This is the heartwarming moment an orangutan tries to assist a man standing in a river by offering its outstretched arm.
Anil Prabhakar is a nature photographer from Indonesia who captured a beautiful act of kindness after stepping into the jungle. When Anil Prabhakar stepped into the jungle, he hoped to spot a wild orangutan, but he ended up capturing a surprisingly beautiful act of kindness.
“My way of thinking is that every photo can speak for itself,” Prabhakar told . “I’m more into trying to portray an emotion I can connect to.”
He became involved with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation and in 2019, he visited the foundation to learn more about the program.
“This organization rescues orangutans from habitat loss, poachers and those being kept in ca.ptivity. 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 trekking through the jungle, Prabhakar noticed a crew member enter a small river. He asked the guards why the man was approaching the orangutan’s habitat, and they told him that a snake had been spotted over there.
“P.ois.onous snakes are dangerous to orangutans, so they have to take care of those things,” Prabhakar said. “So, this fellow started cleaning these bushes all along the river, and it was as if he was moving in slow motion because his legs were getting stuck inside the mud.”
The great ape, who lives in a protected conservation forest area in Borneo, was seen leaning forward and lending a helping hand to the man who had been in the muddy river searching for snakes.
The orangutan ignored the extended hand, that was out for three minutes trying to help the man, instead, he moved away.
“For me, this was completely new, 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.”
Prabhakar asked the man why he didn’t accept the orangutan’s help, he explained that he was only there as a lifeguard and mustn’t engage with the wild animals.
