A Sumatran orangutan picks termites from a nest. Orangutans love termites, one of the few sources of protein in their mostly vegan diet.
Ecologist Chris Morgan (“Bears of the Last Frontier”) travels to the jungles of Northern Sumatra to document the efforts to save its wild orangutan population, which is quickly dwindling due to deforestation. Morgan spends time with orphaned orangs at rehabilitation centers observing the process of teaching them the survival skills they’ll need to be released back into the wild. He also travels to a peat swamp forest known as Suaq Balimbing in a protected area and part of a World Heritage Site. Working with a team of experienced researchers, he becomes immersed in a unique social band of wild orangs that use tools, share food, forage together and create their own distinct culture. Advanced cameras follow the orangs throughout the canopy to provide an intimate, clear picture of how these arboreal apes spend their days and nights and interact with one another.
Nature: The Last Orangutan Eden, Wednesday at 8 p.m. on PBS 6.
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