Back to School for Orangutans Orangutan Jungle School 301

It's the first day of term at a remarkable school for orphaned orangutans. Everyone's ready to get to class. Well, almost everyone. Bumi is already in trouble with his teachers. He's late to class. And is playing up instead of learning. He's even trying to convince his classmates to skip lessons. He's quite an attention seeker, that's the main problem. This term will be make or break for young Bumi. Like all the orphans here, he needs to learn and practice vital forest survival skills. But he also needs to be agile, develop self-reliance and make good friends. If he's to pass his exams and one day be ready to return to the wild. The ultimate goal for everyone at Orangutan Jungle School. As Bumi and his fellow students head to their leafy classroom, Bumi's holding up the works again. In a remote area of Indonesian rainforest is the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation's Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre. Hello. Bumi's class are the juniors. Most of these orphans were rescued as babies after their mothers were killed. By poachers or in areas of human development. Here, a dedicated team of carers teach them the skills they should be learning from their mothers during the first eight years of life. The juniors are between three and six years old and they're an active bunch. Their teachers are giving them a chance to let off steam. In the hope that when lessons begin, they'll concentrate better. Maybe even Bumi, who's finally just made it to class. Most orphans start their jungle school journey at the nursery. Some need a little encouragement. But others are raring to go. These infants are all under three years old and most get a ride on the school bus. Two-year-old Rumba is one of the youngest pupils and needs special care from her surrogate mother, Leta. At this vulnerable age, Rumba and her classmates would be spending every day clinging to their mothers in the wild. Without them, they must rely on their teachers and each other for support. Once the stragglers disembark, a healthy breakfast kick-starts their energy before class. And the more adventurous begin to explore. But little Rumba sticks close to Leta. Six months ago, Rumba was found all alone on an oil palm plantation. An employee kept her captive for a month. Upon rescue, she was suffering from unexplained seizures and her left hand was paralyzed. Her surrogate mums give her daily physio to build up her strength. Seeing Rumba get special treatment, Onye cycles up for his share. But it's not Leta's love he's after. Got it! And it turns out, Onye's fruit swiping skills will come in handy for this morning's lesson. Giant fruit kebabs help the students practice reaching for food off the ground. Wild orangutans spend around 90% of their time in the trees. So it's vital these youngsters learn to feel confident there. Banana thief Onye is up for this tutorial. His best friend Ramanai is also keen. Rumba, not so much. Just holding on to the tree would be a good start for Rumba. But she seems too scared to give it a go. So Leta will need to come up with another plan. To build her confidence. At least Onye's getting the hang of it. Well, almost. While Rumba's class take baby steps towards their rehabilitation. Over at the juniors, confidence is not an issue. Each class is divided according to age and ability. And follows a curriculum everyone must pass before they can move up. Lessons are about to begin. But someone's holding back. At seven years old, Bumi is the oldest in the group. But not necessarily the smartest. Which is precisely why he needs to join in. His surrogate mums have their work cut out teaching this one. He's not interested in learning. He just wants to have fun. If Bumi doesn't join the class, he'll miss an important lesson. Ursula has a strategy she hopes will work. Bumi's fear of missing out gets the better of him. Bumi's smart. Bumi's here. Bumi, come and have a drink. Our boss has just arrived. Wow, he drinks straight away. Finally, the lesson can begin. This morning, they're learning to extract the roots and shoots of the nutritious Umbut Suli plant. In the wild, young orangutans learn through imitation. Here, they must pay close attention to their human teachers. Clever Kaladan is quick to catch on. Until he's rudely interrupted. Now it's Bumi's turn. He seems interested. Sort of. Can he focus long enough to learn? But he loses interest. And within seconds, he's back where he started. Bumi does need to start paying attention in class. Because to become a fully independent orangutan, there's a lot to learn. For all the students here, the aim is to progress through forest school. And graduate to college. On what are known as the pre-release islands. These protected sanctuaries offer young orangutans the experience of living semi-wild, away from humans. Here, they spend at least two years putting everything they've learned into practice. In preparation for the ultimate goal. Release back into the wild, where they belong. For those just beginning their education, key goals of the nursery class are having the confidence and agility to explore the trees. Timid little Roomba needs extra help. So Letta carries her up as her mother would in the wild. Roomba's weak left hand makes holding on harder. But it mustn't stop her from making progress. Letta encourages Roomba to explore. Strengthening her hand will take time. But she's starting to show some confidence. Which is an important part of her rehabilitation. Maybe she's willing to try again. Roomba bravely grips a branch. But only with her stronger right hand. To improve her chances of making it through forest school, Roomba will need to be able to use both hands. Just as she's enjoying her moment of triumph. Ram and I rains on her parade. Just one of the occupational hazards in jungle school. Roomba's growing confidence inspires Letta to push her a little further. While Roomba hangs from her right hand, she entices her to use her weak left hand to grab the branch. Success. It may not seem much, but it shows Roomba's willing to start using her left hand without support. Okay. Now she's a baby step closer to having the confidence she needs to reach her goals. In Bumi's boisterous juniors class, morning lessons have descended into caves. Surrogate mothers Ursula and Sri have abandoned teaching for now. Particularly with their most challenging student, Bumi. Instead, they've succumbed to his insatiable demands for attention. And are indulging in one of his favourite activities. Tickle time. And he's not the only one. Five-year-old Greta adores hanging out with her older, disruptive classmate. It means she gets to have more fun. Bumi is clearly very relaxed. Maybe too relaxed. But could Bumi's constant desire for human attention hinder his independence? And Sri is particularly susceptible to his charms. Like all orphan orangutans, Bumi is a very shy and timid child. Bumi has a tragic past. Confiscated from a village by the authorities. At just two weeks old, Bumi was one of the youngest orphans ever to arrive at Nyaru Menteng. Desperately weak, he weighed a mere 1.4 kilos. The trauma of losing his mother meant he cried for the first few days after rescue. He needed round-the-clock care for three months. And Sri helped him through this distressing time. Maybe it's the beginning of a bond between me and Bumi. What's wrong with you? This is your mother, Sri. Sri used to pamper you a lot. No, not at all. Surrogate mothers must navigate the fine line between providing the love and support each orphan needs, while also encouraging self-reliance. Something Bumi will need more of, if he's to have any hope of one day being released into the wild. For Rumba and her nursery class, lessons are over. There's only so much learning the littlest students can manage in a day. Before bed, they enjoy a little wind-down time in their dormitory. After her big day in the forest, Rumba's put straight to bed with her teddy. She'd still prefer a human to cuddle. Comfort and reassurance are on hand. In the wild, baby orangutans sleep in treetop nests all night, holding their mothers. Kalanaman, whose bagsied the hammock, has a classmate to help send him to sleep. But there are always those who want to stay up. And Onya is, of course, one of them. Finally, after some more gentle coaxing from the surrogate mums, calm descends on the dorm. As the last of the babies begin to drop off. As for exhausted Rumba, she's already out like a light. Maybe after a good sleep, she'll feel a little more confident in tomorrow's class. Just like every day in the juniors' class, energy levels are high. But today, teachers Sri and Ursula have an activity they're hoping even Unruly Bumi might engage in. It's a new food challenge that could just concentrate his wandering mind. Well, they have his attention. But can they keep it? This morning's crowd pleaser is frozen pumpkin in coconut husks. Bumi is eager to get his share of the goodies. But so is his friend Greta. They may think it's just a snack, but this lesson will test their concentration and dexterity. The idea is to hold a stick and use it to dig out the tasty treat. Tool use is an important skill in the wild for fishing out food from hard to reach places. But Bumi doesn't see the point. Why bother when there's a much easier way? Bumi's lack of interest in the lesson is now rubbing off on others. The smartest students are paying attention. Baum grasps the concept immediately. This six-year-old is top of the class and always eager to learn. Greta also seems keen. But then does a Bumi and gives up. Kaladan is very focused. The three-year-old is barely out of nursery. But he already knows he needs to hold the stick. Here, Greta. Now his classmates are getting Ursula's attention. Bumi wants back in. Ursula wants him to take the tool and use it. But he needs some coaxing first. Time to spell it out for him. Well, it was brief, but worth a try. His teachers are persistent. And with a bit more practice... he might just start to get it. He's made some progress today. But keeping his attention in lessons is going to be a real challenge. Bumi's not the first jungle school junior to test his teacher's patience. He has a predecessor. Valentino. Who, as a junior, was also famous for his amusing antics in class. His affectionate ways... particularly with his human carers... were hard to resist. The lovable clown did turn it around... and paid enough attention to eventually pass his forest exams. He was about to graduate to college. His big chance to put his forest skills to the test... on a pre-release island. When disaster struck. The COVID pandemic hit. And the school went into lockdown. When pandemic hit the world... one thing in my head is like... this species is already critically endangered. It really makes us nervous here. Humans and orangutans share about 97% of their DNA. So there was a real fear... COVID could threaten this vulnerable species... and the individuals they'd come to know. Staff were forced to severely limit contact with them. After enduring an entire year in lockdown... seven-year-old Valentino is desperate to get out. And so is his neighbour... nine-year-old Jumbo. The two are former classmates. During the lessons... Valentino would watch and learn from his older friend. When Jumbo hurt his foot... he cleverly found a way to bathe it with coconut fibre. Valentino was highly impressed. But his presence was not appreciated. Those carefree forest school days... must seem a world away. But what Jumbo and Valentino don't know yet... is their incarceration is about to end. They'll be among the very first students... moving out of lockdown... and into the school's innovative pre-release programme... to at long last begin their college education. The next momentous step on their jungle school journey. The vets get ready to move the lucky pair... who've already passed a strict medical to ensure they're in good health. The unusual activity sparks unrest. No one knows what's happening. But Valentino is eager for the attention. He doesn't realise it's a trap. The vets need to sedate him to prepare him for the journey. While they wait for the sedative to take effect... Jumbo gets his jab. Sleepy Valentino seizes his first chance... to hang on to a human in a whole year. With Jumbo now also ready to go... the pair will join two other students... on this life-changing journey. Their new home is a collection of islands called Salat. Hidden in the contours of the Kahayan River... deep in the Borneo rainforest. It's a four-hour journey upriver. For the four new college students on board... life on a pre-release island will be a huge step up from forest school. In college you have to be more independent... because we don't monitor 24 hours on the island. Class clown Valentino may have the biggest adjustment to make. Remembering his forest skills after a year in isolation... and learning to leave his human carers behind. At last, all four new arrivals are about to experience... life outside a cage for the first time in a whole year. And to get their first taste of what college is all about. It's really amazing that we can send orangutan... go to the pre-release island again after pandemic. It's a huge moment for everyone. They are so lucky after so many months they spend in the cage... finally they can go to the real forest pre-release island. First out will be Valentino. But how will he react to his new environment? Rather than being excited... Valentino seems bewildered by his newfound freedom. And resorts to his attention-seeking behaviour. Instead of exploring... Valentino seeks the human interaction he's been missing. I think he's a little bit insecure. He feels safer with us humans, that's why he kept coming back to us. Clinging with us, like, help me, help me with that face. Maybe Valentino still have memory when he stay in the forest school. But at college, he needs to learn not to rely on humans in the same way. Next up is Jumbo. He seems nervous. But quickly makes himself at home. Unlike Valentino. Valentino's attention-seeking instead of exploring... is making Aga and Masuntung anxious. Now another orangutan is trying to attract attention. She wants out. It's nine-year-old Cinta. Infamous in jungle school for wielding sticks. With this feisty female around... no one was safe. There's a lot to take in. The last student out will be seven-year-old Hanin. Another of Valentino's former classmates. Valentino appears to recognize his old friend. Maybe Hanin will provide the support he needs to embrace his new environment. Social bonds formed in jungle school... help students adjust to college life. But when Hanin decides it's time to join Cinta and Jumbo in the trees... reluctant Valentino doesn't follow her lead. Instead, he prefers to stay put... on the ground. With the day almost over... Valentino's reluctance to embrace the trees is becoming more of a concern. If he doesn't climb, he could fail college... and have to leave the island. But the team cannot force him to climb. It's getting late... and the pre-release team must leave the new college students... to spend their very first night alone in the jungle. And hope they have the skills and confidence... to survive on their own. The team is anxious to see how the students fared through the night. They need to check on their welfare... and ensure they're all accounted for. They're especially concerned about Valentino. Did he make it to the safety of the trees? There's no sign of anyone around the platform. But they spy movement in the canopy. First, they spot Hanin. Then Jumbo. And to everyone's relief... there's Valentino. The reluctant climber made it into the trees after all. He's even found himself a forest snack. Valentino can be in the island... if he can climb the trees like that. The students will get two supplementary food drops a day... as they adjust to finding their own forest food. This also enables the monitoring team... to keep a regular eye on them. And witnessing Valentino's progress this morning... is very reassuring for them. But someone's missing. It's unusual for Cinta to miss food. The team needs to know she's safe. But the island interior is a flooded swamp forest... plagued by snakes and crocodiles. Making any search exceptionally difficult on foot. After 20 minutes... there's still no sign of Valentino. And there's still no response to their calls. But back when she was in forest school... during snake awareness lessons... Cinta wasn't as frightened as she should have been. While her classmates ran from the rubber snake... Cinta was keen to take a closer look. The team hopes her curiosity hasn't put her in danger. The team abandons the interior search. And pushes on to comb the outer edges of the island by boat. But they have 120 hectares to cover. And by now... Cinta could be anywhere. New college students are at their most vulnerable... for the first 48 hours after their release... while they adjust to their new environment. Fears for her safety are growing. But suddenly... someone spots movement in the treetops behind them. It's an orangutan for sure. But is it Cinta? Yes, it is. It's a huge relief for everyone. Despite the scare... Cinta's adventurous spirit should serve her well. College life is a lesson in learning to be independent... and exploring new places. Something Valentino and his college friends will need to embrace... if they're to succeed here. The next vital step on their jungle school journey starts now. And soon there will be more familiar faces... at the class reunion.