#20. The Protagonist Of Our Story
Vitaly, the young traveler, was born and raised in Russia. He decided to change his usual vacation spot and go somewhere far and try something new, so he went backpacking in Asia. His first destination was Indonesia.
He was tired of the typical lazy vacation on the calm Mediterranean beaches, so he thought that Indonesia would offer him just the sorts of adventures he was looking for.
#19. Bali Zoo
He was looking for a place with tropical climate, to be able to experience hot and sunny weather for a change. So when looking for a destination, Bali caught his attention. But while many people visit Bali because of its beaches, something else caught Vitaly's attention.
The traveler became intrigued with the local zoo, and in particular, with its main attraction, the orangutans. Therefore, he set out for Indonesia to visit the Bali Zoo.
#18. Orangutans
Orangutans are the stars of the zoo, and this would be his first time seeing real-life orangutans. They are among the most intelligent species of apes and Indonesia is home to one of the very few orangutan populations in the world.
But the zoo had a few rules, and one of them is that all food and drinks are prohibited within its premises. But Vitaly managed to sneak a banana inside his shorts' pocket. Sly as a fox!
#17. He Wanted To See How Smart They Are
Most orangutans in the world can be found in Sumatra, one of Indonesia's largest islands. If you ever go on a trekking or a safari through Sumatra's tropical rainforests, you may even have the chance of interacting freely with one of these primates!
Orangutans happen to be one of the smartest non-human primates, and Vitaly wanted to test their intelligence. He knew this would be a once in a lifetime experience, so he wanted to make the most out of it.
#16. Orangutan´s Diet
An Orangutan's diet includes fruits with sugary flavors, like ficus fruits or figs. Figs sound like a super exotic fruit, but Sumatra is actually brimmed with fig trees!
Vitaly googled all of this before visiting the zoo, of course. But since he didn't know where to buy figs, he decided to sneak in some bananas. Can you guess what happened then?
#15. The Tour
There were 20 tourists in the group that day, including Vitaly. The guide first took them to the reptile animals, where they saw all kinds of poisonous snakes, turtles, and even crocodiles.
Then, off they went to the feline family, to see the great lion and lionesses, white Bengal tigers, leopards, pumas, cougars, jaguars and cheetahs. They also saw a giant elephants, but Vitaly was exited about the orangutans.
#14. He Couldn´t Wait
Vitaly asked the tour guide how long they would have to wait to see the orangutans. Without a doubt, he couldn't hold his excitement! Since these primates are the zoo's main feature, the tour guides leave the best for last!
But it was only a matter of waiting, and before he knew it, Vitaly was finally face to face with the apes. Now, it was time to carry out his secret plan!
#13. They Finally Got There
The tour guide told them everything they needed to know about the orangutans, but Vitaly wasn't listening. He was focused on thinking how he could feed them the banana behind everyone's back.
So when the group started to move on, Vitaly stayed behind. As long as the zookeepers wouldn't notice, then everything would work out just fine. But did it?
#12. He Had A Change Of Heart
He started thinking that he didn't want to be responsible for causing any suffering to the orangutans, or ending in the zoo's blacklist. In other words, he was starting to get cold feet!
Therefore, the man put the banana back in his pocket and asked the guide for permission! Contrary to what he expected, the guide allowed him to throw a banana at one of the primates, and so he did. Can you guess what the orangutan's reaction was?
#11. He Waved Back
Once he had the OK, he greeted the orangutan and got the banana from his pocket. At first, he greeted him by waving his hand, and as funny as it sounds, the primate waved back!
He slowly threw the banana on the grass beside the ape. It landed next to him, and he watched the fruit bounce against the ground. But you won't believe what he did next!
#10. A Memory Of A Lifetime
He asked one of the tourists if they could take a video of him with the orangutans. They were laughing their hearts out when the orangutan picked up the banana.
He smelled it once, smelled it twice, and moments later, he threw it back at Vitaly! Taken aback, the tourist caught the banana just in time before it smashed against his face. Everyone burst into laughter.
#9. They Tried Figuring Out What Happened
Tears of laughter were coming out of everyone's eyes, and the camera guy thought that maybe the orangutan didn't want the banana because it had been kind of squeezed inside Vitaly's pocket. Ok, your highness!
Maybe he didn't like overripe bananas? The truth was that the primate had a total poker face expression, so there was no way of telling what was going through his head.
#8. Maybe He Was Felling Generous
They even thought that the orangutan just wanted to share, letting Vitaly take the first bite. And moments later, the ape tried to communicate with Vitaly with a sound.
Too bad we'll never know what he said, but Vitaly was happy either way and waved at the orangutan. One way or the other, both the primate and the tourist looked equally confused!
7#. They Shared A Quiet Moment
They just stared at each other waiting for something to happen, but that was it. They just kept their eyes locked on each other waiting for the other one to take the next step.
Orangutans are used to having human visitors in their zoo, so maybe they are also trying to test the human's intelligence? Or maybe he just couldn't bother!
#6. Brilliant Apes
Some researchers claim that humans come form the bloodline of the ape family. This hasn't been proven yet, but these theories are based on the fact that ape brains are closely related to human brains.
This could explain why most species of primates, including orangutans, are so incredibly smart, yet lots still has to be done in terms of scientific research.
#5. Illegal Experiments
Sadly, apes are often used in research experiments. The worst part is that many of such experiments may have been undocumented and illegal. But what's the problem about these experiments?
Well, in many cases, trying to prove they were close to humans was done through cruel treatments. In this sense, research should always be carried out by official, state-approved institutions.
#. Beloved Orangutans
People come from all over the world to visit the orangutans at the Bali Zoo. They even have an event called "breakfast with orangutans." Doesn't that sound fun?
This show is basically a buffet served outside your rooms with the orangutans alongside, which means you're given the chance of eating and playing with them. It sounds like a dream come true!
#3. Another Smart Ape
Similar to Vitaly, other tourists have also tried to get responses from orangutans. Just recently, a magician visited an orangutan in an European zoo and got his deck of cards out of his pocket.
The ape was paying close attention while the man was performing his magic trick. He pressed his face against the glass and gazed intently. He was truly all eyes!
#2. She Moved Near The Glass
The man put the card to the glass and covered it with his hands. Then he started counting from one to five, and the orangutan kept on watching closely.
When he reached five, he removed his hand and the card was left sticking to the glass. And guess what? The orangutan held out its hand, as if trying to pick up the card!
#1. She Was Blown Away
The primate grabbed a piece of stick and poked the glass, hoping to grab hold of the card. Seconds later, when the magician handed her the card over the glass, the orangutan imitated his moves, and glued the card against his side of the glass.
Just like the orangutan that threw the banana at the Russian tourist, this primate proved the world just how smart its kind is. And we're sure that there are millions of other similar stories proving the orangutan's sheer intelligence!