Pygmy Chimpanzee: The Last Great Ape
(1997)
The first ever film to be devoted entirely to these highly intelligent primates, Pygmy Chimpanzee: The Last Great Ape is an intriguing exploration of the bonobo's society, behaviour and day-to-day life. Impressive photography details the incredible variety of social expressions, incessant chatter and the tolerant, relaxed group dynamics of man's closest living relative.
Focusing on an orphaned male, Shijimi, David Attenborough provides an intriguing glimpse into the bonobo's social psychology. In most animal groups he would not have survived without a foster mother, however heartwarming footage sees him befriending the older males, gaining acceptance by grooming them.
Shown as part of the BBC's Wildlife On One strand, this award-winning half hour film brings to life the importance of sex in the chimps' every day life, examining its use as a 'social cement'.
Discussing the threats they face in their restricted habitat, Attenborough provides a fascinating insight into these vulnerable primates, struggling to survive in the rainforests of war-torn Zaire.
