Unlike other great apes, orangutans prefer solitude. You won’t find them in groups, but rather swinging through the trees of Sumatra and Borneo on their own, supported by their arms that span over two metres. Content with their own company, they spend their days foraging for fruit or resting in the forest. But there is one relationship that stands out, and that is the bond between mother and child.
Female orangutans give birth to one baby roughly every eight years – the longest birth interval of any land mammal. For the first few months of its life, a baby orangutan will be carried around by its mother, with physical contact between them being a constant. Mothers play a primary role in guiding their children towards adulthood, teaching them the ins and outs of life in the treetops.
Learning to find food and avoid predators in the forest is imperative to their survival. But despite being highly intelligent, adult orangutans cannot teach their young how to escape the impact of people. Currently, the demand for palm oil is destroying their habitat and putting the entire species at risk. But there is hope. Orangutan Foundation is working with local communities to preserve over a million acres of forest, safeguarding the 4 500 orangutans living within them.
Footage by Orangutan Foundation was used in the creation of this film.
Orangutan Foundation: https://www.facebook.com/orangutanfndn/