The Most Photogenic Orangutan Has Been Captured Playing and Relaxing In These Candid Photos

By Dan Coles

COULD this adorable rescued Orangutan called Percy be the most photogenic on the planet?

The photographs taken at a rehabilitation centre for animals in Indonesia, show Percy clearly enjoying the attention, pulling different poses throughout the shoot.

In other candid images we can see Percy relaxing in the semi-wild habitat of Camp Leakey.

The assortment of images offers a great selection of Percy’s affable nature. He was perfectly at home with 30-year-old wildlife photographer, Leighton Lum from Hawaii.

‘’In these images of Percy, you see a wild animal that has been habituated and raised alongside humans,’’ said Leighton.

“You can clearly see his level of curiosity and cognitive thinking, you see an intelligent animal who possess very similar traits to humans.

‘’As I got down on the ground to shoot, Percy turned around to look at me, as I was taking some shots he began to play with the front of the camera.

“He never showed any aggression towards me, just curiosity, and you could see him trying to figure out what the camera was.’’

Camp Leakey is located deep within the forest of Tanjung Puting National Park, Percy was born in the rehabilitation centre after his mother was rescued from an animal trafficking ring.

Percy is classed as semi-wild as he was born in the wild, but raised around humans. He is free to venture as far as he wishes, but because of his close relationship to his human carers and the ease of not having to hunt for his own food, he chooses to stay close to camp, and is often playful with the camps visitors.

The orangutan species is suffering population issues, due to deforestation by palm oil companies as-well-as the illegal trafficking of baby orangutans.

‘’The pressure from expanding palm oil companies has put tremendous pressure on all the animals who live in the forest,’’ Leighton said.

‘’I hope when people see my photographs that they appreciate these creatures, they see an animal who is wild and free and not in a cage or forced to live in cruel conditions.

“I want people to see hope. Hope for a species that struggles to survive.’’