Orangutan infants spend up to 10 years living closely with their mothers forming a strong bond. Young orangutans are vulnerable and need lots of help as they grow and mature, relying on their mothers to protect and look after them. Baby orangutans can struggle to travel around the forest canopy and can often be seen clutching tight to their mothers when they are on the move. Even when a young orangutan is strong enough to climb through the tree tops on its’ own, sometimes they still need help from mum. A body bridge allows a mother to help her infant travel around the jungle and access those hard to reach places, by stretching herself between distant branches she can provide a safe walkway.
Here we see Dalia forms a strong bridge for Dodi as he crosses between two trees too far apart for him to make it on his own 😁
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Photo by Eric Balke