The Mbeli Bai is a large, swampy forest clearing located deep in the Republic of Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park - where gorillas routinely engage in age-old rituals safe from the dangers of the modern world. This primitive setting presents the perfect opportunity for researchers to observe these great apes in subtle ways that do not disrupt their normal behavior patterns. Over a period of 12 years, conservationists with the Wildlife Conservation Society followed the lives of 19 adult male western

The orangutan is a highly intelligent member of the Great Apes – but this brightly colored animal rarely gets the respect it deserves – a fact that has left the species threatened with extinction in both Sumatra and Borneo. Public perception of the orangutan in that area is either that of an animal of little consequence, a pest responsible for agricultural damages, or simply a cute little ape that can be kept as a pet for entertainment.