THE CONTEXT
The tropical rainforests of Borneo are the last regions to shelter the orangutan, one of the largest surviving great primates. The spontaneous or deliberate fires that often ravage these primal forests and the intensification of deforestation have considerably reduced the territory of these great apes. The rarefaction of their habitat, hunters desperate for trophies and the poaching to which they have been submitted for so many years are factors that have put the orangutan on the long list of wild animals threatened with extinction. Orangutans were once present in millions in the forests of Asia, from China to Java. Today, they number less than 15,000 in only two island states, Indonesia and Malaysia.

THE ANIMAL
"Orangutan" signifies in the Indonesian language "man of the forest". The indigenous peoples thus designated with respect the animal with which they shared their territory. Already, they recognised in the ape the similarities that link the two species, observed much later by palaeontologists. This anthropoid unique to Asia shares 97% of its genes with humans. Like the gorilla and the chimpanzee, and unlike other animal species, the orangutan has no tail. It possesses a great aptitude for problem solving and a prodigious memory. Mothers give birth 3 to 4 times in their lives and care for their offspring longer than any other species, with the exception of humans. The young cling to their mothers until the age of 4 years and remain very dependent up to the age of 9 years. Males are generally solitary, allowing themselves short visits to the females during the reproductive period. Principally vegetarian, they will occasionally nibble at insects and bird eggs. They are diurnal and spend 60% of their waking-time in feeding. Orangutans are built to swing from branch to branch, thanks to their powerful upper limbs. Once adult, however, they are too substantial in size to be able to move about in this manner, and are, in a way, more vulnerable. This animal with its long rust-coloured fur can easily attain 100 kilos, and has no known predator apart from man.

BIRUTE GALDIKAS
Born in Germany in 1946, she follows her parents, Lithuanian migrants, to Canada where she still lives 6 months of the year. The rest of the year, she lives in Indonesia where she has also acquired Indonesian citizenship. At the age of 12 years, she spends days contemplating the wild animals at High Park. She is marked by an encounter with an orangutan at the Toronto Zoo. At age 22, while studying anthropology at the University of Los Angeles, California, she is chosen by the eminent palaeontologist Louis Leakey to conduct a study of orangutans in Borneo. She pursues her studies for three years and at age 25, in 1971, she leaves for Indonesia. She thereby joins the club of the "Leakey angels", becoming the third young woman to leave her family and country to devote herself to primates, with the benediction of the palaeontologist. The other two are the regretted Dian Fossey who devoted her life to the mountain gorillas and Jane Goodall who still labours for chimpanzees. Biruté Galdikas has decided that these great primates will not disappear from the planet. To her, poaching, laboratory experimentation and deforestation are unbearable. She wants to discover the very poorly known world of the orangutan, while protecting them at the same time. She obtains her doctorate in 1978. In parallel with her studies and during 30 years of observation, she has made significant contributions to knowledge about the behaviour of orangutans.

Divorced, mother of three, she is now married to an Indonesian, a rich farmer and co-director of the foundation. She is one of the rare women to have been acknowledged by the Indonesian government for her actions in favour of the environment and has been awarded the highest distinction in this domain, the Kalpatarn Award.

THE ACTIONS

1/ An international organisation: OFI
The OFI, "Orangutan Foundation International" was created by Biruté Galdikas in 1986.
The Foundation, based in Los Angeles, is represented in Indonesia, Australia and the United Kingdom. It is the driving force of a worldwide movement for the protection of orangutans. It has acted to wipe out the illegal and very lucrative trade in orangutans, in Taiwan notably, and has succeeded in obtaining the prohibition of the importation of the primates from the Taiwanese government.

2/ The Louis Leakey camp and the Lamandau Reserve
Situated in the Tanjung Puting reserve, in the centre of Borneo (Kalimantan Tengah), this camp was created by Biruté Galdikas in 1971, with the help of Louis Leakey and the support of National Geographic. Naming the camp after the legendary anthropologist, she gave homage to her mentor, he who had inspired her. At the very beginning, two meagre huts served as shelter for the research and studies carried out by Biruté Galdikas and her team. Today the camp is equipped with wooden structures, solids and permanents. The scientists and students live there with the park wardens. Animals formerly captured by poachers were released in this camp in the late 1970s. At 200 metres from the camp, a bridge across the swamps has been built by the authorities. Very quickly, it was put into use just as much by the great apes as by humans. This is the first place where orangutans can be easily encountered. Once successfully rehabilitated, the residents, mostly females and their offspring, divide their time between the forest and the camp. This region is one of the natural wonders of the world. Situated between the Java Sea and Kumai Bay, mangrove swamps teeming with crocodiles and snakes are to be found. These dense swamps are bordered by tropical moors in which leopards and Malaysian sun bears gambol. Some 220 bird species and 7differnt monkey species live in the deep primeval forests that conceal several lakes. Declared a natural reserve in 1935 for the wealth of its biodiversity, Tanjung Puting is a national park since 1982.
Active patrols carried out by local police officers and OFI wardens prevent illegal deforestation. They are privileged observers in the park and are the first to react against poaching. We will follow them on their patrols and discover the progress made in conservation matters over the last ten years (archives of Gérard Vienne with B. Galdikas).

3/ The safeguarding of orphaned orangutans
The Orangutan Care & Quarantine & Education Center was created in 1999 to come to the aid of dozens of primate babies that lost their mothers in the devastating fires of 1997 and 1998. This attention has enabled over 200 primates to return to life in the wild. The Kalimantan centre encloses 76,000 hectares where the orangutans are first treated then weaned. They are re-taught the gestures of autonomy and independence before being reintroduced to the wild.
We will witness this apprenticeship, the difficulty being that the human and the animal must avoid becoming mutually attached, if the survival of the animal in its natural environment is to be guaranteed.

4/ The plantation of trees of varied species
Like Jane Goodall, Biruté Galdikas must do battle with those who earn millions from the commercialisation of the wood of the forests. She restores damaged forests, giving priority to canopy species. To recreate the habitat of apes and monkeys, two strata of leaves are necessary: trees 30 metres tall that grow in the shade of other varieties 50 metres tall, grabbing the sun's light for themselves. We will follow women from the neighbouring villages, in whom Dr Galdikas has invested the responsibility of reconstructing the forest in a meticulous and permanent manner.

5/ Raising awareness about conservation in the local populations
In collaboration with the indigenous populations, and in respecting their values, Galdikas raises awareness about conservation issues among the Indonesian youth, and has developed an education activity called "Yayorin". A newsletter – Pongo Quest – is published bi-annually in Indonesian. Biruté Galdikas has been mandated by the government to produce an educational programme for schools. She also organises public lectures, conferences and seminars.

6/ The study of orangutans in the wild
Galdikas is a professor at the National University of Jakarta. She has supervised the fieldwork of close to 100 student biologists over the last 25 years. Twice on the cover of National Geographic, author of more than 50 scientific articles, 20 reviews and 2 books, she is considered to be one of the world's leading references in the field of primate observation and conservation. Life Magazine, the New York Times and the L.A Times have showered her with praise. It is as a professor that she returned to the archaeology department of SFU (Simon Fraser University) in Canada. Doctors, professors and students will express their views as to her status among the greatest experts in the behaviour of the great primates.

7/ A sanctuary for mistreated animals
Certain circuses and zoos in the United States treat their captive primates like the worst prisoners of war. Prisons of perspex, with 100% artificial lighting, no fresh air and stale food compose their miserable universe. But Biruté Galdikas is watching. A sanctuary "Panaewa Rainforest" has just been built in Hawaii and today shelters 20 primates in safety. Here, they are considered as VIPs (Very Important Primates). Eventually the refuge will boast a veterinary clinic. The unique story of Rusti , the sanctuary's first guest.