Main content

Aping apes

David Attenborough spends time with an unusual group of orangutans at Camp Leakey in a sequence that shows some fascinating animal behaviour. These orangs have spent time both in the wild and living alongside humans, and as a result they've developed all kinds of new talents and interests. Their capacity for mimicking behaviour outside their normal experience and then passing it on to their own young illuminates aspects of higher ape and therefore human development.

An orangutan with a baby paddles a boat along the river; another sits washing socks on a jetty next to the river. Attenborough explains that these aren't circus tricks, the orangutans are doing it entirely on their own initiative, copying behaviour they've seen around them. This ability to imitate and use tools started among monkeys but has been brought to a much greater level by the apes. The two talents ultimately led to the transformation in the world. These orangs from camp Leakey have been rescued from captivity and then returned to the world, so have lived partly in the human world and can give us insight into what we have in common. One old lady loves DIY, as does her son who was born in the wild. Even her new infant is interested. Her hands are so similar to human hands: the skiill with which she picks things up and grasps a tool, and the fact that she's clearly ieft-handed. But the most important thing we share is our big brain. It's that that has produced so many of the abilities and talents we have in common.

Release date:

Duration:

3 minutes

Featured in...

More clips from Food for Thought