'I'm the king of the swimmers': Rare sighting of orang-utan taking a dip in crocodile infested river

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Sif the orangutan was not deterred from going into the water despite the possibility that there might be crocodiles beneath the surface


This is the incredible moment orangutans were spotted diving into a river for a swim - and even fishing for dinner.

In scenes which have left wildlife experts baffled, the 'king of the swimmers' leaps into the muddy water before swimming to the other side in an amazing aquatic display.
And another carefully shimmies down a tree towards the river before plucking a fish straight from the water.

The amazing pictures show they have obviously overcome their natural fear of getting wet - and that they're even brave enough to tackle water where they suspect crocodiles are lurking.


Sif shimmies down the tree to the river and plucks a fish from the waters below


Professor Anne Russon, 64, who has studied orangutans since 1989, witnessed the extraordinarily rare sightings.

She said: 'They're sinkers and they know it, which is why they're very cautious anyway.

'The swimmer is called Sif and she'd only try this if she was entirely confident she could reach her target without sinking.

'She's a real water baby - she has lots of water skills. She uses it for serious purposes like crossing wide bodies of water too deep for wading but could play in water for more than half an hour if she wanted.

'The other is called Menteng who is an older adolescent male. He has very advanced skills and in these pictures you see him picking a large fish out and inspecting it.


Head above water: Orangutans are rarely seen swimming


Sif not only swims for practical reasons but she sometimes spends up to an hour playing around


'Orangutans and other great apes are reputed, incorrectly it seems, to be afraid of water. Some probably are, but of course so are some humans.

'They have drowned in zoos because they've fallen into water-filled moats surrounding their enclosure.

'There are also other things dangerous to them in water like crocodiles and large snakes - so there are many reasons water wouldn't be much of an attraction to them.'

The amazing pictures were taken at an orangutan rehabilitation facility called Nyaru Menteng in Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo, at the end of the dry season late last year.

Anne, from Toronto, Canada, is a psychologist so her research was psychology-bent - focusing on their behaviour, intelligence and learning.

She added: 'It's really useful for rehab, because rehab is mostly about how they learn the skills they need to survive in the forest.'


source: dailymail