Orangutans have the longest #childhood of any non-human animal, spending 8 years with their mother before venturing away from her protection and guidance. During this time they learn to recognise hundreds of food plants, learn where and when to find them, and how to interact with other #orangutans and other species in their complex #rainforest habitat.
This female is a #SumatranOrangutan Pongo abelii, a Critically Endangered species found only in remaining fragments of forest on the island of #Sumatra, #Indonesia. Her dependent #infant clings to her shaggy red coat, watching the human in the next tree with curiosity. Filming #primates from the ground is difficult when they are in the treetops, silhouetted against the sky, so I like to climb a nearby tree to film them on the same level - if they will tolerate my presence. Near the Bukit Lawang rehabilitation centre in Gunung Leuser​ National Park the orangutans are used to human visitors, though most stay firmly on the ground, and she just carried on feeding. I watched with envy her ability to move with grace and speed among the branches, using her grasping feet as well as her long arms to reach for handholds.
This is video No.45 in the #BrightenYourDay series to connect us to nature while in #Covid19 #lockdown. All ape-viewing sites closed to visitors in March 2020 to protect our closest relatives from the #pandemic.
To help orangutan conservation, contact: Orangutan Foundation​ www.orangutan.org.uk
Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP)​ www.sumatranorangutan.org
Centre for Orangutan Protection​
Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS)​
Orangutan Information Centre​
and Ape Alliance​ www.4apes.com