My Wild Affair

Humans and animals obviously move in different worlds, but it's possible for them to sometimes forge close, even lifelong bonds. This PBS-aired series presents four stories of people having a "wild affair" with animals who were orphaned or injured. “The Ape Who Went to College” centers on an orangutan called Chantek, who was brought to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the late 1970s, a time when many researchers felt that the human-animal divide could be bridged by teaching sign language to apes. Chantek soon had the run of the campus; he learned how to use money, ordered cheeseburgers at a restaurant drive-thru, appeared in the university's class yearbook, and basically enjoyed “all the trappings of middle class life." But this all changed as he grew up, and began to frequently escape at night, once attacking a coed. After 8 years, Chantek was shipped back to a research lab and ultimately wound up in a zoo. “The Rhino Who Joined the Family” involves a baby black rhino orphan who loved roaming with children, giving piggyback rides, and having a good mud wallow. Sadly, he became "imprinted" with his human family, and was eventually returned to the wild but lacked the techniques needed to survive. “The Elephant Who Found a Man” looks at a baby elephant who died of grief when temporarily separated from his human "mother," and “The Seal Who Came Home” concerns the exploits of Andre the harbor seal, who became something of a celebrity—periodically returning to his human family over a 20-year span after being returned to sea. My Wild Affair illustrates what we have learned about hand-rearing baby animals, contrasting historical approaches with modern methods and research. A poignant but also often humorous series, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)