These were shot during my first ever close encounter with my little brothers from different mothers: apes.
I've always loved them and seeing them in person was a dream come true... until I realised keeping them inside a cage for human's pleasure was totally messed up. Ever since then, I've only seen them roam free in one setting or another, and I can only wish to see the biggest brothers, aka Silverbacks and Orangutans, from a very short distance. If then they accept me as their own, and want to hug me and check my head for lice all day long, it wouldn't be the most terrible thing in the world.
These photos was taken inside a Vietnamese natural park. This little guy, together with a few others, had cancer and thus were kept inside a cage for frequent health check, though if I were to judge the situation by the looks, the employers were not doing their jobs as they should. I hope I was wrong.
The look it gave us was so intense and tender at the same time, my heart skipped a beat. I just wanted to hug him and tell him it was going to be okay. I guess you can say my motherly instincts kicked in... weird, hey?
We couldn't help but put our hands on the net and before we realised it, the little guy was touching our hands and playing around with them. His skin was incredibly soft. It was a very sweet moment I will never forget.