Born to be Wild
If you like stunning visuals from some of the most dramatic landscapes in the world, a heartwarming plot, and a comical cast, then we have a movie for you.
Born To Be Wild 3D IMAX is an incredible film that documents orphaned elephants and orangutans and the two extrordinary women who have devoted their lives to saving them from extinction. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, we are taken on a cinematic journey from the savannah in Kenya to the lush rainforest of Borneo.
In Kenya we visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where orphaned elephants are rescued, rehabilitated and nurtured until they are strong enough to return to the wild. These magnificent creatures face extinction from poaching. The mothers are slaughtered and the babies are left to starve. It is touching to see the love and dedication of the rescue team, who play soccer with the herd and feed them with giant bottles. Dame Daphne Sheldrick has spent her life among the elephants, learning about them, rescuing them and ultimately letting them go.
Next stop is the Tanjung Puting Reserve, deep in the heart of the Borneo forest. When Dr.Galdikas, a fellow anthropologist, finally convinced the renowned Dr. Leakey to fund a study on orangutans in 1971, she arrived in Borneo only to find that there weren't any telephones, roads, electricity, television, or regular mail service.
Forty years later, Dr. Galdikas is still in Borneo, with her family, the “people of the forest.” In Malay orang means “person” and utan is derived from hutan, which means “forest.” Thus, orangutan literally means “person of the forest." She started the Orangutan Foundation International and they have rescued and returned to the wild over 450 orangutans in Indonesian Borneo and protected over 1 million acres of rainforest.
Like the elephants a continent away in Africa, they also face extinction from poaching and habitat destruction. In the film we witness a magical and often hysterically funny glimpse of life on the reserve.
Thanks to the selfless work done at these foundations, the orphaned animals are offered a second chance to go home, home to the wild where they belong.
The mission of the Orangutan Foundation International is to support the conservation, protection, and understanding of orangutans and their rain forest habitat while caring for ex-captive as they make their way back to the forest. OFI has worked with Indonesian government and local communities in Borneo to expand national parks, establish reserves, and buy forest from local people and communities in order to set up local protective forests.
