'Baby Chimp Rescue': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about the BBC America docuseries
What happens when your family of baby chimps grows so large that you have to get them ready to adapt to the wild? It's an odd and very specific question, but if you are curious about the answer, don't miss BBC America's newest docuseries, 'Baby Chimp Rescue'.
Coming to the channel in December, the three-part docuseries follows the husband-and-wife team of Jenny and Jim Desmond, who rescue and rehabilitate endangered chimps in Liberia. Read on to know more details about 'Baby Chimp Rescue'.
Release date
'Baby Chimp Rescue' will premiere on BBC America on Saturday, December 5, at 8/7c. The three episodes will air weekly and will conclude on Saturday, December 19.
Plot
A house full of baby chimps, and a heart full of love. Husband and wife Jenny and Jim Desmond are parents to an unusual and very large family -- 21 orphaned baby chimpanzees. But their home in Liberia is rapidly becoming too small for this rambunctious troop of animals. Stretched to their limits, the Desmonds are building a sanctuary in the forest so their unconventional family can live as natural a life as possible. But before they can move out, these orphans need to learn how to live like wild chimps.
Welcome to baby chimp school, where lessons are taught by Jim, Jenny, a team of local caregivers, and chimp expert Ben Garrod. Star pupils include Max, the cheeky future alpha male who is easily distracted from lessons. Ella, the youngest, is a very fast learner. And Lucy, the cleverest, helps teach the others what to do. The series also highlights the work the Desmonds are doing with the wildlife authorities to rescue endangered chimps and teach the public that chimps are neither pets nor food. With the wild chimp population in free-fall, they're in a race against time to change the way people see chimpanzees -- before they disappear forever.
'Baby Chimp Rescue' is narrated by Gillian Burke.
Cast
Jim Desmond
Dr. Jimmy Desmond DVM, MS is a wildlife veterinarian specializing in emerging infectious diseases. He is a consultant with several international NGO's including EcoHealth Alliance, Smithsonian Institution, Jane Goodall Institute, and the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA). Jimmy spent two years as Consulting Veterinarian and Deputy to the Director for The Humane Society of the United States in Liberia. He is the founder of both Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection in West Africa and Partners in Animal Welfare and Protection in the US.
Jenny Desmond
Jenny Desmond, an animal welfare and conservation consultant, provides guidance and support in a variety of capacities to international private and not for profit organizations. Current clients include the Jane Goodall Institute, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance, Smithsonian Institute, EcoHealth Alliance, and several global wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centers. She is the founder of both Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection in West Africa and Partners in Animal Welfare and Protection in the US.
Ben Garrod
Dr. Ben Garrod is an evolutionary biologist and expert primatologist, having spent the last decade working on great ape conservation projects across the globe, including several years in Uganda developing a chimpanzee conservation site for the Jane Goodall Institute. He is also an award-winning TV presenter, working with the BBC on a number of television programs including 'The Day the Dinosaurs Died', 'Secrets of Bones and Attenborough', and 'The Giant Dinosaur' alongside Sir David Attenborough.
Producers
'Baby Chimp Rescue' is executive produced by Jo Shinner ('Planet Earth: A Celebration', 'Earth From Space'). The docuseries was made by BBC Studios Natural History Unit, and was commissioned by Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two, and Commissioning Editor is Emeka Onono.
Trailer
If you like this, you will love these:
'Ature Chimpanzee'
'Jane'
'Project Nim'
'Unlocking the Cage'
'People of the Forest: The Chimps of Gombe'