We’re in desperate need of friendship right now. A family of orangutans and their neighboring otters in a Belgian zoo have formed a “really remarkable bond.”
Staff at Pairi Daiza zoo in Brugelette enabled the Asian small-clawed otters’ river to run across the orangutans’ enclosure, bringing the two species together.
Ujian, 24, Sari, 15, and their three-year-old son Bernai appeared to enjoy the company, even playing hide-and-seek with the cute animals.
The sweet photographs show the apes amusing the rowdy otters, with the zoo suggesting it’s important for their mental health. Orangutans, in particular,’must be entertained, occupied, challenged, and kept busy cognitively, emotionally, and physically at all times,’ according to the zoo.
A spokeswoman for Pairi Daiza, Mathieu Goedefroy, said:
Our orangutans have a very strong ‘enrichment’ program, in which their keepers entertain them all day with mind games, riddles, puzzles, and other activities to improve their intelligence. Having different animal species together so they can interact is one of the ‘enrichments.’ That’s why we decided to let an otter family to dwell in the orangutan territory’s river.
Baby Berani and daddy Ujian, in particular, have formed a special bond with their neighbors. It improves the quality of life for both animal species, making it a very successful experiment.
After relocating from Germany, the apes arrived at the zoo in 2017. The otters adored their new mates, but they also’really like coming out of the water on orangutan island to go and play with their big, furry friends.’
I’ll be right back; I’m going to cry about how I don’t have any otters or orangutans in my life.
The apes arrived at the zoo in 2017 following a relocation from Germany. They adored their new friends, but the otters also’really enjoy getting out of the water on orangutan island to go and play with their big, furry friends.’
I’ll be right back because I’m about to cry about the lack of otters and orangutans in my life.