Wild Orangutan Photographed Offering A Helping Hand To Man Stuck In Mud

• An orangutan in Indonesia made headlines when she was photographed offering a hand to a man stuck in the mud.
• The man was working for Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and was there to clear poisonous snakes.
• The photographer was shocked to see the animal leaned forward and reached out to help the man.

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Nature photographer Anil Prabhakar captured a wonderful moment in 2019 when he visited an Indonesian forest — an orangutan displaying a beautiful act of kindness.

When Anil heard about the plight of wild orangutans due to deforestation, he became involved with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation.

“This organization rescues orangutans from habitat loss, poachers and those being kept in captivity,” Anil said. “They will rescue them and help them get back to the wild. They treat them if they are injured and help with the trauma they’ve faced. Then they move them to a temporary forest, where they can get used to being wild, and release them to the main forest.”

While walking through the jungle, Anil saw a crew member enter a small river near the orangutan’s habitat. The guards told him that a snake had been spotted over there and the man had to clear the area to find it.

“Poisonous snakes are dangerous to orangutans, so they have to take care of those things,” Anil said.

Anil noticed the man was struggling to lift his legs, appearing to be stuck A female orangutan sitting near the river noticed it, too.

“Suddenly, this orangutan came closer to the river banks, sat there and watched what this fellow was doing,” Anil said. “When this fellow struggled to pull out his legs, the orangutan put her left hand on the bank of the river and extended her other hand towards him. It was a lovely gesture.”

For three minutes, the orangutan offered to help pull the man from the mud, but the man ignored the extended hand and moved away.

“For me, this was completely new,” Prabhakar said. “I never expected to see anything like that. In my mind, this orangutan was trying to help him. It’s human nature — if someone is in trouble, you go there and lend a hand.”

The man explained that he did not accept the orangutan’s help because they should never engage with the wild animals. Orangutans have very strong hands and arms that he might’ve gotten hurt, or worse, the orangutan might’ve lost her balance and fallen into the river.

Anil shared the powerful photos a year later, describing them as the contradiction of the orangutan trying to help a human even after most humans try to destroy her natural habitat.

Source: The Dodo