This is the touching moment an orangutan tries to lend a helping hand to a man searching for the animals’ sworn enemies – snakes.
The striking image appears to show the great ape reaching out to assist the man, who is stood in a river. The picture was taken in a conservation forest area in Borneo where the endangered species are protected from hunters.
Anil Prabhakar was out trekking with his friends while on safari when he spotted the man – who works as part of the protective project – in the river. He later found out he was clearing away snakes to guard the orangutans – until he was interrupted by an inquisitive ape.
But the amateur photographer revealed the man actually refused the orangutan’s hand after he put away the camera – as it’s a wild animal. Anil, from Indonesia, said: ‘Someone told him there was a snake in the river. The warden went there and cleared the bushes.
‘An orangutan came to the banks and was watching what he was doing. He then came closer and gave his hand.
‘The warden just moved away. I asked him why later and he said: ‘It’s a wild animal, not one we are familiar with’.
‘But they are to protect them.’
The worker is part of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, a non-profit organisation founded in 1991.
