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After spotting a man deep in snake infested waters this orangutan offered a helping hand and the images went viral

The Animal Kingdom never ceases to surprise us and this photo of an endangered orangutan offering his hand to a man submerged in snake infested waters is proof of that.

The man was working to clear snakes from the waterways of Borneos to protect the already critically endangered orangutans when photographer Anil Prabhakar captured the heartwarming image.

Mr. Prabhakar witnessed the moment while he and friends were exploring an orangutan conservation forrest. He stated “There was a report of snakes in that area so the warden came over and he’s clearing snakes”

Borneo is home to thousands of orangutans which are protected by various organisations from major threats including habitat destruction, predators including snakes and poachers who sell their body parts onto the black market

Today there are an estimated 110,000 orangutans in the wild according to the WWF, a significant drop in numbers from over 230,000 orangutans in the wild a century ago.

In the wild these great apes can live between 35 to 45 years, sadly Much of the orangutans natural habitat is destroyed to make way for palm oil plantations which fuel the ever growing palm oil industry.

Palm oil is found in many household products and is widely used in the food industry for various applications which can be found using this guide.