Terry Pratchett Facing Extinction - BBC2 9pm Wednesday 27 March 2013. Terry Pratchett returns to the forests of Borneo to explore not only the fate of orangutans but also his own fate as he battles with a rare from of Alzheimer's.
BBC Nature - In pictures: Pratchett revisits endangered orangutans I watched this moving film last night. Terry Pratchett was, of course, preaching to the converted in my case but I hope others watched and were affected. In a very small survey of 1, I asked my mother if she'd seen it and she replied no as she hadn't realised what it was about. Maybe they should have mentioned orangutans in the title. Talking about meeting alpha male 'Kusasi' in 1995, Terry said 'He gave me that look - and then they've got you for life.' I know just what he means having experienced this with 'Bulu', who lived at Paignton for the last 16 years of her life. It was interesting hearing him talking to renowned orangutan expert, Birute Galdikas, and Ashley Leiman, Director of the Orangutan Foundation. They work with orangutans in Borneo and I feel in their place I would be boiling with rage at what goes on, but they deal with things realistically and within the bounds of what is possible. No doubt this is the only way, but the future looks grim for wild orangutans.
