BBC Two Readies Baby Chimp Rescue

BBC Two has ordered Baby Chimp Rescue, a three-part series that follows life in a home for orphaned chimpanzees, from BBC Studios Natural History Unit.

The series follows wildlife vet Jimmy Desmond and his wife Jenny, who started their baby chimp orphanage with just two rescued chimps but now have 21 to look after. Baby chimps form very close bonds with their mothers during their early years, so Jimmy, Jenny and a small army of caregivers work around the clock to help the babies recover from their trauma.

The chimp babies run riot around the compound they share with a pack of adopted dogs, as they learn to play with their new siblings.

Sadly, many of the rescued chimp babies lost their mothers before they were able to learn key skills, and will not be able to return to the wild. Professor Ben Garrod, evolutionary biologist and conservationist, will help Jimmy and Jenny teach the chimps vital life lessons such as climbing, foraging for food and recognizing danger. Ben will visit the Desmonds and their ever-growing chimp family over 12 months. Together, the team hope that the chimps will grow up to live independent lives within their new home.

Despite battling financial worries and an overflowing home, the Desmonds are determined to achieve their dream of moving the chimps to a more natural habit: a 100-acre forest surrounded by mangroves.

Jo Shinner, executive producer for BBC Studios Natural History Unit, said: “These orphan chimps are all suffering PTSD. The care and love lavished on them by the Desmonds is an extraordinary thing. This story of our times has captivating and irresistible characters, both chimp and human, set against a wider picture of wildlife crisis.”

Garrod added: “We are in a global crisis of climate change and biodiversity loss, and with everything seeming like an ecological uphill struggle, the story of the Desmonds battling to save our closest living relatives is a much needed good-news story. If we can save Max, Bui and their relatives, then it gives us hope for the future of countless other species, including ourselves.”