'Planet of the Primates' series premieres on 'Born to be Wild' this Wednesday, August 21

BORN TO BE WILD
Planet of Primates - Part 1
Airing Date: August 21, 2013
 

Scientific theories say that humans evolved from the great apes like gorillas and chimpanzees. Human DNA is approximately 98.4% identical to that of chimpanzees. Though we don’t have gorillas or chimpanzees in the Philippines, our closest primate here is the long-tailed macaque. But in several areas it seems they are more human-like than we think. This Wednesday, Doc Ferds Recio and Doc Nielsen Donato immerse into the planet of the primates.
 

Some monkeys have been troubling human communities. In Calauan, Laguna a monkey is said to be pestering villagers. Its antics include stealing a cellular phone from a passerby and breaking into houses. Doc Nielsen goes to the community to observe and understand the primate’s rogue behavior. He tries to retrieve the “pest monkey,” but it is smart and fast, capable of outrunning its captors.

In another town up north, monkeys have learned to work. They work as beggars, with daily shifts in the same street where they beg for food. Doc Nielsen observes their behavior, and notices their organized hierarchy where each monkey has a role. And when they go home to their nest at dawn, they fall in line by hierarchy. It appears we are not the only primates capable of building organized societies, and as the vets get to know them more, they learn to admire and respect these primates’ intelligence.