JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) 鈥� A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a human-made canopy bridge to cross a public road on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, conservationists said Monday.
Rapid development has been shrinking the jungle habitat of the critically endangered species, and fatal conflicts with people have been increasing.
The fleeting scene, captured by a motion鈥憇ensitive camera, showed a young Sumatran orangutan pause at the forest鈥檚 edge, grip a rope with deliberate care and step out into open air. Halfway across, it stopped, casting a glance down at the road below. Moments later, it crossed.
Conservationists 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 habitat.
鈥淭his was the moment we had been waiting for,鈥� Erwin Alamsyah Siregar, executive director of Indonesian conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa, or TaHuKah, told The Associated Press. 鈥淲e are very grateful that the canopy here provides benefits for orangutan conservation efforts.鈥�
He said that the bridge spans the Lagan鈥揚agindar road in Pakpak Bharat district, a vital corridor connecting remote villages to schools, healthcare and government services. But 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 Forest.
When the road was upgraded in 2024, the gap in the forest canopy widened, eliminating natural crossings for tree鈥慸welling wildlife.
鈥淒evelopment was necessary for people,鈥� Siregar said. 鈥淏ut without intervention, it would have left orangutans trapped on either side.鈥�
TaHuKah, 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 traffic.
Five 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 orangutan鈥檚 weight 鈥� no small feat for the world鈥檚 largest tree鈥慸welling mammal.
The program is closely monitored, with camera traps on every bridge and regular patrols to prevent forest encroachment. Conservationists hope more orangutans will follow the first pioneer.
They 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 鈥� a promising sign.
The orangutan鈥檚 approach was slower, building nests near the bridge, lingering at its edges and testing the ropes over time.
鈥淭hey observe,鈥� Siregar said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 rush. They watch, they try, they retreat. Only when they鈥檙e certain it鈥檚 safe do they move.鈥�
Then, one day, he crossed fully 鈥� a first not just for Sumatra, but for the species globally on a public road, conservations say.
Similar bridges have been used by orangutans elsewhere, but usually over rivers or on private industrial forest road. Conservationists say public roads 鈥� noisy, busy and unpredictable 鈥� pose a far greater challenge.
For orangutans, the stakes are high. Isolation leads to inbreeding, genetic weakening and eventual population collapse. Restoring connectivity gives them a chance to survive.
Once widespread across southern Asia, the animal now only survives on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. Fewer than 14,000 Sumatran orangutans remain in the wild, alongside just 800 Tapanuli orangutans and about 104,700 Bornean orangutans, according to conservation groups
鈥淭hese bridges allow orangutans to move, to mix, to maintain healthy populations,鈥� Siregar said. 鈥淚t reduces the risk of extinction.鈥�
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