Amazing Orangutan Saves Duckling From Drowning

With so little contact with other species beyond our pets, it can be hard to forget that there are several fascinating human qualities that aren't ours alone. Human beings aren't the only animals that can play tricks or deceive each other, for instance. They're not the only animals that can become depressed, or employ courage, or be driven by ambition. Many of the attributes - both good and bad - by which we define ourselves are not solely human characteristics.

However, these things are terribly hard to study, as a true understanding of behaviour requires an understanding of intent - and it can be hard enough to prove intent with human beings, let alone animals that can't talk. So, for instance, when a mouse stands up to a snake in a last-ditch effort to defend its children, is she thinking 'they're more important than me - I'll risk myself to save them', or 'I care about them too much to lose them', or is she just following blind instinct? As you can see, it can be very difficult to gauge the meaning of an action, when there is no way to prove its motivation.

Such is the case with the video below. In it you're going to get a little treat - a cute tale of an orangutan saving a little duckling from drowning. Pretty heart warming, right? However, it's impossible to actually know the intention of the orangutan. It might have picked the duckling out of the water because it was curious. The orangutan might have no real concept of what drowning is. It's hard to really know - and that's why animal behaviour is such a fascinating area of research.

One thing is certain, though - the orangutan took great care to be gentle with the little duckling, and not to hurt it. Have a look for yourself at the Vyperlook website below.