Camera shows Sumatra orangutan using a canopy bridge to cross a road in Indonesia

ABC NewsLiveVideoShowsShopInterest Successfully AddedWe'll notify you here with news aboutTurn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? OffOnStream onCamera shows Sumatra orangutan using a canopy bridge to cross a road in IndonesiaConservations say 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 SumatraByNINIEK KARMINI Associated Press and FADLAN SYAM Associated PressApril 27, 2026, 11:29 AM1:19In this undated photo provided by Sumatran Orangutan Society/TaHuKah, a Sumatran orangutan crosses a canopy bridge that stretches over a road in Pakpak Bharat, North Sumatra, Indonesia. (Sumatran Orangutan Society/TaHuKah via AP)The Associated PressJAKARTA, Indonesia -- 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‑sensitive camera, showed a young Sumatran orangutan pause at the forest’s 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.“This was the moment we had been waiting for,” Erwin Alamsyah Siregar, executive director of Indonesian conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa, or TaHuKah, told The Associated Press. “We are very grateful that the canopy here provides benefits for orangutan conservation efforts.”He said that the bridge spans the Lagan–Pagindar 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‑dwelling wildlife.“Development was necessary for people,” Siregar said. “But without intervention, it would have left orangutans trapped on either side.”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’s weight — no small feat for the world’s largest tree‑dwelling 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.Popular ReadsIran live updates: US being 'humiliated' by Iran, German chancellor saysApr 27, 11:27 AM'Absolute chaos': Gunman charges WH correspondents' dinner checkpointApr 26, 12:52 AMTrump says US Navy attacked and seized Iranian-flagged cargo shipApr 19, 10:21 PMThey waited two years for the first orangutan to cross the…

This excerpt is published under fair use for community discussion. Read the full article at ABC News: International.