Russell Laman's Image

Visiting his mother’s orang-utan research programme in the Gunung Palung National Park, Russell was tracking a female through the rainforest. Suddenly, this male – Alfred – came swinging down almost to the ground to eat, a rare opportunity for Russell. ‘As Alfred gazed off into the distance, I couldn’t help wonder what he was thinking,’ he says.

Gunung Palung National Park is one of the last remaining strongholds of Bornean orang-utans. They face multiple threats: forest clearance for oil palm plantations, logging, slash-and-burn farming and illegal hunting, as well as a lack of legal protection and awareness. They are now critically endangered.