Rajang The Orangutan’s Heartfelt Gesture Toward Pregnant Woman Will Melt Your Heart

Our primate cousins often grace us with signs of their humanity. And what one middle-aged orangutan recently did to a pregnant Brit during a visit to the zoo is just more proof the animals are more like us than we know.

Rajang, a 47-year-old orangutan, is a fixture at the Chester Zoo in Colchester, England. He has been there since 1980 after being orphaned at infancy, the Essex Chronicle reported. The orangutan was hand-raised by keepers at the zoo and grew up to be the most interactive and engaging orangutan there.

He often shows signs of his inner human, said one of his keepers, Paula Fairweather.

“Rajang loves to be involved and imitates us when we are cleaning his enclosure. We often give him a cloth and bucket of soapy water so he can clean his windows whilst we clean the rest of the area … One time, (he) was caught watching our gardeners planting some flowers, so we gave him some plant pots and peat, as well as some leafy twigs and thin branches, and watched to see what he would do. Rajang put the peat in the plant pots, and then cleverly planted the twigs.”

Jay Clarke and partner Maisie Knight, who is 37-weeks pregnant, recently learned just how special the orangutan is. When she eased up to his glass enclosure, the primate immediately became fascinated with her pregnant bump.

Clarke posted a video of the exchange on YouTube — which has since garnered almost a million hits — and described the remarkable experience.

“Rajang ignored me and just stared at Maisie, it seemed like he was intrigued by her and after a few seconds he pointed at her belly … I said to her to put her belly to the glass and … started to softly rub the glass where her belly was pressed against it. I put my belly too the glass and got a dirty look then when I placed my hand on the he tried to push my hand away my partner returned her belly to the glass and Rajang touched and kissed her belly again through the glass … Truly a special animal that has touched our hearts.”

The couple is expecting a boy, whom they plan to name Charles, the Daily Mirror added. One day when their son grows up, they plan to visit the zoo and introduce the little one to the orangutan.

[Photo Courtesy Colchester Zoo / Twitter]