Going to the zoo as a kid is always one of the most exciting things you can do! For many, the zoo is where a love of animals, science, and nature all come together in amazement! Wonder of the world around us starts with our exposure to it! Zoos are often the first place we ever experience that awe.
Let’s just hope this little kid remembers this incredible moment!
If having an incredible moment at a zoo is the beginning of a love of the world and nature, this little kid should grow up to be a scientist of some sort! Caught on camera, we see a moment that the zoo-goers never expected.
A little boy and his family were visiting the Denver Zoo when they went to the orangutan exhibit.
Walking up to the glass, the kid and his mom are looking into one of the enclosures spread around the zoo. In this particular one, an orangutan is enjoying his day! Pulling out his camera, the boy’s dad starts filming the impressive primate through the glass.
The orangutan in the enclosure is named Junie!
Junie has traveled quite a bit in his life and has seen his fair share of humans. Sitting in a glass room all day is sure to quaint you with them!
Junie is the Sumatran orangutan in this video. He came to the Denver Zoo from Zoo Atlanta due to Denver’s successful work in caring for orangutans with chronic respiratory disease. Denver Zoo staff are committed to providing Junie with the level of care he needs every day to make sure that he is as comfortable and healthy as possible.
For Junie, seeing humans pass by isn’t anything new.
The wise-looking orangutan probably sees thousands of humans every day, if not every hour. Despite the seeming monotony of his life, he decided something was interesting about the little boy who was watching him!
Swinging over in a slow and methodical movement, Junie got right up next to the glass to see the little boy!
Something about the infant caught Junie’s attention. Getting as close as he could to the glass, he stared out at the little boy in his mother’s arms, totally transfixed. It was almost like he saw one of his own little ones through the glass!
All of a sudden, Junie leans in and kisses the glass!
Like a human saying hello to the baby, the massive orangutan rocks back and forth in front of the baby! After a few more rocks, he leans in for a second and more deliberate kiss! You can tell that all the zoo-goers are completely shocked by the “awwww’s” that are collectively heard when the kisses happen.
Videos like this make it hard to forget just how smart these “animals” are.
Who knows where Junie picked up kissing! Regardless, he learned it’s motions AND the context to use it in.
“ORANG-UTANS have been named as the world’s most intelligent animal in a study that places them above chimpanzees and gorillas, the species traditionally considered closest to humans. The study found that out of 25 species of primate, orang-utans had developed the greatest power to learn and to solve problems.” – The Times
Seeing Junie show some love to a baby may just be all the proof that we need to see how empathetic and intelligent they really are.
Check out the incredible moment in the video below!
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