A unique documentation of an exceptional and very special endangered species’ way of life, based on the very latest research on the subject

Please click on one of the pictures to view the complete gallery.

The Authors

The journalist Gerd Schuster and his team has carried out fieldwork research on the surprising and to an extent shocking reality of the jungle, and pulls no punches in the reports contained in this book.

The Dutch conservationist and author of several specialist publications, Willie Smits, now lives mainly in Southeast Asia. He is the founder of BOS Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

The photographer Jay Ullal became famous for his photographs of major personalities for Stern magazine. His later specialization in animal photography has produced sensational photos on the living conditions and behavior of the orangutan in photos shot during five trips to Borneo and Sumatra.

The Book

It is no exaggeration to describe the book as a sensation. A swimming orangutan is seen for the very first time in world-exclusive photos, although research still assumes that great apes cannot swim. Orangutans are shown angling with sticks; this form of tool use was unknown until now. Jay Ullal’s photos are simply the best to be found in this field. Almost ten thousand photos were shot during five trips to Borneo and Sumatra, including 40 world-exclusive gems. These, and hundreds of other fascinating photos, are contained in this book.

The accompanying text does justice to these photos. Scientifically well-founded, it is also vivid. It reveals the world of the orangutan in all its diversity. But it also tells the story of Willie Smits, who evolved from a protector of orangutans to a protector of the climate.

The authors do not shy from addressing the awful situation they find. Many governments and organizations show surprisingly little commitment when it comes to protecting the climate, environment, and endangered species. Even today. That this must change as a matter of urgency is made strikingly clear by the book’s content.

The publisher Herbert Ullmann visited Dr. Willie Smits in Borneo (more) and showed just how impressed he was by his efforts and great success: “There are books that can be published, and books that have to be published. Thinkers of the Jungle belongs unequivocally to the latter category.

On Herbert Ullmann's Borneo Diary

The publisher Herbert Ullmann traveled to Borneo to gain for himself an on-the-spot idea of two stations for reintroducing orangutans to the wild. more