Even in the most protected environments, accidents can happen. Unfortunately, one of those accidents occurred at a zoo in Vietnam when a large orangutan began drowning in its own enclosure. Apparently, a visitor had tossed food into the water of the enclosure’s moat, enticing the animal to jump in.
When the accident happened, the orangutan’s zookeeper leapt into action as quickly as possible, even attempting to pull the animal from the water himself. It was caught all on video and shared on TikTok by @news.com.au, one of Australia’s largest news sites. This is honestly a little tough to watch.
https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js@news.com.au This guy is a hero! Visitors are warned not to feed the animals, however its a plea often ignored. #fyp #zoo #orangutan ♬ Motivated sadness inviting classic(213189) – alaki paca
Wow! This man deserves a raise immediately. It’s absolutely incredible how he singlehandedly leapt into the moat, found the orangutan, dragged it to safety, and performed CPR. Remember–adult male orangutans can weigh over 300 pounds!
As it totally should be, TikTok viewers and commenters from around the globe are praising this brave zookeeper’s actions.
“Well done you an amazing human 🥰,” @zanegibson862 wrote. Short, sweet, and encouraging–we couldn’t agree more! Another commenter, @highlandia1, made an excellent point about what could’ve happened:
“A real hero,” they began. “Most would just pick up their phones and film. A few heroes left in this insane world.” They do have a point; filming instead of helping is one of the most common reactions nowadays, but this trained zookeeper knew exactly what to do.
@Vrilyas got us thinking with their comment. They asked, “What kind of zoo is it, if the animals can die inside the area they live 😳?” Truthfully, accidents can happen anywhere.
In normal situations, this moat is a protective barrier between the animals and the people who come to see them every day, not somewhere animals go. Incidents like this are just one reason why guests are asked not to feed the animals, but someone had ignored the rules.
Luckily, the orangutan had their talented handler nearby, so this daring rescue was possible. Thank you, brave zookeeper!