One of my first dreams as a young boy was to go to Borneo, venture inside to find and photograph wild orangutans like this male in Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia. Now years later, (27 to be precise ...) since my first encounter with these remarkable primates, I am as excited now as back then every time a meet with the "man of the forest"! By now I have spent years in Borneo and many months up in the canopy moulding away in hides and blinds to get the orang-images needed for magazine stories, books and films. Orangutans spend much of their time (some 90 percent) in the trees of their tropical rain forest home so there are really no shortcuts if you want to get the best images. Orangutans sleep aloft in nests of leafy branches that they make late every afternoon. They frequently use large leaves as umbrellas and shelters to protect themselves from the tropical rains. Orangutans are more solitary than other apes. Males are loners and as they move through the forest they make howling calls to ensure that they stay out of each other's way. The "long call" can be heard at least 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) away. Mothers and their young, however, share a strong bond. Infants will stay with their mothers for some six or seven years until they develop the skills to survive on their own. Since orangutans live in only a few places in Sumatra and Borneo and because they are so dependent upon a multitude of trees, they are particularly susceptible to logging. Unfortunately, deforestation and other human activities, such as hunting and the palm oil industry have placed the orangutan in danger of extinction. #orangutan #danumvalley #borneo #malaysia @wwf #mattiasklum #instagood #rainforest @natgeo @thephotosociety - via Instagram http://ift.tt/1E2wydJ
