Dr. Rebeca Atencia rescues infant chimp Zeze, he’s not only lost an eye but his mother too, both likely caused by poachers hunting for bushmeat. Through previously unseen footage we follow Dr. Jane Goodall’s journey to create a sanctuary for orphaned chimps.
Infant chimp Motambo is rescued, he’s suffering from tetanus, and prescribed antibiotics. Teenage chimp Kimenga escapes, and Dr. Alexandra Rosati explains how good chimps are at solving problems.
While work is underway on the three new paradise islands that’ll soon house over 100 chimps, back at the sanctuary the baby group goes on their daily forest school trip, to learn how to live in the wild.
Dr. Rebeca Atencia releases the first two chimps to their new semi-wild existence on the sanctuary’s new islands, then sets out to rescue an illegally kept pet mandrill, but encounters resistance from angry villagers.
The sanctuary’s islands are now home to nearly a hundred chimps. Due to Tchimpounga’s education campaigns, there are fewer chimps in need of help locally, and when Dr. Rebeca Atencia rescues two chimps from terrible conditions in neighboring Angola, she also finds an infant chimp in a bad way.
Filmed over a year on location at Dr. Jane Goodall’s chimpanzee sanctuary in the Republic of Congo, this is the moving story of one of the most ambitious and scientifically rigorous wilderness reintroduction programs ever attempted. A group of orphaned chimpanzees is being prepared for reintroduction into the wilderness. It’s a challenging prospect, as the chimps have no experience living in the forest, and no perception of the dangers lurking there.
In preparation for the wild, Dr Alex Rosati designs a test to see how the chimps respond to a wild chimpanzee call. As this test is underway, so is the search for the perfect release site. While infant George learns how to crack open nuts, Dr Cat Hobaiter reveals the secrets to chimp gestures, and the sniffer dog team’s new recruit, Carel, succeeds on his first mission.
A chimp is born on Tchindzoulou Island, but there are serious complications. The release group are assessed on how they react to dangerous snakes, and Dr Cat Hobaiter analyzes Kefan’s unique leadership style. At the main sanctuary, Mbebo jumps the fence of his enclosure and goes walkabout, and 91 parrots arrive at short notice, so the team must rush to find room to house them.
Recent arrival Aymard meets his surrogate mom, and a sick infant chimp, John, is rescued and brought to Tchimpounga by plane. The two meet for the first time and soon become close friends. Some of the parrots make a bid for freedom while being moved outside, and after assessing the release group’s nest building skills, Rebeca spends time with her chimpanzee family in the forest.
Tchimpounga isn't just for chimps, and we meet the other species the staff care for, like the misfit monkeys, who undergo medical checkups to ensure they’re fit for release. Chimpanzee intelligence is explored, including a look at Dr Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking work on tool use by chimps, and the release group’s foraging skills are scientifically assessed on Tchindzoulou.
Rebeca returns from an ambitious rescue mission to Angola with 8 chimps, the largest number to arrive in 30 years. The release group's survival skills are tested, and the sanctuary’s mandrill release programme gains an unexpected new member. As the release group near the end of their preparation for the wild, one of them has a new baby, bringing them all together as a community.
