They call him the “orangutan whisperer”.
Leif Cocks is a former zookeeper from Australia who has dedicated his life to reintroducing endangered orangutans into the wild, something previously thought impossible.
At a jungle school in Sumatra, Indonesia, rescued orangutans practice climbing, foraging and fending for themselves in the forests.
Cocks has successfully reintroduced 180 of these unique animals and plans to save 8,000 more over the next decade.
“My goal is to save enough habitat that we can have 8,000 orangutans protected in reserves that we are looking after. And that will secure the species. That’s my goal. That’s at least a decent way of spending one’s life.”
So can Leif Cocks and his jungle schools help save the endangered species from extinction?
101 East treks deep into the Sumatran jungle with the “orangutan whisperer” and meets those he is desperately trying to save.
