Amidst our five-day trek through the harsh jungles of North Sumatra, we came upon nature’s greatest parental bond – that between a mother orangutan and her offspring.

Here we caught a glimpse of arguably the strongest mother-offspring relationship in nature outside of humans. This mother will spend the next nine years caring for her infant, teaching it everything it will ever need to know before eventually giving way to the next generation of these remarkable primates.

Camera: Nikon D500 • NIKKOR 200–500mm f/5.6E ED VR

Photographed: 31 August 2023

Captured By: Ryan