First night out, we tied up at the side of the river. Happened to be close to a troop of Orangutans. Didn’t see them, but heard them hooting. Next day, saw a few in the trees. Went to a feeding station where around 15 showed up. They set out food in times when it’s scarce in the wild. Saw a few other kinds of monkeys on the river. One of the best experiences in my life.
How are orangutans? Are they chill? Still dangerous wild animals? Do they have an obvious personality? I’ve only seen them at the zoo and they don’t pay too much attention to people there.
They are chill, as long as you keep a good distance (5 meters or more). If not, the male will attack you and you don’t want to fight that hairy bastard. They’re nothing compared to a silverback, but they still will do a lot of damage.
Personality wise, hard to tell. I was not able to bond while I was there. I guess you would need many months until you gain trust.
The experience is totally a different one compared to the zoo. Because in the wild, you are the foreign object, so they fully focus on you. And it is way more scary to see them close without a large glass or fence in between.