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-We continue sharing time with this wonderful orangutan mother and her baby
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in this phenomenal Sumatran rainforest.
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The baby is six months old now, a little female.
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And this here is her male child of eight years.
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They breed only every 7 or 8 years these creatures,
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so you can understand how once the population is down,
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it is very difficult to bring that population up again, they breed slowly.
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And the mother, like a great big Buddha, sitting, watching.
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And always close enough to this little one
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an absolute delight to watch.
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The archetypal personification of cute.
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Up and down he goes,
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just as far as he can and only as far as his mother permits.
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It is impossible for me to pull myself away from them, but then
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there is no reason to because this is precisely what we came here to Sumatra for.
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There are so many behavioral nuances expressed here one has to look carefully.
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All designed to facilitate continuous growth in the little one
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and sustainability of the species.
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The adolescent, he joins in whenever permitted for a short while
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but I see from his general demeanor that he already takes on the characteristics of the adult,
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the solitary disposition.
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And then down to the forest floor they go
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and I am presented then with an experience which completely blows me away.
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A smile like no other smile I have ever seen.
Volunteer
