Orangutans have long captured the human imagination, their expressive eyes and human-like behaviors drawing parallels with our own species. Yet few individuals have had the opportunity to dive as deeply into the minds and lives of these great apes as Gary L. Shapiro.
A pioneer in primate communication, Dr. Shapiro’s work spans five decades, encompassing not only groundbreaking studies in orangutan cognition but also a lifelong commitment to their conservation. Now, as his book Out of the Cage: My Half Century Journey from Curiosity to Concern for Indonesia’s “Persons of the Forest” prepares to hit the shelves, Shapiro reflects on the unique journey that brought him from the academic study of animal behavior to the jungles of Borneo, where he lived among and communicated with ex-captive orangutans.
Shapiro’s foray into the world of orangutan communication was almost serendipitous. As a graduate student in the 1970s, he was inspired by the pioneering work of Drs. Allen and Beatrix Gardner, who had famously taught a chimpanzee to use American Sign Language. Shapiro soon found himself at Fresno City Zoo, where a juvenile orangutan named Aazk became the first of her kind to be taught an artificial symbolic language. This initial research planted the seeds of what would become Shapiro’s lifelong fascination with orangutan cognition and communication, leading him to a remote part of Indonesian Borneo in the late 1970s, where he conducted the first study of sign language in great apes living in their natural environment.
It was during his time at Camp Leakey, an orangutan rehabilitation center in Tanjung Puting National Park, that Shapiro’s work took on a new dimension. His early experiments in teaching signs to ex-captive orangutans in Borneo revealed not only their ability to grasp symbolic communication but also their deep emotional and social complexity. One of the orangutans, a female named Princess, formed an especially close bond with Shapiro, who describes her as having adopted him as her “father.” Over the course of their relationship, Princess learned more than 30 signs, which she used to express her desires and observations about her surroundings. It was a remarkable achievement, not only for what it revealed about orangutan cognition but also for the profound connection between humans and our closest relatives in the animal kingdom.
But for Shapiro, the significance of his work has always extended beyond mere academic curiosity. His time in Borneo opened his eyes to the broader plight of the orangutans, whose rainforest habitats were being rapidly decimated by logging and oil palm plantations. The survival of the species, he realized, was inextricably tied to the fate of these vital ecosystems. In response, Shapiro became an outspoken advocate for orangutan conservation, helping to establish several organizations dedicated to the protection of both the apes and their forest homes. His role as the co-founder of Orangutan Foundation International and later the Orang Utan Republik Foundation reflects his commitment not only to research but also to the education and advocacy necessary to safeguard orangutans’ future.
Yet despite decades of conservation efforts, the situation remains dire. The population of orangutans continues to decline, driven by habitat destruction, poaching, and the illegal pet trade. Shapiro is acutely aware of the challenges facing the species, but he remains hopeful that greater awareness and education can turn the tide. His conservation organizations focus heavily on outreach and education in local communities, particularly in Sumatra and Borneo, where the world’s remaining wild orangutans live. Through initiatives such as scholarships for Indonesian students and community engagement programs, Shapiro seeks to inspire the next generation of conservationists.
Shapiro’s dedication to orangutan advocacy has also led him to embrace the concept of “orangutan personhood,” a recognition of the inherent rights of these highly intelligent and emotionally complex creatures. This notion, which has gained some traction in recent years, argues that great apes, like humans, should be entitled to basic rights such as life, liberty, and protection from harm. In 2015, an Argentine court recognized an orangutan named Sandra as a non-human person, a landmark ruling that Shapiro views as an important step forward in the fight for great ape rights. While legal recognition of orangutan personhood remains elusive in many parts of the world, Shapiro believes that progress is being made, even if slowly.
For Shapiro, the question of orangutan rights is not merely a theoretical one. His decades-long relationship with these animals has left him with a deep sense of their personhood—a term he uses deliberately to emphasize the emotional and intellectual capacities of orangutans, capacities that have traditionally been reserved for humans. “Orangutans are persons of the forest,” he says, “and they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.” His book Out of the Cage is not only a chronicle of his scientific work but also a plea for a reevaluation of how humans view and treat the other sentient beings with whom we share the planet.
As the world grapples with the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, Shapiro’s work takes on new urgency. The rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra—critical habitats for orangutans—are among the most biodiverse regions on Earth, and their destruction has far-reaching implications for global climate stability. For Shapiro, the stakes could not be higher. “To save the orangutans,” he argues, “we must save the forests. And to save the forests, we must change the way we think about our relationship with nature.”
In Out of the Cage, Shapiro offers not only a personal account of his groundbreaking research but also a call to action for the conservation of one of the world’s most endangered species. As the book’s release coincides with the ongoing struggle to preserve the rainforests of Southeast Asia, Shapiro’s message is clear: the survival of orangutans is a test of humanity’s willingness to protect the natural world that sustains us all.
READ THE INTERVIEW: Gary Shapiro’s half-century journey from zoos to the wilds of Borneo
