An orangutan at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky was filmed knocking on the glass of its enclosure to get a closer look at a three-month-old baby visiting the zoo. The baby’s mother brought him closer to the glass so the orangutan could see him better and the animal kissed the glass twice. Orangutans have the longest childhood of any ape species, staying with their mothers for up to 10 years. The bond between an orangutan mother and her young is one of the strongest in nature, with the mother teaching her young where to find food, how to eat and how to build a sleeping nest.
As featured on Fox News, a curious orangutan at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky melted hearts last weekend when it knocked on the glass wall of its enclosure to take a closer look at a visiting baby. The heartwarming moment was captured on video by mom Kayla Jaylen Natsiss, who was holding her 3-month-old son Jordan.
Natsiss brought the infant closer to the glass of the orangutan’s enclosure so the animal could get a better look at him. “We brought him over so she could see him, and she kissed the glass two times,” Natsis told Storyful. “Everyone there, including us, thought it was the cutest thing ever!”
The Louisville Zoo is home to four orangutans – Teak, Amber, Segundo, and Bella. Teak and Amber even appeared on “The David Letterman Show” with Jack Hanna, As featured on the zoo’s website.
Orangutans are known for their long childhood, staying with their mothers for up to 10 years, the longest of any ape species. In the wild, orangutans live solitary existences in lowland forests. However, the bond between an orangutan mother and her young “is one of the strongest in nature,” the Louisville Zoo’s website notes.
During the first two years of life, “the young rely entirely on their mothers for both food and transportation,” the site says. “The moms stay with their young for six to seven years, teaching them where to find food, what and how to eat, and the technique for building a sleeping nest.” Additionally, female orangutans are known to “visit” their mothers until they reach the age of 15 or 16.
The name “orangutan” means “man of the forest” in the Malay language, As featured on the World Wildlife Fund. The organization also notes that orangutans are critically endangered, with their populations declining due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, and the pet trade.
To sum it all up, the video of the orangutan at the Louisville Zoo asking to see the visiting baby is a heartwarming reminder of the bond between humans and animals. It also highlights the importance of protecting these magnificent creatures in the wild and ensuring that future generations can witness such beautiful moments.
Photo Credit: nypost.com
