I hope people will see the beauty of the orangutan in the wild and realise that this is where they need to stay." – Michelle Yeoh

SHE

Recently, the actress starred in a documentary produced by National Geographic Channel called Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh.

Shot in high definition (HD), this one-hour documentary is the second of two made-in-Malaysia full HD documentaries under the Malaysia to the World 2 partnership with Finas, and the fourth National Geographic production in Malaysia.

The first HD documentary produced under this partnership was Smart Tunnel.

Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh features the actress on a personal journey home to Malaysia and into the world of the orangutans.

The orangutan (Man of the Jungle) is among the planet’s most endangered primates. It is also the only great ape found in Asia. Once roaming from China to Java, the orangutan is now only found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

These gentle giants face extinction in less than 50 years if nothing is done to protect them and their habitat in the jungles.

Due to illegal logging, the orangutans have lost their natural habitat and are forced into smaller areas, making it difficult for them to sustain long-term population and biodiversity.

Yeoh travels to the renowned Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre in Sabah where she finds out what’s being done to protect these great apes. She also meets with local and international conservationists who are in the frontline of the battle to save the orangutans.

Yeoh, who has just returned to Hongkong after attending the launch of a Louis Vuitton store in Singapore, talks about her fascination with the great apes during a tele-conference call.

Asked if she has always been fascinated by the apes, Yeoh replies: "No, not to that extent. I first became interested after watching the Dian Fossey’s story Gorillas in the Mist. I’m always interested in forests and wild animals."

When Finas and National Geographic set out to find the perfect story to be turned into a documentary, they were impressed by the pitch sent in by filmmakers Lara Ariffin and Harun Rahman from Novista.

"They had pitched the idea [Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh], without even asking me yet. I thought it was gutsy. What if I had said no?" says Yeoh.

But she did like the idea when approached. "I warned them that I did not want to be a bookend, just appearing in scenes here and there. I wanted to be with the animals, getting down and dirty in the forest."

Shooting began in June and lasted three weeks. As if they could sense a major movie star in their midst, many of these elusive animals not often seen in the wild made an appearance, including wild orangutans and elephants.

"We were so lucky. The locals said that all the animals had come out to say hello!" recalls Yeoh.

On a more serious note, Yeoh laments the fact that many locals do not seem to value the orangutan the way foreigners do. Most of the volunteers in Sepilok are foreigners and donations pour in from all over the world for its upkeep.

Yeoh says educating the public about the need to protect our diverse and unique fauna is important. "I hope people will see the beauty of the orangutan in the wild and realise that this is where they need to stay."

Yeoh also adopted two orangutans in Sepilok, paying for their upkeep until they are ready to be released back into the wild in a couple of years.

One is called Sen and the other, Michelle.

"I told the people there that if they name her after me, they can’t scold her," laughs Yeoh. She hopes to make regular visits to check up on her new ‘babies’ soon.

Meanwhile, Yeoh is currently busy shooting her first martial arts film after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor doesn’t count!).

Jianyu Jianghu also stars Korean heartthrob Jung Woo-sung.

Among the Great Apes with Michelle Yeoh premieres tonight at 9pm on National Geographic Channel (Astro Channel 553).