Orangutan Diary

Orangutan Diary
An orangutan swinging in trees
Genre	Nature documentary
Presented by	Michaela Strachan Steve Leonard
Starring	Lone Drøscher Nielsen
Composer(s)	David Poore
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	12
Production
Executive producer(s)	Sara Ford
Producer(s)	Nigel Pope Simon Bell
Location(s)	Borneo
Running time	Series 1: 30 minutes Series 2: 60 minutes
Production company(s)	BBC Natural History Unit
Broadcast
Original channel	Series 1: BBC One Series 2: BBC Two
Picture format	SD: 576i (16:9)
Audio format	Stereo
Original run	20 April 2007 (2007-04-20) – 19 April 2009 (2009-04-19)
Chronology
Related shows	Big Cat Diary
External links
Website

Orangutan Diary is a nature documentary series on the BBC,^[1][2] which follows the lives of Bornean Orangutans in the care of Lone Drøscher Nielsen, a member of the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) foundation. The program tries to detail the threat that the orangutans face in day to day life. The presenters Michaela Strachan and Steve Leonard follow the careers of the orangutans daily to see what the centre has to deal with.

The centre was founded in 1994, a year after Lone Dröscher Nielsen permanently moved to Borneo. She could see what effect the palm oil plantations were having on the orangutans, so then founded the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project, which now is the largest ape rescue project in the world. The first series aired on BBC One in April 2007 and the second series on BBC Two in March 2009.^[3][4] Both series are available as DVDs^[5][6]

Series one

Each episode is 30 minutes long.

• Episode 1: Steve Leonard rescues a tiny orangutan and Michaela visits a forest school.

• Episode 2: Michaela Strachan and Steve Leonard help three organgutan babies learn how to behave like wild animals.

• Episode 3: There is tragedy at the rescue centre when a newly arrived baby fights for its life.

• Episode 4: Steve Leonard has an emotionally charged experience trying to rescue a baby orangutan.

• Episode 5: Steve Leonard rescues a big female who has dislocated her ankle fleeing from her captors.

Series two

The second series also features Dr David Irons who has taken timeout from his work at the accident and emergency department of the Galloway Community Hospital in Stranraer, Scotland. His medical expertise with humans, he says, can for the most part be transferred to his work with orangutans: "their anatomy is very similar and their systems work, in most cases, practically the same as ours."^[7]

Each episode is 60 minutes long.

• Episode 1: Mama Abut and her baby, found starving, get another chance in the wild heart of Borneo.

• Episode 2: The Rescue Team fights to save a young orangutan held illegally in a tiny crate.

• Episode 3: Sumanto's health takes a turn for the worse, and Angelie returns at last.

• Episode 4: Noddy starts at Forest School and Hercules enjoys a taste of freedom.

• Episode 5: The team release 25 rescued orangutans including Mama Pika and her baby.

• Episode 6: Reviewing the previous episodes and looking again at the plight of the orangutan and the work of the centre.

See also

• Orangutan Island
• The Disenchanted Forest
• The Burning Season

References

1. ^ BBC programme information on Orangutan Diary
2. ^ Orangutan Diary playlist on YouTube (official BBC channel)
3. ^ "Orangutan Diary". Presenters: Michaela Strachan and Steve Leonard. Series 1 and Series 2. BBC. BBC Two, Borneo. 2007 - 2009.
4. ^ "Orangutan Diary Exclusive Preview" on YouTube
5. ^ Orangutan Diaries - Series 1 (DVD). Borneo: BBC. 9 July 2007. OCLC B000R343IU. http://www.bbcshop.com/Science+Nature/Orangutan-Diary-DVD/invt/bbcdvd2352. 
6. ^ Orangutan Diaries: Series 2 (DVD). Borneo: BBC. 6 April 2009. Event occurs at 290 minutes. OCLC B001UHNXQK. http://www.bbcshop.com/Science+Nature/Orangutan-Diaries-Series-2-DVD/invt/bbcdvd2985. 
7. ^ Bowditch, Gillian (22 February 2009). "TV shows Stranrear doctor curing orangutans". The Sunday Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article5779796.ece. Retrieved 7 June 2010. 

External links

• Orangutan Diary at BBC Programmes
• Orangutan Diary at the Internet Movie Database