Apes

S01 E03 • Wednesday, Aug 30, 2000 • Aug 30

Charlotte Uhlenbroek goes in search of apes. The great apes - gorillas, orang-utans, chimpanzees and bonobos - have a great deal in common with humans. They even like to take a daily siesta and make a comfortable bed in the trees. In Borneo, Charlotte gets close to the giant 'man of the woods', the shy, charismatic orang-utan. In Rwanda, with the mountain gorillas, she tries a special gorilla mixed salad. Charlotte returns to Gombe, Tanzania, where she first studied chimpanzees. Here the similarities with humans are uncanny. The chimps are making tools, using sticks to fish out ants and termites. In Guinea, the chimps are cracking open nuts using stone hammers and anvils. Like humans, they are even left or right-handed, a sure sign that their brains are similar. Chimps are also political animals. They'll groom each other affectionately and kiss and hug to bond with their family and friends, but they are equally capable of ganging up against enemies and even killing members of