Orangutans Take A Swim in Rungan River, Borneo

I came across an article about 12 orangutans who were seen swimming in the Rungan River inBorneo. What is so special about that? Orangutans are known to fear water due to predators such as crocodiles. However, these orangutans have been rescued from the deforestation of their home and allowed to live in a protected rainforest as they get ready to be re-released into the wild. Where they are to be re-released will be a protected are of the rainforest where they will not be hunted.

From the article, here is what orangutan expert, Simon Husson – project advisor and scientific consultant for Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation had to say about seeing the orangutans swimming.

This is a rarity – to see orangutans coming down for a swim is
unheard of in the wild. However, we know that orangutans are intelligent and innovative. They try out different behaviours, or ways of solving problems in their environment, and over time develop cultural innovations.

Pictures courtesy Barcroft Media

One of the explanations as to why the orangutans ventured out and have begun to play and swim in the river is quite fascinating from an evolutionary perspective. The explanation was that because food was plentiful on the island where these orangutans live, they have begun to explore more and do other things such as swimming. Also, there is a much less chance of encountering a crocodile.

So, if the abundance of food has allowed these orangutans to focus on other things besides hunting and gathering, we can look to that to see how humans evolved as well. And that is exactly how we evolved. As soon as people figured out a way to have an abundance of food, they were able to focus on other things, such as improving their quality of life.

So what would happen if these orangutans would continue to evolve because they have an abundance of food. Would it get to the point to where they could be as sophisticated as us people? It sure would be pretty awesome if that was the case! What are your thoughts on orangutans evolving?