Red Orangutans Witness Man 'Submerged' in River, Reach Out to Help
Red orangutans and humans have highly similar genes, called 'Orange utan' in Indonesian, meaning 'forest people'. They sometimes exhibit behaviors that are reminiscent of humans, eliciting applause. Recently, a man in Indonesia jumped into the river to clear a snake, and at the shore, a red orangutan extended its hand to try to pull him ashore. This touching scene was captured on camera.
According to the British Daily Mail on February 6th, a man was clearing debris in a muddy river when, at the shore, a red orangutan made a leaning movement and extended its hand as if to help the man ashore.
The footage shows the man standing in the murky river, with his body partially submerged, holding a sickle and clearing the bushes along the riverbank. At the riverbank, a red orangutan left its left hand propped against the ground and lay on its side, extending its right hand towards the man, seemingly offering assistance to pull him ashore.
According to media reports, Anil Prabhakar, a recreational photographer from Indonesia, discovered that the man was cleaning snakes in the river to protect orangutans. He was then interrupted by this loving red orangutan at the shore. Eventually, the man refused the red orangutan because it was a wild animal.
Anil Prabhakar said in an interview that the man had been told that there was a snake in the river, and he jumped into the river to clear the bushes. Anil Prabhakar said, 'A red orangutan came to the shore, watched what he was doing, and then approached and extended its hand.'
Furthermore, reports indicate that Orangutans in Borneo are hunted due to their large bodies and slow movements, and the indiscriminate expansion of humans has led to the loss of orangutan habitats, causing the Borneo orangutan population to once be on the verge of extinction. The Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, established in 1991, is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting endangered wild animals. The foundation has 400 employees and currently cares for nearly 650 red orangutans in the area.
