Orangutan Jungle School: Dr. Anne Russon on Rescuing and Rehabilitating Orphaned Orangutans

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This show features an interview with York University primatologist Dr. Anne Russon, lead script advisor for the new docu-soap series Orangutan Jungle School.

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Dr. Anne Russon on the Orangutan Jungle School Docu-Series and Primate Behavior

Dr. Anne Russon has a background in psychology and developed an interest in studying great ape intelligence after working with chimpanzees. Since 1989, Dr. Russon has been studying intelligence and behavior in ex-captive Bornean orangutans. Her work is focused on conservation efforts for these animals.

Dr. Anne Russon is a Canadian primatologist who is not only the executive director of the Borneo Orangutan Society of Canada, but also the author of several books on great apes including Orangutans: Wizards of the Rainforest, Reaching into Thought: The Minds of the Great Apes, and The Evolution of Thought: Evolution of Great Ape Intelligence. She is a professor of psychology at York University in Toronto. The Borneo Orangutan Society of Canada is a charity organization which supports the orangutan conservation efforts in Indonesia and Malaysia. Dr. Anne Russon is active on the advisory boards for other orangutan support organizations. This includes Alchemy Films, Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, the Orangutan Conservancy, and Orangutan Network. She also runs a website called Orangutan Sanctuary, which is dedicated to providing resources for professionals interested in learning more about orangutan conservation.

Orangutan Jungle School airs Sundays at 8:00 PM on Love Nature. The series follows the orangutans attending the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation‘s (BOSF) school in the Borneo Jungle in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. These orangutans are all orphans who are introduced into this school so they can learn the skills they will need to one day be returned to the wild. Over 300 orangutan students attend BOSF and learn together in age groups from babies, to adolescents, to young adults. Through Orangutan Jungle School, you can learn more about these endangered animals as they grow, gain skills, socialize, and even graduate from BOSF.

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