I’m all for seeing cute pictures and videos of animals on the Internet. Seeing these brings such a sense of joy and peace, no matter what’s going on in our lives. Just seeing how carefree animals are is a stress reliever in itself.
Probably one of the cutest sets of images on the Internet at present is those posted by Pairi Daiza zoo in Domaine du Cambron, Belgium of their orangutans and Asian small-clawed otters playing together. Never in a million years did I ever think these two animals could not only be cute together but totally get along!
By looking at the images (you’ll be able to view them in the video at the end of this article), it’s apparent just how curious the orangutans are about the otters and vice versa. Although they have many differences, the two species seem to have a blast with one another.
“The otters really enjoy getting out of the water on the orangutan island to go and play with their big, furry friends,” Spokesman Mathieu Goedefroy shared.
But how on Earth did the zookeepers come up with the idea of arranging a playdate for the orangutans and otters?
Goedefroy said that the orangutans apart of their program “must be entertained, occupied, challenged and kept busy mentally, emotionally and physically at all times.”
And with the otters finding interest in the lives of the big, furry orangutans living on dry land, the otter-orangutan friendship seemed more than the perfect fit. And, well, the zoo was definitely right.
“[Seeing them interact with one another] makes life more fun and interesting for both animal species, which makes it a very successful experiment.”
Apart from letting them visit with the adorable otters, Pairi Daiza makes sure to stimulate their orangutans in many other ways, so they can live as happy and as flourished lives as possible.
“Our keepers entertain them all day long with mind games, riddles, puzzles, and other stuff to train their intelligence,” Goedefroy said.
I imagine caring for the orangutans would be much like caring for humans. With us sharing such close DNA to these mammals, this makes perfect sense.
If you want to view the pictures of the zoo’s orangutans meeting up with their otters, press the play button below. My favorite picture is of three-year-old Berani the orangutan playing peek-a-boo with one of the otters! It’s seriously the cutest thing I’ve seen all day.
