Meet The Monkeys Natural World

There's a whole bunch of monkeys in my van.

That one there - that's Peanut. He's only got one hand.

We've become good mates over the last few months.

He's a bit of an outsider, and so was I at the beginning.

SHORT GRUNTS

And then there's Hero - well, he's just a lovable rogue.

It's so rare to get this close to truly wild animals,

and that's made for some very special moments.

So come and meet my new mates -

they're huge characters, and they could do with a bit of help.

Indonesia is a pretty inspiring place for a wildlife cameraman,

but there's one island that's always fascinated me,

and I've come back after a long absence.

TOOTS HORN

I was last in northern Sulawesi 25 years ago

and I really fell in love with this place, the people and the forests

and most of all, with a monkey -

the crested black macaque,

an absolutely great, unique little animal to this part of the world.

They're easy to fall in love with - smart, clever little monkeys full of personality.

I've come back because their numbers have dropped dramatically

and they need help.

So I hope to make a film that encourages people around the world

to fall in love with them, too.

The monkeys live on the slopes of an ancient volcano,

in a tropical rainforest known as Tangkoko.

ANIMALS AND BIRDS VOCALISING

I'll be working closely with a fella called Ugi -

the leader of a team of biologists

who've been studying the monkeys for seven years.

I love them because they are cool, they are so exotic -

the black colour, the crest

and, for me, they are quite different than other species of monkey.

I can hear them.

CHITTERING AND SQUEAKING

(What a great sound!)

(Look, there they are, there they are.)

(Oh, wow!)

So good to see them again.

After such a long time.

Such unique little animals.

Unmistakable to any other monkey.

Those wonderful little crests - little almost-punk hairstyles.

And extraordinary eyes!

When the light shines on them, they're just...beautiful.

Ugi's given all 70 monkeys in this troop a name,

and wastes no time in introducing me to some of the gang.

There's one monkey clearly in charge.

Ugi calls him Tarzan, and he's the alpha male.

He's very popular with the ladies,

and Ugi tells me he's fathered 14 infants.

The other males are for ever jockeying for his job,

so Tarzan's constantly looking over his shoulder.

How long has he been the alpha?

-He's been alpha male for a year.

-A year?

How long do they normally maintain that position?

Depends how the other males support him.

-And is there always competition?

-Yeah, for sure.

If Tarzan is King of the Monkeys,

Uhura is the queen.

She is macaque aristocracy,

from a long line of ruling females.

She's one tough old monkey,

and dominates the other females by bullying their infants.

Getting to recognise all 70 monkeys is going to be quite a challenge.

It's going to take time, and so we follow them wherever they wander,

through the forest and beyond.

It's so unusual to have a troop of monkeys living on a beach.

They just love coming out here, out of the forest and...

looking like beach bums.

These are very chilled-out monkeys.

They spend a lot of time playing

and don't seem to have a care in the world.

LOUD CHITTERING

Any time the troop settles down, they seem to

get into these long grooming sessions.

It's a lovely thing to watch.

It's such a peaceful sort of occupation.

And they seem to love it.

Both the one who's giving and receiving.

They're so intent when they do it.

They take it so seriously.

They spend so many hours grooming each other every day

it just goes to show how important it is -

not just for the practical job of removing

all the little ticks and mites that live in their fur.

An equally important role is just to sort of reaffirm family bonds and friendships.

Now, some of the older monkeys are wary of me

and are keeping their distance,

but there's one young male who's bolder than all the rest.

His name is Hero, and he's one of Ugi's favourites.

Hero is a really smart monkey - you know, he's only six years old.

He's just very, very confident, by far the most confident monkey here.

Real smart guy.

Hello! Hello, Hero.

He's constantly exploring my gear,

and it's as if he wants to know everything that's happening.

I'm just doing a bit of filming, Hero.

Just doing a bit of filming.

He's always watching me,

and every time I start to film,

I've got to keep my eyes out behind me

because he's ready to launch and grab something.

But life for these monkeys isn't all fun and games.

Some people are out to get them, and this little guy has paid the price.

Ugi tells me his name is Peanut,

and he was caught in a hunter's trap as a baby.

He had to bite off his own hand to escape,

and it's left him as an outsider.

Hunting has hit these monkeys hard,

and they're now critically endangered here on Sulawesi.

My hope is that by telling their story,

it just might help in some way to save this species.

The only place the monkeys are truly safe is up in the tops of the tallest trees.

But high-rise living is not without risk.

You need to hold on...even when you're nodding off!

We need to get some rest, too,

so we head back to Ugi's research station.

But it's wonderful to be back in the company of these precious monkeys

in their enchanting forest home.

To really tell the story of individuals

and catch it on camera,

we need to spend every daylight hour with the troop.

And when did you first get here, Ugi?

I came here in 2006.

-And you come out with them every day?

-Yeah.

-They must know you pretty well. You're one of the gang.

-Yeah.

Our day always starts at the foot of their sleeping tree,

and we need to be there before they head off for breakfast.

The monkeys are really busy at this time in the morning.

I guess they haven't eaten all night.

As soon as they get out of bed

they're really actively foraging for a little while,

moving constantly all the time, going up and down the trees,

grabbing what they can.

Just like every family you know,

there are some sleepy heads and some early risers.

Ugi is studying the monkeys' relationship with the forest.

In return for this bountiful harvest, the monkeys scatter seeds

throughout their territory, helping the trees to regenerate.

Both the macaques and the forest depend on each other for survival.

I guess the forest and the monkeys have evolved together.

They've spent thousands of years in each other's company.

And so the monkeys know how to exploit every little nook and cranny.

With only one hand, Peanut has to use one of his feet to feed.

It's hard to believe he's six years old, he's so small -

but competing with the others for food is tough

and he'll always be at the bottom of the pecking order.

The fact that he lost his hand and his lower arm all those years ago -

that's dictated his entire life.

He spends a lot of time on his own,

and he will have no opportunity to move up through the hierarchy.

He's sitting there now grooming all by himself.

And with his little stump he's trying to groom himself

and he really can't do it properly.

I just wish someone would come along and groom him.

He can't reach all the bits he needs to get to.

You can't help but love him.

He really is the most adorable little monkey.

After a couple of weeks here,

I'm getting to know the macaques and their daily routine.

This is their favourite watering hole,

and I'm now able to get much closer without disturbing them.

Tarzan and his troop accepted Ugi a long time ago,

and gradually they're warming to me.

It seems like they're getting so relaxed around me these days.

Sort of feel like you're part of the troop, part of the gang.

They're not bothered by my presence in the slightest any more.

It's a great feeling.

Oh, hello.

Come to see yourself?

Hero is constantly hanging around,

and is now starting to make my life difficult!

Just a little tricky for me to film when you're doing that.

Aren't you handsome?

Oh, what a handsome fellow you are!

Hero seems fascinated by his own image.

And it's not just my camera that he likes exploring.

Oh, he's at my bag now.

He's insatiably curious, and my kit is irresistible.

Hero's the ringleader of a whole bunch of cheeky youngsters,

eagerly picking up his tricks.

I need eyes in the back of my head

and can't leave the camera alone for a minute.

Oh, no!

HE LAUGHS

No damage done, you chancers!

About a month into my stay,

and just as I feel I'm getting to grips with group politics,

Ugi thinks things might be about to change.

There's been a lone male following this group for a few days now -

what's he doing?

He is monitoring the group

because if he has the chance to go into the group,

he will try to take over the alpha male position.

Ugi knows him.

He's called Samson and he's come from a neighbouring troop.

Tarzan looks rattled.

So what do you think he's going to do?

I guess he will follow the group for a few days until he get the chance.

And so is he learning about them?

Is he sort of assessing the other males in the group?

Exactly. How strong they are, and stuff.

Every time I've seen him,

he's either been watching from a distance or following.

And he's a monkey on a mission - you know, there's purpose to this.

And he's a strong-looking male.

So it looks like he's left whatever troop he came from,

and he might well be trying to sort of see whether or not

he can get into our gang.

Even I sense the tension as Tarzan heads towards the outsider.

It's a confident move, ending in a very clear threat.

But Samson, the lone male, is not so easily scared.

Tarzan stands his ground...

..and eventually Samson backs off.

Tarzan may have held on to power

but suddenly his position looks shaky.

As calm settles over the troop again,

another long bout of grooming gets under way.

It's the hottest part of the day,

and some of the older monkeys are taking a siesta.

But while they sleep,

the younger members of the troop

have spotted an opportunity for some fun.

Not surprisingly, it's Hero who's first into the driving seat.

And it's not long before the rest of his gang come piling in.

Peanut is normally on the edge of the action,

but today he's in the thick of it.

It's great to see him having some fun for a change.

Making themselves at home.

Yeah, second gear's a bit dodgy.

Doing a little driving now?

You'll find the key just down there to your right.

Did you leave me a little present on the floor, did you?

I think I'd better drive.

HE STARTS ENGINE

No damage done.

HE DRIVES AWAY MACAQUE SNORTS

THUNDERCLAPS

The monsoon is upon us.

The rain is a welcome relief from the humidity,

but it's not much fun for us, or the monkeys.

The poor monkeys, you know - they really hate this weather.

They look absolutely miserable.

All they can do is find shelter as best they can

and just wait till the rain finishes.

There's one of them on the ground over there just found a little leaf to hide under,

like a little umbrella peeking out at the world hoping that this ends,

a bit like myself, really.

We're sort of all in the same boat.

It's all a bit miserable.

This is the most dangerous time of year for our troop.

But not because of the weather -

it's because of the rough seas.

Some local fishermen who can't make a living in these conditions

turn to the forest for an income.

They hunt monkeys.

Peanut was lucky.

He escaped from a hunter's trap and survived,

but countless others never make it.

Ugi and I are heading to the nearby town of Tomahon,

to visit the local market.

He wants to show me first-hand why these unique animals are disappearing.

This looks like any ordinary Indonesian market

but it's far from it.

In fact, I've been sort of mentally preparing to come to this place.

I'm not sure if I am actually quite prepared for what I'm about to see.

The people of north Sulawesi have a taste for wild meat.

Hundreds of them come here every week to buy animals

freshly hunted from the forest.

There's an overwhelming smell of sort of raw meat and burning flesh.

I've never been any place quite like it before

and I mightn't come to such a place again, I have to say.

It's sort of... It's hard to watch.

But it's just a cultural thing.

Here it's completely normal.

Here, housewives are out buying squirrels and rats and snakes.

It's just what they do here.

You've got to be very careful, I guess, not to be judgmental,

but it's very hard for me to watch.

What seems to be happening is

the customers are choosing the kind of meat they want

then it's taken under the counter

and it's already prepared to be brought home and consumed.

Wild pigs, snakes...

-Bats.

-Bats?

-Yeah.

-Fruit bats.

That is some amount of bats, when you think of it.

If this amount are for sale every day, seven days a week,

it just shows that the demand for bush meat is absolutely enormous.

The most sought-after meat here is macaque.

It's expensive because it's illegal.

I know for a fact that monkey is being traded in this market,

but because I'm a foreigner, it's disappearing

under the counter before I can see it.

Now, unlike me, Ugi can wander through the market

without attracting any attention.

We're using a secret camera to see if we can gather evidence

that monkey meat is for sale.

And it's not long before we capture undeniable proof -

a macaque being illegally sold in broad daylight.

I knew the monkeys were in trouble, but I had no idea it was this bad.

It's little wonder for me now

that the crested macaque is critically endangered.

And it's endangered, on the verge of going extinct, because of this -

because people like to eat them.

Any day they could end up being snared in a trap

and brought to this place,

and I can't imagine anything worse for a wild monkey

ending its life in this place, particularly one of my little mates.

It's just... It's just hard to take.

We've just got to do something about it.

To supply this endless demand,

the last wild population of monkeys

is steadily vanishing from the forest.

Since I was here 25 years ago,

their numbers have dropped by almost 90%.

These monkeys are being eaten to extinction.

Once upon a time, there were maybe tens of thousands of them.

You can understand when people were hunting and gathering

and they were part of something that people ate,

but now people are choosing to eat them just as a delicacy.

The fact that a species can disappear in this day and age

with all of our communications,

purely because people like the taste of them...

That just makes no sense, that really doesn't.

But the monkeys do have some people,

some great people, looking out for them.

Ugi and his team are trying to understand

more about the crested black macaques and how to save them.

Ugi's convinced that a film made in the local language

could make a huge difference.

With his knowledge, and my footage,

maybe we can show people how special these monkeys really are,

and then they just might think twice before eating them.

NOISY CHITTERING

We've caught up with the troop again this morning,

but something's not right.

They all seem on edge.

CHITTERING

Then we discover why -

there's no sign of Tarzan,

and there's a new male in his place.

Samson, the one who's been tracking this group for some time,

has taken over and established himself -

possibly just in one fight.

He's got a nasty looking cut on his lip.

It really does look nasty.

You can sort of see his teeth inside.

But I guess this was a prize worth fighting for.

The new regime change is an unsettling time for the troop.

They're unsure about the new male

and they look to Uhura, the alpha female, for a lead.

It's her job to keep order in the group,

and she has no choice but to accept Samson as her new male.

And not too far away, the fallen king is all on his own,

and not looking too good.

I've just spotted Tarzan,

and what a different monkey he looks now.

He's got a bad-looking gash on his arm.

It looks raw.

He's sitting all on his own and he's literally licking his wounds.

He's just trying to keep it clean, I guess.

There are no other monkeys around here now,

so for him this is a new chapter in his life.

He's completely on his own.

That's not a good thing to be if you're a monkey.

It's hard to believe looking at him now - the state of him -

that yesterday he was surrounded by females.

How the mighty can fall in such a short space of time.

So I really don't know what's going to happen to him.

Tarzan's not the only monkey that's all on his own.

Peanut is almost always alone,

and with no monkey mates to play with,

he's now started making friends with me.

I have to be careful not to stare at him, because he doesn't like it.

Hello.

I think he's had a life of having to make friends with everyone he meets,

because he's so small he can't be aggressive - there's no point.

He seems to like coming on these little visits now,

because there's some days when he gets very little company

within the group.

And I know I shouldn't really have a favourite,

sort of like having a favourite amongst your children,

but there's something a bit special about this little monkey.

As the day heats up, Peanut tries not to get left behind,

while Hero and his gang of teenagers head down to the river to cool off.

As soon as the youngsters get sight of the water

they just can't resist getting in and just having a mess around.

Just to escape from the humidity of the forest

and the constant heat it must be so nice.

I wouldn't mind getting in there myself.

You can't help but feel part of the fun.

Little Peanut always tries his best to join in the fun.

But there's an edge to this monkey play -

it's a sort of rehearsal for the power games

that Tarzan and Samson have just played out for real.

Peanut will never be in their league,

whereas Hero always seems to come out on top.

BIRDS CHIRP LOUDLY

It's time to move filming up a level.

Nobody has ever observed the monkeys in their sleeping trees before.

So I want to see for myself

what it's like at the top of their favourite tree.

We're hoping to explore another big part of their world -

the forest canopy.

We've brought in a whole load of new equipment,

and the monkeys can't wait to get their hands on it!

They must be wondering what we're up to.

I just hope Hero and his gang don't chew through our ropes.

We've built a platform some 40 metres up in the monkeys' sleeping tree,

and we're desperately hoping the new construction won't put them off.

Now all we can do is wait for them to come to bed.

There's a couple of hornbills, right over there.

Such a special place though, isn't it?

THEY WHISPER

They certainly know that we're here,

and I think they're a little surprised.

They don't seem too put out, but they've spotted us.

(Beside you...beside you.) Hello.

They're starting to climb the trees all around us.

(Hero, Hero, Hero...)

Oh, here comes Hero.

He's looking at me. Doesn't know what to think.

So good to see them up in the canopy, it really is!

To see what they experience.

They make it look so easy.

They're just so agile compared to us human beings,

they just seem to ascend effortlessly -

even the little youngsters.

As darkness descends,

we find ourselves in a crowded tree top dormitory.

They're all settling down for the night.

You can see the mothers are holding tightly onto the babies.

Just the chattering quiet contact calls and the rustling of leaves.

It's a perfect end to a day.

The monkeys seem very relaxed... quiet.

It's like the squabbles of the day are over.

It's absolutely magical.

Just magical.

This forest and these monkeys, they're just so intertwined

and I can't imagine sitting up in a canopy like this in 20 years' time

and not hearing those calls.

Having just an empty forest.

BELL TOLLS CHORAL SINGING

It's Easter Sunday.

# Hallelujah, Hallelujah... #

SINGING CONTINUES

Easter's a great time of celebration in this part of the world,

which is predominantly Christian.

Everyone's out on the streets in their finery and having a good time.

But it's a really dangerous time for our monkeys,

because they are on the menu at this time of the year.

I've just heard that yesterday four monkeys were found at Tomahon market

and there are lots of other bush markets around this place, too,

so I wonder how many people are celebrating Easter today

by eating monkey.

But the tide may just be starting to turn.

The children of north Sulawesi are already starting to see things differently.

PUPILS CHANT IN LOCAL DIALECT

Ito and Elis work for an education charity in schools and villages

across north Sulawesi, teaching the children about the value of monkeys.

It's impressive work and I find it really moving to watch.

These kids seem to have got the message,

but Ugi and I want to help spread the word to the wider community.

We've started editing our film and we plan to show it in the village

before I leave in a few weeks' time.

If people can see monkeys as individuals,

and not just as meat, they may yet survive.

Time is running out.

There are just 2,000 monkeys left here in Tangkoko,

and this is their last stronghold.

When we meet up with them again,

there's still tension at the top of the troop.

Tarzan's nursing nasty injuries,

but, incredibly, he's trying to work his way back into his old group.

The new alpha, Samson, won't like this, especially when Tarzan

starts cosying up with the females.

It's great to see Tarzan back in the group.

The females seem to like him.

But Samson's...

Samson's having a good look at what's going on.

OK, that was Samson...showing the females and Tarzan -

"Don't get too comfortable with this situation,

"I'm not having any of that, thank you very much."

Tarzan's been the alpha here for quite a while

so he's got quite strong relationships

and he's got to rekindle those without upsetting the new man in charge.

If he crosses that line, this new male could teach him another lesson,

and he doesn't want that.

But Tarzan's being a very clever politician -

by lip-smacking he's showing Samson respect.

It's the two big males getting close together.

It's like Tarzan is trying to find his way in the troop again.

But it's moments like this, anything could happen.

Oh, look.

Right now, Tarzan is being submissive to the new male.

He's, like, trying to probably bond with him,

to maybe become the next-in-line, to be his subordinate -

something I never could have imagined happening just a week ago.

What a smart diplomat Tarzan's proved himself to be,

negotiating his way out of trouble,

and back into the troop as Samson's second-in-command.

The more I get to know these guys,

the more complex this society becomes.

This is what Ugi and I want people to understand -

that these monkeys are clever, sensitive creatures, just like us.

And in my final week here,

there's some really good news for the group...

..there's a brand-new infant, and Ugi has christened him Colin, after me.

-This baby's only a day or two old?

-Yeah.

And what happens in the troop when there's a new baby?

Normally, if we have a new baby born, a lot of females get excited,

and they would like to play with the small baby,

and some female pretend to groom the mother,

but actually she would like to play with the baby.

Even when the babies are just a few days old

it's as if they can't wait to get their little bit of independence.

As soon as Mum's back is turned,

they're sort of getting into mischief.

It's as if they can't wait to get out and explore the world for themselves.

And sometimes, when Mum is grooming they start wandering away

and exploring the vegetation and testing their strength.

It's going to be a jungle playground for them for the next while.

Baby Colin has wandered too far from his mother.

He's stumbled into the path of Uhura.

It's an early lesson to keep a wary eye out for the alpha female.

Once she's shown her dominance,

Colin is allowed to return to his mother,

shaken but not harmed.

But then Mum sees what's going on

and sort of gathers him back into the fold.

"You shouldn't be doing that yet, you're too young to wander off on your own."

You know when a species is in this much trouble,

every birth has got to be celebrated.

That's what we need - lots more births, lots more monkeys.

We need this population to stop declining, and soon,

and start building again.

SPEAKS LOCAL DIALECT

It's monkey movie night in the village.

Tonight we're planning to show our film

but first we need to get the word out on the streets.

We're just trying to drum up a bit of support for our film tonight.

It's a lot of fun.

Looks like lots of people are going to come.

If they all turn up, we're going to be in trouble.

Shall we stop here and hand some out?

SPEAKS LOCAL DIALECT

Ugi and his megaphone have worked wonders.

A crowd of about 500 have turned up for our screening.

FEMALE VOICEOVER IN LOCAL DIALECT

Despite the fact they're almost neighbours,

most people here have never seen the monkeys behaving naturally,

and they seem to find them fascinating.

LAUGHING AND CHATTERING

The whole idea of the film is to make people think,

and understand how precious these monkeys are.

And it looks as though it's working.

For the first time, people are learning that the monkeys live in family groups,

and take care of their young just like we do.

When the film reveals how rare and endangered the monkeys are,

the atmosphere changes and the crowd falls silent.

Now I know the monkeys won't be saved overnight

by people watching a film.

But just to get the local community learning about monkeys

and showing an interest is progress of a kind.

If they can take home the idea that the macaques are about to disappear for ever

then the growing movement to save them could gain momentum

and the monkeys could still have a future.

APPLAUSE

Ugi and I are bringing the children we met at school into the forest

to meet the monkeys.

It's the first time many of the kids have actually been in the rainforest

and they're very excited about seeing the macaques.

As the next generation learn to value the monkeys,

I hope they might not want to eat them,

and the hunting should eventually stop.

My time with the troop is coming to an end.

I've come to say goodbye, especially to my little favourite, Peanut.

I'm delighted to see that for once

he's looking rather pleased with himself.

This is a really lovely moment.

He spends so much time on his own and he rarely gets groomed,

and here he's getting a really good once over.

It's just lovely to see.

Peanut has made friends with a young female

who's taken quite a shine to him.

He's clearly responding well to the attention.

I've never seen him so happy.

When I catch up with Hero for the last time, he's found a new toy.

Someone has left a motorbike parked in the forest -

never a good idea - and Hero has claimed it as his own.

The other youngsters are content to watch the young master at work.

Today he's king of the road,

but I've a feeling it won't be long

before he becomes king of the monkeys.

Now that Samson and Tarzan have worked out the new pecking order,

peace reigns over the troop.

Some of the youngsters have become incredibly friendly

and it feels like I'm now part of the gang.

Now I'd normally try and keep my distance,

but there's nothing I can do about this.

Might as well just try and enjoy it.

And then a second pair of hands starts grooming me, too.

All my hours of filming are rewarded in one single moment.

Just amazing.

I can't quite believe that that just happened on my last day in the forest.

Such an amazing feeling.

Just saw them coming closer and closer until they filled my lens.

Then I just felt that...

..the first touch.

And it wasn't just a casual tap on the head.

It wasn't just that sort of contact, it was a full-on groom.

I wonder what they think of me.

I know what I think of them.

Wonderful, wonderful creatures.

It's like a... Like a little parting gift, I guess.

It's going to be really tough leaving them behind.

But I'm leaving this place with a real sense of hope,

a sense that all is not lost,

and that's because the people who are working to save them

are working really hard.

It's just been such a privilege, not just to work with these monkeys,

but to work with the people trying to save them.

I'm sad to go, but I leave knowing that over the coming months

the film that Ugi and I made will eventually be shown

right across northern Sulawesi.

I hope that as I depart, these wonderful monkeys

will find many, many more friends.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd