{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox television | image = | caption = | genre = Nature, documentary, drama | creator = Judith Curran | director = | creative_director = | developer = | narrator = Rodd Houston | country = United States | language = English | num_seasons = 2 | num_episodes = 26 | list_episodes = | executive_producer = Martha Ripp | producer = Judith Curran | editor = | location = Borneo | cinematography = Season 2 - Alex Hubert | camera = | runtime = 30 minutes | network = Animal Planet | first_aired = {{start date|2007|11|2}} | last_aired = {{end date|2009|3|17}} }}
'''''Orangutan Island''''' is an American documentary television series, in the style of the earlier series ''Meerkat Manor'', that blends more traditional documentary filming with dramatic narration.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/336878_tv26.html?source=rss |title=Why is 'Meerkat' tragedy so tough to take? It's personal |access-date=2007-10-28 |last=McFarland |first=Melanie |newspaper=Seattlepi.com |date=2007-10-25 |publisher=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The series was produced by NHNZ with creator Judith Curran also acting as the series producer. Animal Planet's Martha Ripp is the executive producer of the series, and Lone Drøscher Nielsen of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, the founder, and manager of the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Reintroduction Project, regularly appears with the orangutans in the show. The series premiered on Animal Planet on November 2, 2007, with new episodes airing Friday nights.<ref name="PressRelease">{{cite web | url=http://press.discovery.com/ekits/greatapes/template.cfm?show=orangutan-island&page=release | title=Animal Planet Forges New Ground to Witness the Birth of a Fledgling Jungle Society on Orangutan Island | publisher=Animal Planet | access-date=2008-01-23}}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> A second season began airing in November 2008.
The show focuses on a group of orphaned orangutans at the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Rehabilitation Center that are raised to go against their normally independent nature and instead cooperate and live together in a society so they can be left to live wild on their protected island.<ref>[http://redapes.org/multimedia/orangutan-island/introducing-islands Orangutan Outreach: About the Islands] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403072906/http://redapes.org/multimedia/orangutan-island/introducing-islands |date=2010-04-03}}</ref>
==Production details== Anne Russon, a psychologist who has conducted extensive research in primate intelligence is acting as a scientific adviser for the series. Lone Drøscher Nielsen is the founder and project manager of the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Rescue and Reintroduction Center and regularly appears in the show interacting with and caring for the orangutan orphans.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/382623754 | title=Orangutan Island vs. Harper's Island | publisher=The Globe and Mail | date=July 11, 2009 | accessdate=June 1, 2022| id={{ProQuest|382623754}}}}</ref>
==Episodes==
===Season 1: 2007-2008=== {{Episode table |background= #99CCCC |overall= |title= |airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=1 | Title=New Beginnings | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2007|11|2}} | ShortSummary= The new orangutans are introduced to their rescue center. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=2 | Title=The Intruder | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2007|11|9}} | ShortSummary= Hamlet, an older, larger male from a neighboring island, comes to the island and attempts to kidnap Jasmine, although his attempts are foiled by the bandit boys, Saturnus, and Daisy. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=3 | Title=Lost | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2007|11|16}} | ShortSummary= The wet season arrives and Oyoy and Mogok become independent. Mogok successfully survives 4 days alone, but Oyoy dies when he falls into the growing river. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber = 4 | Title = Lessons Learned, Lessons Lost | OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2007|11|30}} | ShortSummary = The bandit boys accidentally drop much of their food off the feeding platform into the flooded waters, and use the help of Hamlet to retrieve their food from the waters. Jordan attempts to drink a bottle of engine oil left on a boat, which would've killed him had the Teknisi not found him in time, and Cha cha puts herself at risk by grabbing a highly venomous coral snake. | LineColor = 99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=5 | Title=Break Out | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2007|12|7}} | ShortSummary= Chen Chen, Cha Cha, and Daisy discover that the electric fence separating Orangutan Island, and neighboring Palas Island is not functioning properly, and two Palas Island males get across. They are rounded up by the Teknisi, but Cha Cha is missing. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=6 | Title=Growing Pains | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2007|12|14}} | ShortSummary= All of the orangutans are inspected for the first time by Lone and their vet, Tim. Milo bullies Bonita, and Cha Cha is found all alone in the forest. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=7 | Title=Orangutan 911 | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2007|12|21}} | ShortSummary=Donald catches a mysterious disease that spreads throughout the island. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=8 | Title=Eaten Alive | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|1|11}} | ShortSummary= An invisible menace is threatening Orangutan Island, and at the Nyaru Menteng Clinic veterinarians work around the clock to unravel the mystery behind Donald, Togar, Mercury and Bonita's illness. Back on the island, fears of an epidemic worsen when Bertha is found to have an abscess. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=9 | Title=House of Cards | AltTitle= | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|1|18}} | ShortSummary= Jordan, the main outsider of the group, becomes more active with Chen Chen and seems to be good at climbing trees. Alibaba finds a jackfruit, and it is shared. Nadi however, refuses to share, causing Daisy to fight her and prevent her from using the feeding platforms. Nadi wanders off and is bitten by a pit viper. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=10 | Title=River's Rewards | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|1|25}} | ShortSummary= Nadi is treated for her snakebite. She recovers and is sent back to the island. Alibaba raids the fish traps that the Teknisi set up, and earns a higher place in the group's social status. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=11 | Title=Rumble in the Jungle | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|2|1}} | ShortSummary= Most of the orangutans sleep on the forest floor, but it is not safe and they are vulnerable to predators. So Lone tries to build a platform in the tree canopy, 50 feet off the ground, to encourage them to stay in the trees. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=12 | Title=Who Rules? | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|2|8}} | ShortSummary=Lone's risky plan to encourage the orphaned orangutans to spend more time in the treetops has a fatal flaw. But she isn't going to be discouraged and works on a new solution. At the same time, the island is simmering with tension over who will fill the leadership void until the unexpected return of Hamlet. But his reappearance doesn't immediately resolve the issue as another showdown begins. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=13 | Title=Many Happy Returns | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|2|15}} | ShortSummary=For the anniversary of the island, Lone comes for a visit. | LineColor=99CCCC }} }}
===Season 2: 2008-2009=== {{Episode table |background= #99CCCC |overall= |title= |airdate= |episodes= {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=1 | Title= Cheating Extinction | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|11|16}} | ShortSummary=New orangutan orphans just arrived at Nyaru Menteng Rescue Center. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=2 | Title=An Animal In Paradise | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|11|16}} | ShortSummary=It's been 18 months since Forest School class 103 arrived on the island, and 32 of the original 35 orangutans remain, life on the island is still unpredictable. In this episode, two travelers must put their lives at risk to help the orangutans, revealing the greatest surprise yet on Orangutan Island. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=3 | Title=No Borders | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|11|23}} | ShortSummary=There are new arrivals on the island--mother Kiki and her nine-month-old son, Hardi, who came from bordering Palas Island. Although there is an electric fence dividing the two islands, Project Manager Lone Droscher-Nielson quickly realizes that it doesn’t work when Kiki and her son arrive unscathed. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=4 | Title=Sink Or Swim | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|11|23}} | ShortSummary=The bold open border experiment continues, but will the weakest of the orphans end up paying too heavy a price? A wily Palas Island adventurer is already looking to settle an old score. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=5 | Title=Fight Club | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|11|30}} | ShortSummary=Anarchy rules as a vicious battle erupts to fill the power vacuum left by Hamlet. The stakes are high as tenacious contender Reno vies for dominance, but now he must compete with the older, menacing Palas Island males. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=6 | Title=Kindred Spirits | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2008|11|30}} | ShortSummary=There's calm since Hamlet's return, but it is mostly an uneasy peace between the Orangutan and Palas Island orangutans. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=7 | Title=We Are Family | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2009|2|8}} | ShortSummary=Exhausted from her motherly duties with baby Hardi, Kiki will never get a break unless she decides to let the other females do the unthinkable – babysit! Meanwhile, vulnerable Mangis is put to the test. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=8 | Title=Where There Is Smoke | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2009|2|8}} | ShortSummary=Reno's attempt to find his place in the society of Orangutan Island turns play into disaster, especially for Chen Chen. Meanwhile, Saturnus' naughty act sheds light on the current societal hierarchy. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=9 | Title=Double Edged Sword | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2009|2|15}} | ShortSummary=Hamlet takes a walk on the wild side, which could compromise his entire future. Meanwhile, a plump Chen Chen returns from the clinic fully mended but with no one to greet him. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=10 | Title=Teen Angst | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2009|2|15}} | ShortSummary=Lone wrestles with how to ensure Bonita's health without devastating the emotional health of her two-year-old foster daughter, Randang. Meanwhile, hormone-fueled Palas Island males go on a rampage, targeting mom Kiki. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=11 | Title=Chain Reaction | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2009|2|22}} | ShortSummary=After an accident while play-fighting, Jordan faces amputation if an x-ray machine doesn't arrive in time. Later, Jupiter's attempt to become the feminine counterpart to Chen Chen's "demolition man" sets off a chain reaction with Bonita-the unintended and unsuspecting victim. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=12 | Title=A Walk On The Wild Side | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2009|2|22}} | ShortSummary=Hamlet's dominance is suddenly in question when Lone learns that the vulnerable Bonita has left the island sanctuary after her run-in. It is a race against time to find Bonita before it is too late. The youngster is not mature enough to live in the wild alone and poachers are a constant threat. | LineColor=99CCCC }} {{Episode list | EpisodeNumber=13 | Title=Moving On | OriginalAirDate={{Start date|2009|3|1}} | ShortSummary=Lone is negotiating with the government for a bigger island in order to alleviate overcrowding at Nyaru Menteng. The new island will force its inhabitants such as Cha Cha, Saturnus, Jordan, and Daisy to adapt to the wild and survive in rougher terrain. | LineColor=99CCCC }} }}
==See also== *''Orangutan Diary'' *''The Disenchanted Forest'' *''The Burning Season''
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071104232046/http://animal.discovery.com/tv/orangutan-island/orangutan-island.html Official Site on Animal Planet] * [http://redapes.org Orangutan Outreach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820174404/https://redapes.org/ |date=August 20, 2021}} * [http://nhnz.tv NHNZ]
Category:Animal Planet original programming Category:2007 American television series debuts Category:2000s American documentary television series Category:2009 American television series endings Category:Nature educational television series about animals Category:Nature conservation in Indonesia Category:Orangutan conservation Category:Television shows set in Indonesia Category:Television series about orangutans