Photographer Captures An Orangutan Reaching Out To Help A Forest Warden In Borneo
Recently, amateur photographer Anil Prabhakar captured a fascinating sight in a conservation forest area in Borneo. While on a safari with his friends, the photographer stumbled upon a forest warden who was clearing snakes, the sworn enemy of orangutans, from the river. Just as Prabhakar prepared to take a picture, an orangutan reached out his hand to the man, apparently wanting to help him out. The wholesome photos quickly went viral, leaving people in awe of the orangutan’s act of kindness.
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Recently, a photographer went viral for his touching photos showing an orangutan lending a helping hand to a man in a river
Image credits: Anil Prabhakar
“Someone told him there was a snake in the river. The warden went there and cleared the bushes. An orangutan came to the banks and was watching what he was doing. He then came closer and gave his hand,” Prabhakar recalled.
Image credits: Anil Prabhakar
The photographer said that the forest warden refused to take the orangutan’s hand, saying that he didn’t want to touch an unfamiliar wild animal. “The warden just moved away. I asked him why later and he said: ‘It’s a wild animal, not one we are familiar with’. But they are to protect them.”
Image credits: Anil Prabhakar
The forest warden who took part in the wholesome encounter works for a non-profit organization called Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation. His and 400 other employees’ job is to protect the orangutans’ habitat, which is threated by rapid deforestation.
Image credits: bornean_OU
The foundation, which was founded in 1991, is currently taking care of 650 orangutans. “By protecting orangutans in their natural habitat, a whole plethora of other flora and fauna are also protected. Protecting their forest habitat is as important to humans as much as it is to wildlife,” the foundation’s website states.
Image credits: bornean_OU
There are 160 snake species inhabiting the tropical rainforests of Borneo and many of them pose a serious threat to orangutans. To protect these animals, the organization’s workers try to clear rivers of snakes and also teach orangutans to be wary of the danger that lies within the forest.
Image credits: bornean_OU
With the help of rubber snakes, the employees help orphaned orangutans learn to be aware of snakes. Watch the adorable video of the teaching process below.
Here’s how people reacted
183Kviews
Share on FacebookOrangutans are morphologically closer to humans than any other animal. Their habitat is being destroyed by Palm oil plantations. Please, please, please do not buy products that contain palm oil including: Skippy Peanut Butter - Ice cream: Wall’s Soft Scoop - Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, - Flora Buttery Spread - - Twiglets - Ritz Crackers - -= Maryland Chocolate Chip Cookies - Oreos - Sainsbury’s Garlic Bread Slices - Batchelors Super Noodles - Tesco’s own - Head & Shoulders - Dove Original - Max Factor Colour Elixir This species especially deserves to be protected.
I'm reducing my consumption of palm oil. The local health food store has a machine to grind peanuts -- their fresh crunchy peanut butter is pretty tasty. Which is good, because the commercial brands with the palm oil are better for filling cracks than for eating.
Load More Replies...Orangutans are absolutely amazing, talk about personality and those eyes are truly the window of their marvelous souls.
Which is why we must fight to save their habitat.
Load More Replies...I'm bummed for the poor Orangutan who was just trying to help. I understand why the guy was afraid, but still.
Agreed. I get wanting to keep a separation in general terms but this was perhaps taking it a bit far. Maybe there's something about not creating any sort of a bond with a creature you're studying because it can influence things?
Load More Replies...I wonder what the orangutan felt when the warden refused to hold his hand...
The worker was correct to Not touch the orangutan. Humans can give Orangutans horrible infections: things that may be just a cold to us, but lethal to the poor apes. He was trying to keep the orang safer by NOT getting used to close contact with humans.
If we care about these animals, instead of thinking they're just cute, we have to protect their habitat, which is being destroyed by greed. Take action, for their lives and ours.
The video was adorable! Orangutans are now some of my favorite animals! I love them!
I once had an Anthropology professor that showed us a video of his study of the Balinese Macaques. He said that many of the behaviors of the primates mimicked that of humans. During the video, a snake had made it's way into the area where the macaques and my professor had been standing. One hid behind my professors leg while the older males stood up and craned their necks to get a better look. As the camera zoomed out, there was our professor in the video, craning his neck trying to see the snake. He said "Look" as he pointed to himself. "A primate imitating other primate behavior." Everyone laughed.
"Teach Orangutans the dangers of the forest" has to be the most condescending thing I have read in a long time. They are wild animals, they know better than we do!
No, they're talking about orangutans who were kidnapped as babies because they are really cute. But once it gets bigger they just shove them into cages like they're pests or something. When they're rescued they do need to be taught how to interact in their native environments.
Load More Replies...Orangutans are too good for us. Stop eating any palm oil, even sustainable supports a market that is inherently unsustainable.
This type of behavior from Orangutans doesn’t surprise me AT ALL...since the very first you’re able to observe and learn human behavior, and on the other hand you see the way animals act, you can tell right away who’s the better being. Animals are compassionate, grateful, loyal and loving. Humans are just a very bad and nasty pest on earth, PERIOD!
With that kind of nature romantisiscm you belong in the Victorian era. All great apes are capable of compassion and cruelty. If you don't know the ape in question you won't know which it is until it's too late.
Load More Replies..."The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it." - Axel Munthe, Swedish physician & writer (1857 - 1949)
The animal knows he is there to protect them! They are not as dumb as people!
You need to do some research on primate behaviour. They can be AWEFUL to each other in the most horrific ways.
Load More Replies...This orangutan looks like he's trying to choke himself out with a stick, silly guy wants attention I think
It’s kinda insulting in a way, that people are so surprised when an animal is helpful, funny or kind. They associate that with human behavior despite every animal in the kingdom (besides the Canadian Goose) being capable of such a range of emotions. Stop underestimating animals and being so shocked and surprised when they are smart or generous. They are not that much less intelligent than us. Some of them are smarter than we are, some aren’t, but just about every living creature is capable of caring.
It's a wild animal he's never met before. It might have helped him. It might have bludgeoned him to death. Don't make the mistake to think that our close relatives can't be as savage as we can.
If they are our close relatives then by definition they can be just as nice as us too.
Load More Replies...Indonesia is moving the capital to Borneo island, that means a lot of trees cut down, open lands for development, there's gonna be a lot changes in borneo island
I cringe every time I hear the environmental destruction called "development".
Load More Replies...Why doesn't everyone who moans about how noble and superior the orangutan is just kill yourselves? You obviously have such little value for your lives that a random frame of a video blows your mind. And have little going on it seems. If this can make you have your little existential crises then f**k off and do gene pool a favour.
La Gwardia, you are a very "kind" and "polite" travesty of a human being. Why don't you follow your own advice and f--k off yourself?
Load More Replies...Orangutans are morphologically closer to humans than any other animal. Their habitat is being destroyed by Palm oil plantations. Please, please, please do not buy products that contain palm oil including: Skippy Peanut Butter - Ice cream: Wall’s Soft Scoop - Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, - Flora Buttery Spread - - Twiglets - Ritz Crackers - -= Maryland Chocolate Chip Cookies - Oreos - Sainsbury’s Garlic Bread Slices - Batchelors Super Noodles - Tesco’s own - Head & Shoulders - Dove Original - Max Factor Colour Elixir This species especially deserves to be protected.
I'm reducing my consumption of palm oil. The local health food store has a machine to grind peanuts -- their fresh crunchy peanut butter is pretty tasty. Which is good, because the commercial brands with the palm oil are better for filling cracks than for eating.
Load More Replies...Orangutans are absolutely amazing, talk about personality and those eyes are truly the window of their marvelous souls.
Which is why we must fight to save their habitat.
Load More Replies...I'm bummed for the poor Orangutan who was just trying to help. I understand why the guy was afraid, but still.
Agreed. I get wanting to keep a separation in general terms but this was perhaps taking it a bit far. Maybe there's something about not creating any sort of a bond with a creature you're studying because it can influence things?
Load More Replies...I wonder what the orangutan felt when the warden refused to hold his hand...
The worker was correct to Not touch the orangutan. Humans can give Orangutans horrible infections: things that may be just a cold to us, but lethal to the poor apes. He was trying to keep the orang safer by NOT getting used to close contact with humans.
If we care about these animals, instead of thinking they're just cute, we have to protect their habitat, which is being destroyed by greed. Take action, for their lives and ours.
The video was adorable! Orangutans are now some of my favorite animals! I love them!
I once had an Anthropology professor that showed us a video of his study of the Balinese Macaques. He said that many of the behaviors of the primates mimicked that of humans. During the video, a snake had made it's way into the area where the macaques and my professor had been standing. One hid behind my professors leg while the older males stood up and craned their necks to get a better look. As the camera zoomed out, there was our professor in the video, craning his neck trying to see the snake. He said "Look" as he pointed to himself. "A primate imitating other primate behavior." Everyone laughed.
"Teach Orangutans the dangers of the forest" has to be the most condescending thing I have read in a long time. They are wild animals, they know better than we do!
No, they're talking about orangutans who were kidnapped as babies because they are really cute. But once it gets bigger they just shove them into cages like they're pests or something. When they're rescued they do need to be taught how to interact in their native environments.
Load More Replies...Orangutans are too good for us. Stop eating any palm oil, even sustainable supports a market that is inherently unsustainable.
This type of behavior from Orangutans doesn’t surprise me AT ALL...since the very first you’re able to observe and learn human behavior, and on the other hand you see the way animals act, you can tell right away who’s the better being. Animals are compassionate, grateful, loyal and loving. Humans are just a very bad and nasty pest on earth, PERIOD!
With that kind of nature romantisiscm you belong in the Victorian era. All great apes are capable of compassion and cruelty. If you don't know the ape in question you won't know which it is until it's too late.
Load More Replies..."The wild, cruel beast is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it." - Axel Munthe, Swedish physician & writer (1857 - 1949)
The animal knows he is there to protect them! They are not as dumb as people!
You need to do some research on primate behaviour. They can be AWEFUL to each other in the most horrific ways.
Load More Replies...This orangutan looks like he's trying to choke himself out with a stick, silly guy wants attention I think
It’s kinda insulting in a way, that people are so surprised when an animal is helpful, funny or kind. They associate that with human behavior despite every animal in the kingdom (besides the Canadian Goose) being capable of such a range of emotions. Stop underestimating animals and being so shocked and surprised when they are smart or generous. They are not that much less intelligent than us. Some of them are smarter than we are, some aren’t, but just about every living creature is capable of caring.
It's a wild animal he's never met before. It might have helped him. It might have bludgeoned him to death. Don't make the mistake to think that our close relatives can't be as savage as we can.
If they are our close relatives then by definition they can be just as nice as us too.
Load More Replies...Indonesia is moving the capital to Borneo island, that means a lot of trees cut down, open lands for development, there's gonna be a lot changes in borneo island
I cringe every time I hear the environmental destruction called "development".
Load More Replies...Why doesn't everyone who moans about how noble and superior the orangutan is just kill yourselves? You obviously have such little value for your lives that a random frame of a video blows your mind. And have little going on it seems. If this can make you have your little existential crises then f**k off and do gene pool a favour.
La Gwardia, you are a very "kind" and "polite" travesty of a human being. Why don't you follow your own advice and f--k off yourself?
Load More Replies...
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