BABY ORANGUTAN THROWS TANTRUM AS HIS MOM DRAGS HIM AWAY FROM PLAYTIME IN SAFARI PARK
A 3-year-old orangutan has made headlines for throwing a highly amusing tantrum aimed at his mother at Pairi Daiza safari park in Belgium.
To add extra hilarity to the incident, the youngster then planted a huge kiss on his patient mom’s face to repent for the emotional display. The whole episode was caught on camera and quickly went viral. When Berani’s mother, a 16-year-old orangutan named Sari, dragged her son away from a play session in his enclosure at Pairi Daiza, what ensued was a scenario that many parents of young children may find relatable. “Just like all small children, Berani still has to listen to what mom says even though he’s getting a bit more independent,” said photographer Koen Hartkamp, who caught the hilarious moment on camera, as per the Daily Mail. “Judging by the picture, he didn’t like it.”
The tenacious mother didn’t give up, holding her young son by the arm and persisting in relocating him to a different part of the enclosure. Berani’s tantrum was short-lived, though. Photos taken just moments after the young orangutan’s amusing episode show the tot snuggled under a gold-colored blanket and sipping a refreshing drink from the enclosure’s water fountain. Feisty Berani, his mother, Sari, and his father, Ujian, moved to Pairi Daiza in 2017 from Germany. Berani will celebrate his fourth birthday on March 21, 2020. On Berani’s third birthday in 2019, Pairi Daiza took to Facebook to share cheerful pictures of the baby ape tucking into his birthday treat. “Happy birthday Berani,” staff began. “Our beloved orangutan is 3 years old today.”
“For the occasion,” they continued, “his trainers prepared a hearty party snack for him: his favorite seeds in the gift, and a carrot cake decorated with fruit and rose leaves (without thorns, of course).” Berani’s parents, the park’s staff added, also enjoyed the delicious birthday treat with their young son. For Sari’s 16th birthday, almost seven months later, Pairi Daiza staff threw an equally festive celebration, also posting on Facebook about the happy event. “Happy Birthday Sari,” they began. “This beautiful Sumatran orangutan is 16 years old today.”
“For the occasion, we carefully prepared an enrichment in the form of boxes in which delicious seeds and fruits were found,” staff added. “Sari also received sheets and blankets offered by visitors, which she immediately shared with Uijan and Berani in their territory of the Temple of Flowers.” Hiding under sheets, staff explained, is one of the playful orangutans’ favorite activities.
One of the award-winning Pairi Daiza safari park’s main missions is to raise awareness of deforestation owing to palm oil plantations. The park actively contributes toward Borneo forest restoration projects; such forests are prime habitat for myriad species, including orangutans. As per Pairi Daiza, “orangutan” translates as “man of the forest” in Malay. The orangutan is a large primate that lives and thrives in the bountiful canopies of rainforests.
Berani, Sari, and Ujian are Sumatran orangutans and may live until around the age of 50 in captivity. The creatures are extremely intelligent. They are able to employ twigs and branches as “tools” to extract insects from hard-to-reach crevices or the juicy innards of fruit from their skins. They are also masters of body language, primarily communicating through gesticulation. As per the World Wildlife Fund, rampant deforestation has rendered the orangutan a critically endangered species. There are only around 7,500 Sumatran orangutans remaining in the wild. It has never been more important to protect these magnificent creatures.
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