JAKARTA, April 27 -- A Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time crossing a man-made canopy bridge constructed to help the endangered animals bypass a tarred road on the Indonesian island, an NGO said yesterday.

Conservation group Tangguh Hutan Khatulistiwa, in partnership with the UK-based charity Sumatra Orangutan Society (SOS) and local authorities, built five canopy bridges in the North Sumatra province in 2024, after a road that serves as a lifeline for remote communities had been expanded, cutting through the rainforest.

The first Sumatran orangutan has now been caught on camera using one of the hanging bridges, SOS said in a statement sent to AFP yesterday.

While other species including gibbons and long-tailed macaqu...