The Secret Life of Primates (known in the UK as Among the Apes) is a British nature documentary series produced by Dragonfly Film Productions in which renowned primatologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek travels to East Africa and Asia to get up close and personal with man's nearest relative, infiltrating some of the greatest wild primate groups.
The series aired in the UK on Channel 5 from 21 June to 12 July, 2009. There are four hour-long episodes in one season.
The Secret Life of Primates premiered in South Africa on SABC3 on Sunday 10 March 2013, at 18h00. New episodes broadcast weekly.
Synopsis
Zoologist Charlotte Uhlenbroek has held a passion for primates since her earliest chimpanzee studies in Tanzania.
Now, in a spellbinding journey of discovery, she undertakes a unique animal experience as she travels to the planet's jungles and mountains and infiltrates some of the greatest wild primate groups, attempting to get physically closer to them than anyone has tried before.
Using her skills, knowledge and expertise, Charlotte unravels the complex social and sexual dynamics of four primate groups: mountain gorillas, orang-utans, chimpanzees and baboons.
With the tiniest of handheld recording devices, she pushes the boundaries of traditional camera techniques to bring viewers every detail of these magnificent animals' existence.
In the beautiful forest of Budongo in Central Uganda, home to around 700 wild Sonso chimpanzees, Charlotte builds a chimp nest in an attempt to sleep high in the jungle canopy just like them; in Borneo, she learns the ropes – quite literally – at a school for orphaned orangutans; in the African savannah, she stays with a troupe of baboons; and in Uganda's Bwindi Forest, she forages for food with mountain gorillas and witnesses the aggressive displays of the silverbacks.
Charlotte's adventure is not without its risks; by attempting to achieve such intimacy the potential dangers are magnified.
To prepare she must learn from the people who live closest to the animals – the tribes, the rangers and the scientists on the ground before making that first, crucial approach to the animals herself.
The stakes could not be higher but the rewards are more than worth it as Charlotte's experiences bring the opportunity to witness rare moments of acceptance and kindness between human and primate.
Episodes
Episode 1: Chimps
Charlotte's journey starts in the beautiful forest of Budongo, a 167 square mile tropical forest in Central Uganda. She is travelling to the isolated research site to observe the Sonso chimpanzee community, where the forest is home to about 700 wild chimps and where one group has been followed and studied since the 1960s.
They are wild chimps, but well habituated, and their home range is close to the camp. This enables Charlotte to spend maximum time to get to know the group and gain their trust before quickly learning to distinguish between the chimps by both their looks and their behaviours, and deciphering the group's dynamics.
She discovers some unusual behaviour, including tool use. This is an exciting new development for the Sonso chimps – until recently, none of the chimps in Uganda were improvising and using tools.
A favourite is to use a large leaf like a comb for scratching and grooming, and then to take a look at the parasites gathered on the leaf to see whether they are worth eating.
Charlotte gives it a go...
Episode 2: Baboons
This episode features a troupe of baboons that has been continually followed for decades by researcher Guy Norton and his team. It is one of the most well-known primate groups on the planet and, through the violent struggles for dominance, we have learnt much about how and why primates live together.
These baboons live on the plains and foothills of the Mikumi National Park in Tanzania – lands of patchy resources. The memory of the older females (these groups are matriarchies of related females) is vital for survival in finding food, water and shelter across a huge and changing territory.
Because their range is so huge, tracking the troupe is hard work.
Charlotte must wake before dawn and drive across the savannah to the tree where the baboons bedded down the night before. They can range over 10 miles a day across the boiling plains in search of seasonal foods, and are always on the look-out for leopards and other predators.
Episode 3: Orang-Utans
The orang-utan is likely to be the first great ape to become extinct. Charlotte heads to the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre and Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Borneo to learn more about these primates and what it takes to train one up for life in the wild.
Sepilok, founded in 1964, rehabilitates orphan orang-utans. The site is 43 square kilometres of protected land at the edge of Kabili Sepilok Forest Reserve. Today, around 60-80 orang-utans live free in the reserve.
Charlotte meets the youngest orang-utans in the indoor nursery and attempts the challenges they face – climbing, nest-building and foraging.
In the tough swamplands of Borneo these are complex skills and take years to learn, but the orang-utans are patient observers and excellent mimics. Orphaned orang-utans also gain much of their knowledge from patient volunteers that visit the sanctuary.
Charlotte joins one of these groups, acting as orang-utan teacher, helping the orphans to climb on ropes and explore the smaller trees.
Episode 4: Gorillas
Charlotte travels to the wild borders of the Congo in search of the elusive mountain gorilla. With only 700 left in the world, these gentle giants are on the brink of extinction.
Charlotte's quest takes her deep into Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, near a village called Ruhija, in search of the rare Kyagurilo Group. Until now, this group has only ever been studied by researchers (no tourists have ever seen them).
The Kyagurilo number 16. They live in dense and rugged rainforest and comprise: 1 silverback, 2 maturing silverbacks, 2 blackbacks, 6 adult females, 3 juveniles and 3 infants.
Charlotte has to trek for hours through the dense rainforest before finding them. She cannot immediately get close to them; of course, they need to become accustomed to her presence first.
So Charlotte begins by observing them from a distance of about seven metres away.