In the thick humidity of Borneo, Dr. Biruté Galdikas sits atop a tree stump, watching the jungle canopy. Cicadas hum as branches shake and a mother orangutan, her infant clinging to her side, descends to feed. For a brief moment, she and Biruté lock eyes—a silent recognition—before the mother vanishes into the forest. Biruté’s eyes smile through her thick glasses as she whispers, “What would the world be like without them? It would be so lonely to lose our closest ancestors. That is what drives me—passion to save them.”

For more than 54 years, she has devoted her life to observing, rescuing, and rehabilitating orangutans. Dr. Galdikas is one of the legendary “Trimates,” chosen by Louis Leakey alongside Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey to pioneer great ape field studies. In 1971, she journeyed to Central Kalimantan, Borneo, where she founded Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting Reserve.

Her study is now the longest continuous field project in conservation history. To witness her passion and energy today is profoundly inspiring. She embodies Mother Nature herself. I was humbled to spend time with Biruté and her son, Fred, as they guided me through this endangered cathedral of life.

Explore.org, the world’s leading philanthropic live cam nature network, is proud to share Saving Our Ancestors: Reflections by Dr. Biruté Galdikas. What began as a mission to install live cameras became a rekindling of my own filmmaking spirit. The orangutans and their forests need us. May Biruté’s story inspire us all to act with selflessness and courage.