#orangutan

Orangutan "Explains" Zoo Rules to Social Media InfluencerZoos put barriers between people and animals for good reason, and a "keep out" sign is for your own good. Nineteen-year-old Hasanal Arifin paid no heed to the forbidden zone in front of the orangutan cage at Kasang Kulim Zoo in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. In fact, he waited until staff was at lunch before jumping the fence to get close to the orangutan in order to get a video. While the orang was still behind bars, Arifin had entered his territory and made the ape feel threatened. He grabbed Arifin by the shirt and then by the leg. Another man leaped into action to separate the two, but it wasn't easy. The orangutan came very close to biting Arifin's toes off!So Arifin went viral, which was what he wanted, but at what cost? Zoo staff threw him out and had to calm the orang down. They remind the public that forbidden zones are there for a reason. Arafin is being shamed on social media for putting himself and others in danger. If he had been hurt, it would have most likely been the orangutan who would have to pay. #orangutan #zoo #zooincident

Winners of the 2021 World Nature Photography AwardsWe live in a beautiful world full of wholesome moments. But this world also has its share of terrifying moments and pictures, which remind us that the world can be dark. This image of a leopard seal trying to eat a Gentoo penguin is a great example. Amos Nachoum took this photo on a remote island off the Antarctic Peninsula during the low tide in the area.Nachoum's image, titled "Facing Reality" won the grand prize of The 2021 World Nature Photography Awards. Also handed to him was the World Nature Photographer of the Year title. Nachoum wrote:For hours, I waited for the low tide to arrive along a shallow lagoon on a remote island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Like clockwork, the leopard seal arrived in the lagoon just before low tide. It put its head in the water and looked just like a rock sitting in the receding water. The young Gentoo penguins only dare to enter the water when it is shallow and when they got close enough to the seal, it turned its head at lightning speed, catching one of the penguins by its feet and taking it to deep water. Once the seal reached open water, I followed it and swam parallel to it, observing its actions. To my surprise, it let go of the penguin twice. Each time, the seal chased after the penguin again, as if it was enjoying the game. The terrified penguin tried to escape as the game continued. But soon, the end came.As I said before, we live in a beautiful world, as shown by the other pictures submitted in the competition, like this picture of macaques enjoying each other's warmth.Here are some of the pictures from the 2021 World Nature Photography Awards. You may also submit photos to the website for this year's competition.Image: Amos Nachoum#Nature #Photography #Animals #WorldNaturePhotographyAwards #penguin #GentooPenguin #seal

Tongue Out Thursday with This Cute Baby Orangutan Primate keeper Abby of the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans, Louisiana, took this cute photo of a baby Sumatran orangutan sticking his tongue out.Mom Sumatran orangutan named Menari gave birth to the baby orangutan on December 24, 2021, and since then a team of zookeepers and vets had been on a constant 24/7 around the clock care schedule for the critically endangered species infant. Luckily, the infant had steadily gained weight and improved in health.As of early February 2022, the baby Sumatran orangutan does not have an official name yet. The Audobon zoo is planning to hold a naming contest soon.Images: Audobon Zoo/Instagram#orangutan #AudobonZoo

Orangutans and Otters Share a Home and FriendshipPairi Daiza is a private zoo in Belgium. They have a group of critically endangered orangutans who appeared to enjoy showing off for visitors and engaging with humans. But then the zoo closed during the pandemic. While the zookeepers engaged with the apes as much as they could, the orangutans got bored and seemingly lonely without the bustling crowds. What to do? Let the animals entertain each other! The zoo brought their colony of river otters in to the orangutan enclosure.