Chimpanzee

Once, not long ago,

in deepest Africa,

a great rain forest,

a wild, magical land,

barely touched by humankind.

It's a special day in the dark

heart of this forest.

There's a new life,

a precious baby boy named Oscar.

What's so special

about this little guy?

Well, something truly amazing

will transform his life.

And that's what our

story is all about.

Beneath this rain forest canopy

is a world that you or I

may never set eyes on.

It's a world with few people,

but still, it's full of drama,

sadness, and joy.

About three months have passed

since little Oscar brought

light into his mother's life.

Isha couldn't be happier

with her new baby boy.

Oscar's world revolves around Mom,

but there are 35 other chimpanzees

in his group

that make a kind of extended family,

and they're never far away.

Perhaps one day Oscar will become

an old-timer like Grandpa,

who will turn 50 this year.

But there are other kids, too.

They'll become Oscar's playmates.

It's a rich society,

but in the heart of the jungle.

Now, Oscar won't be

in his prime until he's over 20,

but one day, he'll look like this big guy.

This is Freddy,

and he's large and in charge.

His white beard shows his years

of wisdom and experience.

Right now, Freddy is untouchable.

And like most alpha males,

he couldn't care less

about the young upstarts

who would just love

to take over his job someday.

Yeah, yeah. Seen it all before.

You need brains

to make a living in this forest.

The jungle toolbox can help,

but only if you're bright

enough to use it.

Sometimes it just takes

a little home-schooling

available from your friends and family.

See? Like this.

Right there.

Even Rufus catches on, eventually.

There you go. Bugs on a stick.

It's finally time for Oscar

to leave his mother's side.

For Isha 's little boy,

this is independence day,

and independence

comes one step at a time.

Well, that's enough

independence for one day.

Oscar's forest home is a prime

piece of chimpanzee real estate

that appears rich and lush,

but it's a hard place to make a living.

The jungle itself is a living,

breathing thing

that doesn't want to be eaten.

Finding food here is a full-time job

that involves the whole family,

including Oscar.

Now that he's grown up a little,

he can start to explore on his own.

But he's not above

catching a lift when he can.

Really, why walk

when you can hitch a ride?

Keep it moving, Mom.

Freddy leads the search for breakfast.

It helps to have someone who

knows where they're going,

especially when the restaurant

is never in the same place.

Today the diner isn't even

in the same neighborhood.

To find the fruit they'll need,

they will have to travel much further

and take a risk.

Freddy knows the only fruit

available now

is on the far side of their kingdom,

out of their safe zone.

This border has been

a battleground for generations.

Everyone is on maximum alert

and treads as quietly as possible.

Freddy is leading them close

to their greatest enemies.

This ridge marks the start of territory

owned by a group

of rival chimpanzees.

The forbidden fruit is finally in reach.

Shh, Oscar. Shh.

Freddy sees his team

are outnumbered two to one.

The enemy has a formidable leader,

Scar.

He and his team have had Freddy

in their sights for years.

Oscar clings to Isha.

They dare not make a move.

The rivals have caught their scent.

Oscar and the others

are in real danger.

Scar's drum is a threat.

For Isha, it's run or die.

Freddy leads the escape.

By running off Freddy's group,

their enemies have claimed

a small victory.

But that's just the beginning.

Scar and his troops are intent

on winning the war,

not just a single battle.

The prize,

a grove of nut trees

in the center of Freddy's land.

The grove is an oasis of food

in this difficult forest

and one that Scar's army

has to conquer

if they're going to survive and thrive.

Isha knows that Scar

is the greatest threat to little Oscar,

and the run-in

was too close for comfort.

She'll do everything possible

to keep her son safe.

Oscar will rely on his mother's

milk for a good while yet,

and to keep that milk flowing

Isha relies on the rich nuts

in Freddy's kingdom.

The magnificent nut groves,

so sought-after by Scar,

thrive here because of the rich soil,

and another magic ingredient,

life-giving water.

Beneath the waterfall,

in the heart of Freddy's territory,

the nuts are coming into season

and it's time for a feast.

They're delicious, nutritious,

and you can't eat just one.

It seems impossible to have too many.

But how do you carry them

without a bag?

You've got to be creative.

Hmm. Put them over in this hand.

Anybody watching this?

The ripest nuts can be sniffed out.

But these are also

the hardest to break into.

They require the right tool

for the right job.

It looks easier than it is,

and the technique takes these

guys many years to master.

Yeah, here we go. Yum, yum.

Sometimes the best tool

for getting nuts isn't a tool at all.

Yup, it's good old Mom.

It's a pretty sweet deal.

But Mom will only help out

for a couple of years.

Then they'll have to take

a shot at it themselves.

Really, how hard can it be?

Oscar is in nut preschool.

There's something wrong

with this hammer.

It won't hit the nut!

Yup, definitely the hammer.

Of course. A bigger one!

This is defective!

They just don't make logs

like they used to.

All right. It has to be the nut.

Whoa, whoa, hold on.

They're using rocks?

No one said anything about rocks.

Oh, I get it.

They must be harder than wood.

Mr. Nut, meet Mr. Rock.

Come to Papa.

Yes! Okay, that's one.

Now Oscar's out of nuts.

He'll have to leave

his hammer to stock up.

Rookie mistake.

I had an eye on that kid all day.

What an idiot.

After all those nuts,

nobody's swinging through the trees.

Yes, it's time to rest and digest.

Even our boy Oscar's knocked out.

It can take hours

to sleep off a big meal,

but the jungle never rests.

In the heat of day,

the parents just want a few

minutes of peace and quiet,

but the kids have other ideas.

Especially Oscar.

Come on up, guys!

A million trees in this forest

and you have to play over me.

I'm sleeping. I am still sleeping!

Poor Isha. Just look at her.

She really does have

her hands full with Oscar,

but her patience

never seems to run out.

Oscar's one lucky young chimp.

Scar and his thugs

are a growing threat.

Food is still scarce in their territory.

If nothing changes,

they'll be forced to make

a move on the nut groves.

If they succeed,

Freddy and his group will be exiled

from their homeland forever.

The aging Scar is under

constant pressure from within.

The males in his team are so powerful

that any one of them could

challenge him as leader,

and he knows it.

Grooming helps hold

this volatile team together

and reminds everyone who's boss.

Without it, there would be anarchy.

This hierarchy may hold

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes