"Life Or Death" Rescue Of An Orangutan Caught On Camera

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"Life Or Death" Rescue Of An Orangutan Caught On Camera

This is a pretty gripping video, but it's worth watching for the incredible rescue that these brave men pull off in the end.

It was captured at the Lesan river in Indonesia, where a group of workers came across an orangutan stuck in the fast-flowing rapids.  

Luckily, the men were surveyors studying orangutan populations for the Centre for Orangutan Protection (COP), so they didn't waste a moment rushing to save this poor animal. One of the men even risked his life wading into the water with the ape.

In the video, you can see the orangutan desperately clinging to a rock. There was no way to tell how long it could hold on, or if it could survive the rapids, so the team had to act quickly.

While you can see the man holding out a branch to pull the creature to safety, it seems paralyzed with fear.

After a few minutes of coaxing the animal, the team on the other side of the river managed to get it to cross a log bridge while they held it steady.

Centre for Orangutan Protection

Make no mistake, this situation was "about life or death" for the animal, according to COP's founder Ken Hardi. He says that orangutans aren't strong swimmers, so it depended on these heroes to rescue it.

This orangutan would never wind up in the river if it could help it. It was probably looking for food, because lots of Indonesia's rainforests, where orangutans make their homes, have been ruined by deforestation.

Share this rescue if you would do anything to help an animal in need!

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