As three species of orangutans are critically endangered, one orangutan rescue center went viral after sharing funny footage of how rescuers use acting skills to teach the orangutans to fear snakes in the wild.
HAND THEM THE OSCAR NOW.
The video, uploaded to TikTok by Borneo Orangutan Survival Deutschland, or @BOS_deutschland, received more than 8 million views and more than 11,400 comments since March 10.
"The #orangutans we #rescue need to learn that #snakes are dangerous," the caption of the video reads. "This is how #conservation works."
Orangutans are great apes that are native to the rainforest in Malaysia and Indonesia. Currently, orangutans are considered critically endangered and can now only be found in parts of Sumatra and Borneo, according to the rescue center's website.
The Orangutan Project estimates that the extinction of Sumatra orangutans in the wild will likely occur in the next 10 years and Borneo orangutans will shortly follow.
Orangutans are known for their high intelligence and for having 97 percent of the same DNA as humans. They are highly inquisitive, curious, and can pick up on various actions just by watching, such as opening a door.
While orangutans instinctively recognize snakes in the wild, the fear of snakes is learned. Due to this, many caretakers teach rescued orangutans to fear snakes using various techniques such as faking attacks.
The Borneo rainforest is home to about 160 snake species, so it is important for these orangutans to understand the dangers before they are released back into the wild.
In the 30-second video, a rescue worker at the Nyaru Menteng Rehabilitation Centre located in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, takes a plastic snake out of a woven bag and places it on the ground underneath some twigs and leaves. At one point, two female workers approach the area where the snake was placed.
"This is literally how we teach rescue orangutans that snakes are dangerous!" the on-screen text read.
Once the women see the fake snake, one of them screamed loudly with her hands in the air.
Eventually, both women fall to the ground, still screaming, as they pretend to be attacked by the plastic snake. As the women scream and pretend to struggle, the orangutans grab onto each other, some hugging, others grabbing an older orangutan's hand.
Some of the orangutans quickly climbed up tall trees while others loudly whelped and screeched.
Many users rushed to the comments section to joke about the rescue workers' performance. Others, though, thought the lesson was more traumatizing than helpful.
"They are all going to bring that up in therapy," one user joked.
"The drama," another user wrote.
"Y'all really out here traumatizing them for their survival lmao," another user mentioned.
"Everyone saying that they are traumatized: that's the point, they'll remember this bad experience and avoid real snakes," one user commented.
The official BOS Deutschland account also mentioned in a pinned comment under the video that this is the best way for the orangutans to learn to fear snakes.
"Everyone just to be sure we are on the same page: trauma, ptsd etc are diagnosed conditions. These little guys are fine and are learning," the official TikTok account said.
BOS Deutschland also mentioned that since they rescue, rehabilitate, and release the animals, it is important for them to learn "all it takes" to survive.
BOS Foundation, which started in 1991, works with local communities and authorities in Indonesia to conserve the Borneo orangutans' habitat.
So far, the program has released more than 493 orangutans back into the wild.
Newsweek reached out to BOS Deutschland for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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