Gentle Orangutan Shares Incredible Moment With Human Mom And Baby

<p> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oppWVrPpkX8">YouTube/Thavewur</a><span></span> </p>
<p> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oppWVrPpkX8">YouTube/Thavewur</a><span></span> </p>

We're used to cooing over cute animal babies. But what happens when they feel the same way about us?

A video currently making the rounds captures a touching moment between a captive orangutan and a young human mother. The human mother sits close to the glass of the orangutan's enclosure, her human baby swaddled against her chest.

The orangutan is undeniably excited. She points at the baby to communicate with the human mother, and crouches down by the window to get a better look.

YouTube/Thavewur

They lean their heads together, just inches away as they share a special moment with the human infant.

In the wild, orangutans are doting mothers, keeping their babies by their sides until they are up to 10 years old. Even after they gain independence, female orangutans will often come back to visit their mothers until they have children of their own. It's unclear if this orangutan ever had a baby of her own.

This video is a heartwarming reminder of just how much we share with our gentle cousins - but it's also a poignant invitation to rethink how we treat them in the wild and in captivity.

You can watch the full video below.

This story has been updated to include information about orangutans in the wild.

click to play video

This story has been updated to include information about orangutans in the wild.