Thirsty orangutan takes cool drink from fridge during Malaysian heat wave

By Hoang Vu May 15, 2024 | 06:28 pm PT

A male orangutan is seen opening a fridge to take a drink amid a heat wave in Malaysia. Photos courtesy of Arthur Chung's Facebook page

A video of a male orangutan opening a fridge to take a drink amid an ongoing heat wave has gone viral on social media in Malaysia, with netizens surprised by his cheeky act.

The video shared by a netizen identified as Arthur Chung, a deputy chief conservator of forests at the Sabah Forestry Department, on May 10 shows the orangutan standing in front of the fridge and opening the door.

It was seen picking out drink packets and trying to get a sip of the cold drink.

"Due to the extremely hot weather, an unexpected guest dropped by at the Keruing Cafe in RDC Sepilok, and helped himself selectively with whatever was found in the fridge and left without paying!" said Chungin a Facebook post.

A netizen wrote "Impressive... The guest only took what it needed and did not rummage through the entire loot or make a huge mess."

"Aww. That’s so cool. Though it didn’t pay, I bet the sight was awesome and priceless. At least, it didn’t trash the place like some humans do in New York stores," another wrote.

Since March, Southeast Asia has suffered record heat waves due to the El Nino weather phenomenon.