Watch: Orangutan Asks to See Baby in Adorable Zoo Video

A viral video from the Louisville Zoo shows an orangutan with a strong paternal instinct. The clip taking over news cycles shows an orangutan knocking on the glass of its enclosure and motioning for a visitor to bring their three-month-old baby closer. When they do so, the orangutan leans in with apparent interest, to the delight of the other guests.

The video was taken by Kayla Jaylen Natsis and shows her grandmother holding her infant son Jordan. They were visiting the orangutan exhibit at The Louisville Zoo in Louisville, Kentucky, which is home to four orangutans – Teak, Amber, Segundo, and Bella. According to a report by Fox News, it's not clear which of the animals took an interest in Jordan, but whoever it was earned a lot of points with the crowd. The video is full of people saying "aww" as the orangutan leans over Jordan.

"We brought him over so she could see him and she kissed the glass two times," Natsis told reporters from Storyful. "Everyone there, including us, thought it was the cutest thing ever!"

Two of Louisville's orangutans may have experience with playing to a crowd. Teak and Amber reportedly appeared on The David Letterman Show years ago with zoologist Jack Hanna. Hanna was known for hosting his own wildlife shows and made many talk show appearances in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He worked at the Columbus Zoo up until June of 2020 when he retired, so there's no telling when he last saw Teak and Amber.

According to the Louisville Zoo itself, Orangutans are known for having strong bonds with their offspring compared to other animals – and even other primates. Young orangutans may stay with their mothers for up to 10 years after they are born, which biologists believe is the "longest childhood of any ape species." Orangutans are the largest tree-dwelling species in the world, native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are also considered the most intelligent primate, known for using some sophisticated tools in the wild.

Displays of intelligence and compassion like this are the reason that orangutans are now fiercely protected by many advocates. The Great Ape Project succeeded in securing some legal "rights" for orangutans in Spain in 2008, ensuring that they are not used in animal experiments. The group has helped to protect orangutans around the world in and out of captivity for years, but sadly all three species of orangutans are still considered critically endangered at the time of this writing. Animal rights activists will likely be using the video from Louisville in outreach campaigns in the years to come.

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