"For two years, the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS) and TaHuKah had been watching camera-trap footage of the bridge, waiting for the day that an orangutan would finally cross. After two long years, it's finally happened."
"Crossing that bridge is living proof that we need not sever the forest's lifeline in order to build our communities' own. The road spelled disaster for the 350 orangutans in the area, splitting them into two populations."
"Orangutans have a very slow life history, and are really prone to genetic bottlenecks. If they are kept in small groups, they will be weakened by inbreeding until they are functionally extinct."
The Sumatran orangutan has been filmed crossing a canopy bridge built over a road in North Sumatra, Indonesia. This bridge was constructed to mitigate the barrier created by the Lagan-Pagindar road, which split the orangutan population into two groups. Conservationists had monitored the bridge for two years, hoping for this moment. The successful crossing is a hopeful sign for the species, which faces the risk of functional extinction due to genetic bottlenecks from isolation. The bridge also benefits other wildlife species in the area.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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