Orangutan Friendship is No Monkey Business Love Nature
Transcript
00:00 Up the Rungan River are the pre-release islands,
00:04 a semi-wild testing ground where the students put everything
00:08 they've learned at jungle school into practice.
00:11 All the orphaned graduates transition to being much more independent here,
00:18 but the friendships they've formed during their education
00:21 still play an important role.
00:26 The island guardians, or teknisi, regularly call in to deliver supplemental food
00:33 and observe the orangutans' progress.
00:38 After recent rain, only a fraction of the feeding platform here is above the water.
00:52 Thirteen-year-old male Uji is the first to respond to the familiar breakfast calls.
00:58 But between him and the food he craves is the flooded river,
01:10 and the trees are a long way apart.
01:15 (TENSE MUSIC)
01:18 Twelve-year-old female Ayu arrives.
01:39 What is about to unfold is a demonstration of how a ten-year friendship,
01:44 where each know the other's strengths, can translate into survival.
01:50 Ayu is the boldest and tries the direct route.
02:02 (WATER SPLASHES)
02:05 The water is deep and flowing fast.
02:13 Ayu can't swim, but she knows how to resist the treacherous current.
02:29 Still, she can't quite reach the platform.
02:33 Uji can see how risky this is.
02:41 She could drown.
02:45 (WATER SPLASHES)
02:48 Time for a rethink.
03:03 The jungle school forest can be a bit like the big wide world.
03:13 Not everyone you meet is going to be your best buddy,
03:17 and there's sometimes painful lessons to be learnt.
03:21 Today, it's mix and mingle,
03:25 where the juniors and seniors practice their social etiquette.
03:29 Utris finds a different kind of distraction.
03:38 This curious little guy is one of the gentlest in his group.
03:43 He really wouldn't hurt a fly.
03:46 Senior student Jumbo barges into his quiet time.
03:54 (BEEPING)
03:56 That's a bit rough.
03:58 Utris's track record with his older classmates isn't the best.
04:05 When he tried to hang out with six-year-old Chinta,
04:08 she used him as target practice.
04:11 And when he tried to befriend five-year-old Junior...
04:17 ..the older student aggressively attacked him.
04:22 Could Jumbo finally be the one?
04:30 (CHILDREN PLAYING)
04:32 (CHILDREN SCREAMING)
04:37 Nope.
04:39 (CHILDREN SCREAMING)
04:41 Friendship officially over.
04:52 That's not a place anyone wants to be bitten.
04:58 Valentino can only imagine his pain.
05:02 Valentino comes in to support his best bud in his hour of need.
05:19 (CHILDREN PLAYING)
05:21 But Utris just wants to be alone.
05:36 (CHILDREN PLAYING)
05:38 Seven-year-old Moja often mothers the younger orphans...
05:54 ..whether they like it or not.
05:58 Learning to navigate difficult personalities
06:02 is a skill little Utris would have learnt from his mum.
06:06 In this special school, he'll have many more chances to get it right.
06:12 And even a painful experience like this
06:16 has taught him to steer clear of bullies.
06:19 (CHILDREN PLAYING)
06:21 After a commotion like that, coconut time usually settles everyone down.
06:29 (WATER SPLASHING)
06:31 Four-year-old Yoko is a master cracker.
06:38 His excellent technique draws an eager spectator.
06:50 Big boy Benny is an independent soul who prefers food over friends.
06:59 He's the same age as Yoko, but three times heavier.
07:04 So he's been put on an emergency diet.
07:08 Who's that handsome devil?
07:13 Benny usually relies on his babysitter to open his coconuts.
07:26 Maybe today he'll actually try it himself.
07:30 Yoko, showing off to classmate Tomang, is first to access the sweet milk.
07:42 Benny's having trouble cracking his, so he has an idea.
07:49 (MUSIC)
07:51 Nine-year-old Rinto appears to police this coconut conflict.
08:12 (MUSIC)
08:14 She decides Benny should have no coconut at all.
08:24 Nope, not getting this one either.
08:31 All that's left is salad.
08:41 It's not fair. Rinto didn't take Yoko's coconut.
08:46 With a surprising burst of energy, Benny tries one last ditch effort.
08:57 The commotion attracts the attention of another bully.
09:07 Female Reren, who comes in swinging.
09:11 Things are starting to get out of hand.
09:35 A delivery of more coconuts ends the brawl.
09:38 But Benny misses out.
09:42 Next time, maybe Benny should choose friends over food.
09:52 (MUSIC)
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