August 23, 2011, 2:08 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMFRZn6HpyA
An orangutan from Japan is on its way to becoming a Web
sensation after a video of the primate washing itself just like a
human emerged online.
During the two minute clip which was uploaded a week ago, the
clever orangutan, at Tokyo’s Tama Zoo, dips a towel into water in
order to freshen up in the 30°C heat.
After dipping the dish cloth in a rock pool, the primate then
wrings out the soaking cloth and moves on to washing its hands and
upper body.
A smaller orangutan wants in on the action too and attempts to
take the cloth from the hands of the larger one, but to its
disappointment it's not done with it yet.
At the end of the video, the animal even uses the cloth to wash
the rocks surrounding the pond.
Speaking with Yahoo! News today about the human-like
characteristics of the hairy Web star, a spokeswoman from the
Orangutan Foundation said: “Humans share 96.4% of their DNA with
orangutans. Orangutans split from the human family tree 15 million
years ago.”
She added that the mannerisms of the orangutan are very typical
of a primate in a captive setting.
“Wild Sumatran orangutans have been seen using scrunched up
leaves to clean their faces, but you also see this kind of
behaviour in rehabilitated orangutans. They are highly intelligent
and often imitate humans by making use of the tools they have.
There is an example of an orangutan in Borneo, called Princess,
which knows sign language and can imitate people washing clothes
and stealing canoes.
“There is still a lot we need to learn about orangutans, we keep
on finding out more and more about them which is why it is very
important for us to protect them.”
