Apr 30, 2026 12:00:00

Wild orangutans have been filmed using an artificial suspension bridge for the first time.

Orangutans are a species of primate found in Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia, and are the only great apes in Asia. For the first time, footage has been captured of orangutans, whose habitat has been fragmented by road expansion, crossing roads using 'artificial bridges' built by humans.

World First: Orangutan Filmed Using a Human-Made Bridge : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/world-first-orangutan-filmed-using-a-human-made-bridge

For a long time, orangutans were thought to be a single species, but as of the time of writing, they are classified into three species: the Bornean orangutan , the Sumatran orangutan , and the Tapanuli orangutan .

At one point, in Pakpak Barat Regency , North Sumatra , where Sumatran orangutans live, a road of social and economic importance to a remote community was expanded. However, this resulted in the orangutans' habitat being fragmented, and a population of about 350 individuals became isolated.

Therefore, the local conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa collaborated with the British charity Sumatra Orangutan Society (SOS) and local authorities to construct five suspension bridges in North Sumatra. By building suspension bridges that cross roads and connect two forests, orangutans and other animals can cross between forests without being exposed to the danger of cars.

Then, in December 2025, local time, footage of a Sumatran orangutan crossing an artificial suspension bridge was captured for the first time. You can see the actual footage below.

Orangutan Uses Canopy Bridge In World First - YouTube


A suspension bridge stretches from the foreground to the forest in the background, consisting of a single rope running along the top and a thick platform below it. The orangutan's hands are now gripping the upper rope.

An orangutan is nimbly crossing a suspension bridge, gripping the rope with both arms.

Eventually, the orangutan's entire body came into view. It stopped still, as if staring at the cars driving on the road.

After a while, we started crossing the suspension bridge again.

The orangutan continued across the suspension bridge towards the forest on the other side of the road.

In a statement, SOS reported that while gibbons and crab-eating macaques had been observed crossing the suspension bridge before, this was the first time that Sumatran orangutans had been captured on camera crossing it.

Helen Buckland, head of SOS, argues that the orangutans using the suspension bridge is a major milestone for conservation. 'These suspension bridges demonstrate that human development and wildlife are not always in conflict. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective,' she commented.