The Intimate Ape: Orangutans and the Secret Life of a Vanishing Species
Journalist Thompson begins his introspective exploration of orangutans and the people who study and work with them with an expression of his own passion for these lesser-known apes. As he travels the rivers of Borneo on his way to the rain-forest home of the orangutan, he writes of those who have gone before, such as William Temple Hornaday, who shot orangutans for taxidermy as museum specimens even while he kept a young one as a pet. The author contrasts this early view of orangs with the dedication of such modern researchers as John MacKinnon, who was the first to spend long hours watching orangutans in the wild; Herman Rijksen, who began the process of rehabilitating formerly captive orangutans for re-release into their forest home; and perhaps the most famous, Biruté Galdikas, who made a commitment to the jungle and felt that she was born to study orangutans. This intimate look at a little-known ape will fascinate. --Nancy Bent