This is the coolest orangutan you’ll ever see. With an apparent love for fishing, he doesn’t let anything slow him down from getting his prize as he grabs a spear to catch his lunch.
Image: primatology.net
From Primatology.net:
“a male orangutan, clinging precariously to overhanging branches, flails the water with a pole, trying desperately to spear a passing fish…
The extraordinary image, a world exclusive, was taken in Borneo on the island of Kaja…
This individual had seen locals fishing with spears on the Gohong River.
Although the method required too much skill for him to master, he was later able to improvise by using the pole to catch fish already trapped in the locals’ fishing lines.”
So maybe he’s not exactly a pro level fisherman, but that doesn’t make this any less impressive.
An orangutan using tools is nothing new, as documented by Carl van Schaik on his observations when they used tool to help themselves eat in Sumatra. The interesting thing about this guy is he was the first orangutan from Borneo to be observed using a tool.
The first of his kind! We expect big things from this trail blazer.
