Orangutans: Wizards of the Rainforest

Anyone who gets this book is likely a fan of the orangutan to begin with, as was the case with me. I found this book only increased that feeling. It's written simply, not overly scientific at all. I found it a very revealing look into the lives of our red-haired cousins. Their society, their habits, their mannerisms, and their personalities are all detailed in the pages of this book. The book doesn't discuss threats to the animals too much, but logging and habitat destruction are touched on. It provides a sad reminder to the plight these gentle creatures face. My favorite part by far was all the pictures. I found them to be the best part of reading this book. Some will make you laugh, some will make you sad, but all make you think and wonder what is going on in the head of the featured orang(s). I'd definitely suggest getting this for anyone who is a fan of the orangutan, great apes, or animals in general.

If you want to learn about orangutans as a species, but are afraid of getting close to individual animals who show personalities, likes and dislikes, moods, and -- yes -- cultural adaptations, then stay away from this marvelous book. Anne Russon writes simply and wonderfully. She patiently takes the reader through an evolution of thought and appreciation for the individual orangutans who go through rehabilitation, until we are caught up in the successes and failures they experience. Most of us will never spend time at an orangutan sanctuary, so we rely on Russon for her insights. And she doesn't let us down. Her great strength is in portraying these animals as individuals who have lives that are distinctive and of value. I wish she would start a website as an "afterward" for this book, and keep us up to date on the fates of the individuals we met in these pages. Let's hope that they make it through the wanton destruction and murders that are threatening the orangutans of Indonesia and Malaysia.

Not taking anything away from Birute Galdikas who has been studying Orangutans longer than Anne Russon, but this book is different than Galdikas' two books, and as a scientific overview of these great apes it is hard to beat. Galdikas' REFLECTIONS OF EDEN mixed natural history with memoir, and ORANGUTAN ODYSSEY is slim - less text and more photographs - and serves as a good coffee-table book. Russon worked with ex-captive and former pet Orangs who were stationed at a rehabilitation center learning how to be "wild". Her descriptions of their behavior is fascinating. They have extended childhoods, and in the wild they would spend this time with their mothers learning by imitation. In captivity their learning ability has been transfered into a fondness for using human tools. The incredible imitative skills of Orangs was a revelation for Russon. This is something that primatologists have stressed as significant about all the great apes. Galdikas recognizes this as a challenge in reintroducing apes to the wild. Frans de Waal goes further and has done studies on how such "human imprinting" has impinged on the animal's "culture". Russon only provides an introduction to such topics as animal intelligence and whether or not they have a culture. Her examples of Orang learning and imitative behavior make for a thoroughly interesting read and may encourage readers to further explore the subject. I therefore highly recommend this well written book.

Interesting and funny look at the behavior of the endangered species of orangutans. This book describes the experience of Russon and her colleagues' work in transitioning abused and pet orangutans back to living in a natural environment. Orangutans are visibly very cunning animals, which have managed to trick the researchers in this national park more than once. Russan recounts her experience with an orangutan that insisted on washing clothes, and describes stories of them raiding secured guard posts and untying canoes and taking them up and down the river.I recommend this book to anyone who has interests in psychology, especially that of animals and people with pets.