
FirstLook: A Mother’s Kiss
- Arts
- Science & Nature
- Photography
Reading time:1min
Photograph by Beawiharta
For more than eight hours, we navigated the Sekonyer River in a wooden boat, cruising through Tanjung Puting National Park in the Central Kalimantan region of Borneo, Indonesia. After docking, we walked about an hour in the lush rainforest. Then, our tour guide and ranger, Adut, placed corn and yams on top of a wooden table.
It was not long until orange-haired Bornean orangutans began to approach the table. More than five were carrying babies. Seeing so many newborns was, Adut informed us, highly unusual. He conjectured that the park’s closure and resulting prolonged quiet due to the pandemic may have contributed to an optimal primate mating environment.
Observing the orangutans, I saw how intimately bonded the mothers were to their babies and how deeply they seemed to express love in every movement with them. As I watched a nearby mother and infant embrace, I photographed this magnificent moment as the mother was tenderly kissing her child’s neck.
Orangutans are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, mainly because of habitat loss—in Indonesia they have lost 80 percent of their forest area. Sanctuaries like the Tanjung Puting National Park are helping to preserve their lives and future. And while I was happy to see so many new families among them, it impressed on me the urgency of finding ways to thwart deforestation.
—Beawiharta
@beawiharta
You may also be interested in...
Savoring Egypt
Arts
Rather than just telling travelers where to go, the guidebook Egypt: Inside Out by Trevor Naylor offers an inside-out perspective that evokes the experience of being there, inviting readers to embrace an almost meditative travel discipline of slowing down to take in the details and complexities of Egypt, moment by moment.When the Mountains Trust You: The Photographic Life of Peter Sanders
Arts
For more than 40 years, British photographer Peter Sanders has documented communities across the Islamic world. Sanders discusses his legacy with us, including his inspiration and influences over the course of his career.First Look: The Color of Nubia in Aswan
Arts
As a Saudi photographer with a passion for cultural, human and heritage themes around the world, I strive to make my images windows to the past as well as reflections of the present. When I came across this guesthouse on a visit to Aswan, Egypt, I was taken back to 3000 BCE to ancient Nubia.