An impressive photo of an orangutan reaching out to a forest manager standing by a river has gone viral on social media recently. Amateur photographer Anil Prabhaka captures dramatic moments on a safari in the Borneo Forest Reserve!
Foresters are reported to purify snake water. As you know, snakes pose a serious threat to great apes. However, the wild beast knew that the man had fallen into the snake-infested water, and decided to help out with sincere kindness.
“Someone told him there were snakes in the river,” Prabhakar said. “The overseer went there and cleared the bushes. The orangutan walked to the shore and watched what he was doing. Then he came closer and reached out his hand.” Forester works for the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and conserving this endangered species.
A photographer from Indonesia said the director eventually rejected the ape’s hand. According to him, although his job was to protect those animals, the man would not have been advised to touch unknown wildlife. “The director has just moved,” said the photographer. When I asked him why later, he said, ‘It’s a wild animal, not one we know of.’ But they have to protect them.
In the last 40 years, Bornean orangutans have lost more than half of their natural habitat. And the main reason is the logging operation. Fortunately, nonprofits like the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation are desperate to protect these habitats and save this endangered species.