This photo by Anil Prabhaker has been doing the rounds of Instagram and Twitter since early 2020. CNN described the moment as the orangutan ‘stretching out its hand to help a man out of snake-infested waters’.
The photographer (a geologist), wrote, “In a time when the concept of humanity dies, animals lead us to the principles of humanity.”
Each time the image is shared, it generates a load of heart emojis and gushing praise about how heartwarming it is and how animals can teach humans about kindness.
And yet.
The Jakarta Post reports the man in the water is a warden at the sanctuary in East Kalimantan. The orangutan, Anih, has known him since the 1990s. She was most likely looking for food, not offering him a helping hand.
The world can do with more kindness. However, retaining a bit of healthy scepticism about what we see online is also a good thing.
As Einstein didn’t say: don’t believe everything you read on the internet.