Top 10 Best Orangutan Jungle School Videos 🤩 Smithsonian Channel

Orangutans learn from example, so their caregiver shows them how it's done. Mumut, a little male, catches on immediately, while Valentino has a more interpretive approach. Borneo's jungles flood every year in the rainy season, so being able to navigate over water is a crucial skill. Orangutans aren't built to swim as their dense bodies sink rather than float. But crossing a rope bridge is a walk in the park for these arboreal apes. Even Kesi with her missing hand isn't fazed by the obstacle course. She's become much braver since her arrival to Bangamat Island, but she still prefers eating alone. She can't sit in her usual spot under the platform here, so she improvises. As she munches away on her favourite turnips, something catches her attention. She moves in for a closer look. There are no ropes to get her there. At first she walks on submerged trees to keep her head above water, but then she actually swims. This is very unusual. Drowning is a major cause of orangutan deaths, but orangutans who grow up in rehab appear to be more curious than those in the wild. Kesi's motivation for this risky choice is, of course, food. What she spied were termites. On the Rangan River, the release team heads toward the quieter side of Bangamat Island, where females Kesi, Ayu, and Ruti hang out. Thai circus girl Saab is first up for release. The team's arrival puts Kesi on edge. She joins Ayu in the safety of the trees. Saab doesn't wait around, though. Despite the loving care she's received at Nyaru Menteng, nothing beats climbing a tree for the first time. Jerry's getting impatient. He is not a fan of the cage. He's not finished yet. Lent is still trapped in his cage. The team has to stop this. Nisi flanks the angry male. The distraction buys enough time to release poor Valente. And then, as suddenly as it began, the storm is over. The teknisi offer Jerry a sweet peace treaty. It's time to leave. And Jerry takes one more charge at the team to send them on their way. It looks like there's a new boss on this corner of Bangamat Island. At the water park, everyone wants to have fun, including Beni. When the lunch bell rings and bananas are on offer, Beni comes in like a wrecking ball. But the babysitters are still under strict instructions not to let Beni have any bananas. Everyone gets a treat, except Beni. Resorting to banana peel is pretty low. Lanting remembers his fruit kebab lessons, but it seems he's got the wrong end of the stick. Beni's desperate for fruit. He begs Penti, borrows from the basket, and steals from Reren. Bad move. Poor Beni. Deep in remote jungle, an unusual day is about to unfold for the pupils of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation's Jungle School. Orphans are assigned to different groups here according to their skill levels, and each group has its own forest classroom. But every so often, there's a mix-it-up day, where the youngsters get to visit someone else's classroom and explore different areas of the forest. It's also an excellent opportunity for them to broaden the socialization, which is such an important aspect of the curriculum here. Today is extra exciting for Valentino and his classmates in Forest School 2. They're visiting Group 3, whose classroom has turned into a water park. It's early in Borneo's rainy season now, and overnight, rain has flooded the stream. In the wild, torrential rain can submerge the jungle into a lake within hours. Orangutans generally don't swim, but the students have to learn how to forage during a flood. Yutris is one of the first to explore the delights of what you can do with water. Svenja, one of the Group 3 kids, has figured out how to blow bubbles. Beni copies, watched closely by Shiro. Lala has another game for her bubbles. Valentino appears a little out of his comfort zone, not really wanting to get his feet wet. But Yutris is in his element. At the new baby house, where the youngest orphans now live, everyone seems enthusiastic about the different morning routine. But once the doors open, the bravado vanishes, and many of the nursery babies cling to each other for comfort, as they're still getting used to their new home. This morning, Jelapat's missing his usual hug buddy, Telekan, so he's brought his security blanket along. Everyone rides the wheelbarrow buses for another day in the forest. Two miles away, at the main Nyari Menteng compound, the older classes are already filing into the forest for the day's lessons. Hanin holds up her classmates for a bathroom break, orangutan style. Chinta deals with the roadblock with her signature move. The Group 2 students pile onto their platform, as babysitter Letta constructs one of the famous fruit kebabs the team uses to encourage the students to forage in the trees. Class clown Valentino has a love-hate relationship with this lesson. Over the past few months, trying to grab moving fruit has frustrated him enormously. He makes a token effort today. But Valentino has no patience for this, and so he goes straight to the source. Over at Jungle School, Forest Groups 2 and 3 are taking class together. Today's challenge is to master the two-stage process of opening a coconut. First, husking, then nut-cracking to access the sweet milk and the meat. Four-year-old Yoko is a Group 3 student, and he's got this down. His secret is to grip with hands and feet. Yoko's skill attracts a spectator. Benny loves coconuts as much as bananas, but he usually relies on his babysitter to open them. Benny reverts back to an old habit. He's not really a bully, just a very hungry food thief. Nine-year-old Rinto turns up from Group 5 to police this coconut conflict. Rinto decides Benny should have no coconut at all. Nope, not getting this one either. Poor Benny. All he's left with is a pile of sodden greens. It's not fair. Yoko's still got a coconut. With a surprising burst of energy, Benny goes after him again. The commotion attracts the attention of another older female, Reren, who comes in with the heavy artillery. She wastes no time in punishing Benny. Things are getting out of hand. The delivery of more coconuts ends the brawl. Benny's left with just an empty husk and his low social status. He's not impressed. At Forest Group 3, the daily snack basket is at the center of all the action, but one student hangs back on the fringes. It's five-year-old female, Luti. Luti was kept as an illegal pet for more than two years, longer than any other orphan at jungle school. She's been in forest school for almost a year, but is taking a long time to adapt to the crowded chaos of class. Her babysitters make sure she's not left out, but Luti's an easy target for some of her hungry classmates. Jumbo steals her soybean snack. She gets a banana instead, but Jati pounces. Luti has developed a bad habit to cope with this bullying. Every day, while the babysitters are distracted, she takes off. Every day when she escapes class, she heads for the playground. She gets all the toys to herself. There are even new orange barrels to explore, but there's a catch. Official recess is still a few hours away, so the usual hidden snacks are all missing. That's okay. Luti's got another plan. It looks like the coast is clear. She knows there's always fruit under the long-term holding enclosures. But the real treasure is up above. Inside are older orangutans who are waiting for space on the pre-release islands, but they're used to Luti turning up every day. Now, what have they got here? That's the ticket. She's got an all-you-can-eat buffet and freedom from pushy classmates. It doesn't get much better than this. At the group one classroom, the babysitters have a plan for the flooded pool to teach a new lesson in food gathering. Vegetables on stilts are a genius take on the famous fruit kebab, designed to encourage students to master pond foraging in the wet season. Malika gets it. Extra support from Leta gives Malika the confidence to try this new step towards her wild future. Now it's Timpa's turn for a lesson. She's always been a little water baby. Leta shows Timpa how to scoop water. She watches intently, but she can't quite grasp. How does one hold water? Just as she's had enough. She has a breakthrough. Figuring out how to use a tool to hold water is a simple but useful concept that both humans and primates need to learn. Leta is very proud of her little student. These two share a true bond, and Timpa isn't shy about her affections. It's the last lesson at forest school for the day, and some older students have come to visit their friends in group two. Valentino, Utris, and Madara join their older idol, Chinta, on an adventure through the ferns. And there's a surprise waiting for them. There's something not right. Penti reassures the youngsters, but Chinta has a suspicion as to what this might be. Bravely, she takes the lead. Four-year-old Otan arrives late to the fear fest, and he thinks this sack looks good. Just in time, Technisi, Muliono, comes to the rescue and beats his special rubber teaching aid to death. Group two kids have never had snake awareness class before, and today they responded perfectly. In primates, recognition of snakes is instinctive, but fear of snakes is learned, which is why Muliono tours this lesson around the forest school groups. It's a lesson they won't forget. First lesson of the day is buayo, or fruit time. Orangutans naturally spend up to six hours a day foraging for food, so breakfast doubles as a perfect learning opportunity. This morning's lesson is in coconut cracking. Orangutans learn from example, so their caregiver shows them how it's done. Mumut, a little male, catches on immediately. While Valentino has a more interpretive approach. With his distinctive pale belly stripe, Valentino is the class clown of forest school group one. What he lacks in technique, he makes up for in exuberance. But when the puzzle proves too hard to crack, Valentino does exactly what he would do if he was in the wild. Asks mum for help. Valentino was found alone in a forest as a baby after his mum was killed. Babysitter Letta is currently his foster mother, and she knows Valentino must learn to do this on his own if he's to ever graduate from jungle school. Nearby, the students of forest group two are incrementally more skillful. It's not so much age that divides groups one and two, but ability. Little Meryl has learned how to husk her coconut so she can enjoy the sweet milk. But not for long. Opportunistic Valentino moves in to share. He may not be the best at coconut cracking, but learning how to reap the rewards of others' hard work could be an excellent survival skill. Three-year-old Benny has a more laid-back approach. He's exercising his jaws as his powerful teeth scrape the coconut shell. But there's not a lot of other energy being exerted. He doesn't even flinch as Meryl helps herself to his leftovers. Little does Benny know that his expanding girth hasn't gone unnoticed, and he's about to be put on a diet.