50 feet above the forest floor

and you weigh nearly 200 pounds.

I wanted to get a closer look for myself,

so I've decided to investigate one of Friska's old nests.

Oh, look at that!

It is like a giant bird nest.

Here goes -- let's hope it holds my weight.

[Laughing] Yes!

Yes!

It worked!

It's not like a bird's nest

where they, you know, collect branches and twigs

and place them into the nest.

The orangutan has actually snapped them back --

can you see that right there?

Broken the branch, pulled it,

and created a framework that everything else sits on top of.

So, it actually feels quite secure.

They create these nests

in places where they are high but not --

[Animal calling]

I can hear a long call over there.

It's amazing, I'm sitting in an orangutan nest

and I can hear an orangutan.

The orangutans that make that noise are the big males

with these flanges that help them direct the sound --

that's one theory, anyway.

But they also have an inflatable throat

that helps them really project that sound.

Shall I reply?

"Ooh" -- oh, I don't know if I can do it...

[Imitating call]

It's all gone suspiciously quiet!

What are the chances of that?

Sitting in an orangutan nest

and hearing one call while we're up here.

That really just tells you something

about the density of the orangutans in this forest.

And because there are

so many orangutans here,

these normally solitary apes have learned to be social.

And all this social interaction not only changes the way

young orangutans learn, but has given rise to a unique culture.

SCHUPPLI: So, what we know from orangutans in general

is that the infant learns everything it has to learn

from its mother.

And what happens in Suaq is that the infant has not just

the opportunity to learn from mum,

but also from other individuals.

MORGAN: And that's what's different here,

that there are so many packed in this area

that the infants have an opportunity

to watch and learn from others.

So, we call it vertical versus horizontal transmission.

So, vertical if they learn from their mothers,

and horizontal if they learn from other individuals.

MORGAN: So, it makes these guys perhaps extra smart,

or extra fast learners?

SCHUPPLI: That's exactly what I'm looking at.

Because we are thinking that it is

the opportunities for social learning

that determine how smart you will be as an adult.

MORGAN: If the orangutans of Suaq really are that clever,

what exactly are they doing with all those smarts?

One clue lies inside this odd football shaped fruit.

It's called Neesia, and when it's ripe,

orangutans will travel from all over Suaq just to get it.

Inside the fruit's

tough outer shell are a cluster ofatty seeds

surrounded by thousands of tiny, sharp, fiberglass-like hairs.

It's not painful,

but apparently when this gets under the skin

it can be a total nightmare -- it turns into a rash

and makes you swell up -- I'll have to take some tweezers

to get those out -- oh, I'm covered in them!

I'd make a lousy orangutan.

But the orangutans of Suaq

have worked out an ingenious solution

to avoid getting stabbed by the sharp hairs.

There he is! Can you see that?

The vegetation is thick,

and it's difficult to get a clear view.

But we can see a large male orangutan,

and he's holding a stick between his teeth.

Shaved clean of bark, he's fashioned it into a tool.

He picks a Neesia fruit

and begins to jab the stick into the fruit,

loosening the seeds inside.

You can see him working the seeds loose with the stick.

Then he tilts the fruit,

dumping the seeds into his mouth.

SCHUPPLI: They break apart twigs, produce a tool,

they might peel the stick,

might chew the end of the stick

to make it look like a little brush,

and then use it to get the seeds out of the fruit.

MORGAN: The orangutans of Suaq

are frequent tool users,

and they use stick tools to solve a variety of problems.

Getting at tasty insects in a tree hole can be a challenge,

especially if your fingers aren't quite long enough.

And it's no doubt frustrating.

But because he's watched others

use tools to solve similar problems in the past,

he can now draw upon this knowledge

to resolve his own dilemma

by producing a stick tool that's just right for the job.

And it's not something he needed to figure out on his own.

And this knowledge

is not just passed from one individual to another,

but from one generation to the next.

Do you feel like she's looking over that way?

Yeah, all the time.

MORGAN: We spot Friska's son Freddy in a nearby tree.

And it looks like he's got a tool in his mouth.

It's clear he's been watching others,

and he's determined to master the skill.

But he hasn't quite got the hang of it yet.

And Freddy's little brother Frankie is watching

everything he does.

Although, if you want to learn tool use,

Freddy might not be the best example.

This vast repository of knowledge

is all part of Suaq's orangutan culture...

A culture that may have taken thousands of years to evolve.

But the orangutans of Suaq

may be the last of their kind.

Even as I sit and talk with Caroline,

the forest around us is under siege.

SCHUPPLI: Suaq is within a national park,

but there is illegal logging going on.

Yeah, it's just a very complicated issue

because people that cut down trees

come from the same village as, for example,

the people that work for our orangutans here.

So, it's all interconnected,

and there are family ties maybe, even.

So, it's so complicated, so complex.

MORGAN: If we lose the orangutans of Suaq,

we would not only loose a significant population,

but an entire culture.

My experience in Suaq has shown me that

orangutans are far more curious and innovative

than I had ever imagined.

If the orphans at quarantine

are as smart as their cousins in Suaq,

then it's likely they can learn new things with ease,

not only from the keepers here, but from each other.

And a lot comes down to the individual.

SINGLETON: They're all fairly smart,

but a few of 'em just seem to be more focused on

solving problems.

I think like people -- you get people who are tinkerers.

And I think some of these orangutans

are a bit like geeks as well.

You know, they really like to

figure out problems and solve them.

Mukhlis has been Udin's surrogate mother from the start,

and Like a proud parent

he often refers to Udin as a genius.

Early on Mukhlis began to introduce Udin

to foods commonly found in the forest,

and could see right away that Udin was a quick study.

And the other orangutans picked up on this as well,

and watched Udin closely.

But Mukhlis' days as Udin's caretaker will soon be over.

Today Udin will be moved to a protected forest,

and if all goes well,

released back into the wild.

It's the last journey

these two will take together.

Udin is headed to the Jantho Nature Reserve

at the very northern tip of Sumatra.

It's a grueling 12 hour drive to the reserve

on twisting coastal roads

that take us along the edge of the Leuser Ecosystem.

As we approach Jantho the flat coastal plains turn mountainous

and the road gets much tougher.

The last portion of the journey

is the toughest.

The road into Jantho

is regularly washed away by monsoon rains.

And this dirt track is all that remains.

This is the worst section of road,

so if we can just get past this we'll be okay.

But that's easier said than done.

Just look at it --

it's unbelievable what these vehicles can get through.

But -- oh! Crunch!

This vehicle was trying to tow this other one out right now.

You can see it's just like a thick, syrupy clay

that's just lethal.

No one in their right mind would go down this road --

and that's the point.

It's Jantho's inaccessibility

that makes it the perfect place for orangutans

to thrive.

And not just orangutans...

These tiger tracks are so fresh

water is still pooling in the prints.

Jantho is only 64 square miles,

but it's directly connected to the Leuser Ecosystem.

Unlike Suaq, this is a mountainous region

with rolling hills and lush meadows.

SINGLETON: Before we started here,

there was no wild orangutan population here,

none at all.

There are no orangutans for about

150 kilometers south of here,

until you get to the Leuser Ecosystem.

MORGAN: The very last obstacle is the river.

Just on the other side lies an orangutan Eden.

Orangutans don't swim, so the river forms

a natural boundary between the human camp and the orangutans.

It's been a long road for Udin.

He's lost his forest home

along with everyone he's ever known.

But he is one of the lucky ones...

a refugee that has been given a second chance in a new home.

Many of the other orangutans

have come to check out the new arrival.

SINGLETON: When they travel up to a place like Jantho,

they're traveling with their buddies.

And when they're released into the forests,

they can see orangutans that were previously released,

who they already know from the quarantine.

So, old mates.

MORGAN: Udin will have a chance

to sample the local fruits and insects,

and get to know his neighbors.

By the time Udin is released,

he will already be familiar with the place.

But the jungle can be a pretty tough place to make a living,

and I sure hope Udin can survive it.

Will he know how to make an umbrella out of leaves

Orangutans are tolerant of each other,

How much does he really know about being a wild orangutan?

The Jantho Nature Reserve

is now home to about 54 orangutans,

and all of them were once orphans,

like Udin.

But If all goes well today,

Udin will become a member of this new community.

Orangutans are tolerant of each other,

and not territorial like some primates --

and all of this makes them good candidates

for release and reintroduction.

SINGLETON: And as long as they can keep themselves alive

for long enough, as long as they can maintain adequate nutrition

for a few years, they will develop

a map of the area that they're released in

and have a really good chance at survival.

You know, we were talking about some orangutans

just seem to have that little bit extra?

And Udin is one of those guys.

We've seen him using tools,

and he's always looking at ways to get the padlocks

and get out of different things.

The others probably recognize that fact

and see him as the smart guy.

MORGAN: It's going to stand him in good stead

once he's out in the forest.

SINGLETON: Yeah, yeah, it will do -- should do.

MORGAN: That adventurous spirit.

SINGLETON: I hope so, yeah.

MORGAN: I suppose you never can tell until they are out there

doing what they're supposed to be doing.

Oh, wow! He knew how to open that!

Look at that!

Oh, look, look, look.

[Morgan laughing]

He's not feeling sociable.

Aww! Priceless!

He's looking over his shoulder

and kind of not knowing exactly what he can get away with,

but then straight back into Mukhlis' arms.

Love it -- what a scene!

SINGLETON: Yeah, let's go and take him in -- hello, mate!

MORGAN: Mukhlis cradles Udin in his arms

as he takes him into the forest.

He's seen Udin grow from an awkward youngster

to confident adolescent.

Every parent eventually faces this moment --

the inevitability of growing up,

when you send your child out into the world

hoping you've given them the tools to survive it.

But we're not alone...

It looks like one of Udin's good mates has come to see him off.

Yusniar was released weeks earlier.

They spent time together in quarantine

and became fast friends.

It's comforting to know Udin is not alone.

Mukhlis is looking for just the right tree

for Udin's release,

so he can begin foraging right away.

SINGLETON: I see a lot of flowers.

MORGAN: There he goes.

SINGLETON: Oh, look at that, straight up,

like he never left.

MORGAN: Oh, my goodness!

I can't believe how quickly he's gotten up there!

If there was ever an example

of an animal being given a second chance in life,

then this is it right here.

Absolutely incredible to watch.

You know, when he -- he was like this all the way!

He was like this, and I thought he's never gonna let go.

And then he saw the tree,

and you gave him some encouragement,

and, phew, he was gone.

[Cameraman gasps] Whoa! Okay, yep.

-MORGAN: You okay, Joe? -Nope, okay.

Think it's all right.

MORGAN: I think he's looking for his mate.

Oh! Oh, my goodness, that is priceless!

Little by little he is shedding the shell of captivity

and soaking up the forest around him.

It looks like Udin has spotted his good friend Yusniar,

and he's heading up to join her.

SINGLETON: But once they get out into the forest here

and you see 'em up in the trees and most of 'em seem to have

figured it out very quickly,

and they're behaving just like wild orangutans do.

To see that

they've gone from

an animal with no future,

to an orangutan who possibly has a future

as good as a wild orangutan,

50 years in the wild...

And these guys will become the founding fathers.

You know, the first guys who settled here.

If they could write and take notes, you know,

they would look back at these guys as the Pilgrim fathers,

you know, the ones who --

"Oh, yeah, I'm related to Udin!

You know, he was my great-great- great-great grandfather."

You know? These are real -- real celebrities, these guys.

MORGAN: It's magic to see this.

It's hard to believe that

just a few minutes ago he was in the cage down below,

and now he's swinging around in the treetops

like an orangutan should,

and it was such a short leap from the arms of Mukhlis

to that tree two feet away,

but a profound step to freedom

and a whole 'nother world.

Exactly where these guys should be...

Reunited again,

but this time in the freedom of the forest.

Witnessing the birth

of a new orangutan population

gives me hope for the future of the species.

I've come to see that orangutans are far more than

simple foragers --

they're intelligent, innovative,

and capable of developing a rich culture.

But if the pilgrims of this new land are to thrive,

they will need our help.

Their forest home will need to be protected --

not just today, but for generations to come.

To learn more about what you've seen on this "Nature" program,

visit pbs.org.