Page:Babyhood of Wild Beasts.djvu/41

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CHAPTER II

baby orang-utans

OF all our wonderful animal kingdom none attracts so much attention as the great apes. They so nearly approach man in habits, manners, appetites and mimicry that they really seem very human.

The Orang-Utans stand at the head of the animal class for intelligence and are equalled only by the chimpanzees.

A baby Orang is a very close approximation of a human baby. The Orang mother carries her baby in her arms. She coddles, pets and loves him in every conceivable way. She is very particular that he does not get injured nor eat

any food that may disagree with him. I saw a small boy pass a baby Orang a peanut. The little fellow took it in his human looking hand and was about to eat it when his mother snatched it from him and destroyed it. She chattered and

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