Charlie the orangutan listens to baby's heartbeat at zoo
A great ape with great affection for humans - that’s Charlie the orangutan.
One couple found out exactly how tenderhearted he can be when they visited the Singapore Zoo earlier this month.
When TikTok user @ihsahnmohd and his expectant wife went to its enclosure, Charlie leaned against a glass panel as if it was trying to listen to their baby's heartbeat.
The sweet moment was captured in a 33-second video clip that was posted to TikTok on July 8, clocking 17,100 views and 1,343 likes so far.
In the video, Mr Ihsahn's wife is seen pressing her baby bump against the glass panel.
@ihsahnmohd Orang utan listening to baby in tummy@Singapore Zoo #singapore #singaporezoo #singaporetiktok #orangutan #wholesome #fyp ♬ Home (Option 3 - The Young Ebenezers
Charlie, a 46-year-old male Sumatran orangutan, squashes its right ear and cheek against the panel on the other side, near the area where her baby bump is.
Mr Ihsahn captions that the "orangutan came to my pregnant wife and listen (sic) to the baby's heartbeat".
His wife then leans forward to look at Charlie’s face.
The orangutan furtively looks at her before turning its attention to her tummy again, pressing its ear and cheek against the glass once more.
A bond made on fondness for all living things.
One netizen said that Charlie had done the same thing with her mother.
"This curious behaviour is not unique to Charlie as there have been many instances of great apes showing interest and being sensitive towards not only expectant ladies, but infants and children as well," a Mandai Wildlife Group spokesperson told Mothership.
Charlie arrived in Singapore on June 8, 2005, as part of an exchange programme with Zoo Negara, in Selangor, Malaysia.
It is known to like the attention of humans, owing to it being hand-raised since young.
Charlie loves people-watching, and is most intrigued by women and children.
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