Conservationists spot first-ever Sumatra orangutan using artificial canopy bridge to cross road in Indonesia

A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a humanmade canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of Sumatra conservationists said MondayRapid development has been shrinking the jungle habitat of the critically endangered species and fatal conflicts with people have been increasingThe fleeting scene captured by a motionsensitive camera showed a young Sumatran orangutan pause at the forests edge grip a rope with deliberate care and step out into open airHalfway across it stopped casting a glance down at the road below Moments later it crossedConservationists said that it marks the first documented case of an Sumatra orangutan using an artificial canopy bridge to cross a public road that had divided its habitatThis was the moment we had been waiting for Erwin Alamsyah Siregar executive director of Indonesian conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa or TaHuKah told The Associated Press We are very grateful that the canopy here provides benefits for orangutan conservation effortsHe said that the bridge spans the Lagana Pagindar road in Pakpak Bharat district a vital corridor connecting remote villages to schools healthcare and government servicesBut the road also cuts directly through prime orangutan habitat splitting an estimated 350 orangutans into two isolated forest areas the Siranggas Wildlife Reserve and the Sikulaping Protection ForestWhen the road was upgraded in 2024 the gap in the forest canopy widened eliminating natural crossings for treedwelling wildlifeDevelopment was necessary for people Siregar said But without intervention it would have left orangutans trapped on either sideTaHuKah working with the Sumatran Orangutan Society or SOS and local and national government agencies proposed a simple solution rope bridges suspended between trees allowing arboreal animals to cross above trafficFive canopy bridges were installed each with a camera trap carefully positioned after surveys of orangutan nests forest cover and animal movement The structures were designed to support the orangutans weight no small feat for the worlds largest treedwelling mammalThe programme is closely monitored with camera traps on every bridge and regular patrols to prevent forest encroachment Conservationists hope more orangutans will follow the first pioneerThey waited two years for the first orangutan to cross the bridge Before the accomplishment only smaller animals used it Camera traps recorded squirrels langur monkeys and macaques followed by gibbons a promising signThe orangutans approach was slower building nests near the bridge lingering at its edges and testing the ropes over timeThey observe Siregar said They dont rush They watch they try they retreat Only when theyre certain its safe do they moveThen one day he crossed fully a first not just for Sumatra but for the species globally on a public road conservations saySimilar bridges have been used by orangutans elsewhere but usually over rivers or on private industrial forest road Conservationists say public roads noisy busy and unpredictable pose a far greater challengeFor orangutans the stakes are high Isolation leads to inbreeding genetic weakening and eventual population collapse Restoring connectivity gives them a chance to surviveOnce widespread across southern Asia the animal now only survives on the islands of Sumatra and BorneoFewer than 14000 Sumatran orangutans remain in the wild alongside just 800 Tapanuli orangutans and about 104700 Bornean orangutans according to conservation groupsThese bridges allow orangutans to move to mix to maintain healthy populations Siregar said It reduces the risk of extinctionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever