Prabhakar, an Indonesian naturalist and photojournalist, has long believed in photography’s capacity to evoke both emotion and social change. According to Prabhakar’s concept, each image can speak for itself, according to The Dodo. “I’m more concerned about trying to communicate a mood to which I can relate.”
Prabhakar started to associate with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation after learning about the predicament of orangutans as a result of deforestation. In 2019, he paid a visit to the foundation in the hopes of learning more about their activities, and they offered to show him around their protected territory.
While walking through the woods, Prabhakar noticed a crew member entering a small river. When questioned about the man’s proximity to the orangutan’s habitat, the guards stated that a snake had been sighted nearby.
According to Prabhakar, they must take care of those items because poisonous snakes are detrimental to orangutans. As a result, the man began removing the bushes alongside the river, but his legs kept getting mired down in the mud, giving the impression that he was moving slowly.
The man was having difficulty elevating his legs, and Prabhakar wasn’t the only one concerned. The neighboring female orangutan was also watching the action unfold.
According to Prabhakar, the orangutan sat down and studied what the other individual was doing as it got closer to the river’s banks. The orangutan offered to raise the man out of the muck for three minutes, but the man disregarded him and continued on his path.
When Prabhakar returned to shore, he questioned the crew member’s decision not to accept the orangutan’s offer of assistance. He explained that he was only serving as a “lifeguard” and that he was not permitted to mingle with the wild animals.
Prabhakar believes there is an important lesson to be learned.
