Playful orangutans take GoPro cameras into the Sumatran rainforest as they film themselves taking part in 'jungle training' Video shows orangutans pulling faces and taking camera high into the trees This was part of a project to reintroduce orphaned orangutans into the wild Experts estimate orangutans may be extinct in the wild in less than 25 years By Ellie Zolfagharifard and Victoria Woollaston What happens when you give a group of cheeky orangutans a GoPro camera to play with? That's exactly what Peter Pratje wanted to find out when he handed several orangutans cameras as they took part in "jungle school" training. The playful creatures made the most of device, pulling faces into the lens, swinging it around and taking it high up into the trees of Indonesia's Sumatran rainforest. Dr Peter Pratje gave several oranguatans GoPro cameras as they took part in 'jungle school' training "As all the orangutans in our programme are orphans and hand raised by humans they were very relaxed having a GoPro team around," said Dr Pratje of Frankfurt Zoological Society and project manager in Indonesia. Dr Pratje's project, which began in 2001, trains orphaned orangutans with the skills they need to survive in the wild before releasing them into the forests of Indonesia's Bukit Tigapuluh National Park. Dr Pratje told MailOnline how, at first, the orangutans were wary of the cameras and avoided them. VIDEO: Sumatran orangutans filmed with GoPro cameras The playful creatures made the most of device, pulling faces into the lens, swinging it around and taking it high up into the trees of Indonesia's Sumatran rainforest The Sumatran orangutan lives among the trees of tropical rainforests. Females almost never travel on the ground and adult males only do so rarely. Adult males are typically solitary while females are accompanied by offspring. In Sumatra, around 80 per cent of the native forest has already been destroyed. The loss of natural habitat, along with illegal hunting, has left the Sumatran orangutan critically endangered. Of the nine existing populations of Sumatran orangutans, only seven have prospects of long-term viability, each with an estimated 250 or more individuals. Only three populations contain more than 1,000 orangutans. Humans share 96 per cent of their genes with orangutans. To change their attitude, the trainers treated the GoPro cameras as incredibly exciting objects by huddling around them and making a fuss of the technology. This sparked the interest of the orangutans - particularly one playful character called Julius, who is seen interacting with the cameras and getting lots of close-up shots. There was a risk that the orangutans would bite the cameras into pieces. However, when they did try, they didn't manage to crack it," said Dr Pratje. While the video provides amusing shots of orangutan life, it also highlights the tragic plight of these beautiful creatures. The rising demand for bio fuel and palm oil products for the food industry has resulted in Indonesia's rain forests being cut down. Some experts estimate orangutans could be extinct in the wild in less than 25 years. "Orangutans are so close to humans you can almost read their emotions and feelings," said Dr Pratjet. Dr Pratje's project, which began in 2001, trains orphaned orangutans with the skills they need to survive in the wild before releasing them into the forests of Indonesia's Bukit Tigapuluh National Park The loss of natural habitat, along with illegal hunting, has left the Sumatran orangutan critically endangered 'Orangutans are so close to humans you can almost read their emotions and feelings,' said Dr Pratjet We even share more than 96 per cent identical genes with orangutans, so it's like watching our far cousins in the forest. It's a little bit like walking back in time to see how very early man may have lived or taking a look into paradise where creatures so similar to humans live in harmony with nature. Dr Pratje hopes the video will raise awareness of the Sumatran orangutan's plight. "My favourite scene is definitely the release sequence; you know when the transport box opens and the orangutan leaves the box to return to the forest," he said. That's what the whole re-introduction programme is about. GoPro is a brand of high-definition personal cameras, often used in extreme action video photography