Chimps Get the Jump on Humans

Naturalist Alastair Fothergill set up his hammock deep in the jungle, lay down clumsily and promptly fell to the ground. He had to laugh: If the local chimpanzees were watching from the trees above, he imagined they’d be unimpressed by evolution.

Some viewers might have a similar reaction to Animal Planet’s special “Going Ape,” tonight at 8, in which Fothergill and his partner test their survival skills for several days while tracking and observing a group of chimps in the Thai Forest of West Africa. The chimps are much more impressive and interesting than the humans, and while “Going Ape” is engaging and enlightening enough, it might have worked even better as a plain nature show without its “Survivor” and “Fear Factor” trappings.

Fothergill, producer of Discovery Channel’s “Blue Planet” series, and conservationist Saba Douglas-Hamilton eat, sleep and live more or less like the chimps, with few creature comforts beyond mosquito nets. Food and water are elusive without the skills lost to evolution. Keeping up with the chimps, who zip through the dense, hot jungle, also tests their mettle.

The humans complain of hunger, fatigue and dehydration, fantasizing about devouring a full English breakfast instead of big ants that sting your tongue if you don’t swallow fast enough. The show plays up the hazards the humans face, but this feels like unscripted TV-style danger--more discomforting than anything else. When the pair lose their way at one point, it turns out they have a savvy local guide at their disposal.

Despite its gimmicks, at its core “Going Ape” tells the story of a fascinating, smart species, our closest cousin. And when it gets close enough to the chimps to explore their hunting, grooming and communication rituals, it tells it well.