I think the real question to ponder here is: Where in the world did he get that spear? That monkey is quite the handy"man"!

I believe it is real. Why not? These are very intelligent animals and we already know that other animals and birds use tools.

I actually think it may be real, just that Bobo was trained to hit the water with a pipe.

Either way, TH, you've been so HAD! :D

while i have no doubt orangutans are capabale of tool creation and use, i'm not sure i trust this picture.
some commenters on the original post mentioned the straightness of the stick as a factor, but there's no evidence that's a 'stick.' it could just as easily be a discarded pole of some sort.
what makes me uncertain about this image, i'm not sure. it just doesn't seem exactly right. i don't know enough about oragutans to know just precisely what's wrong.

I was more skeptical at first, too. But, the original article some good supporting details. Namely, that he was imitating humans that he'd seen spear fishing. Also, it said he didn't succeed with the spear (but had had some luck stealing from the villagers' fish traps :) ).

That answers the two biggest problems, I think. He stole the very straight spear from humans and he's not been observed to succeed like this. That was what I first wondered: how could he have ever speared a fish from that precarious perch? (He didn't!) ... Now, I'm just a little skeptical ... and for no particular reason. :)

The issue is not that it's using a pole for fishing, which it probably is. What makes this image less extraordinary is that this orangutan lived with humans extensively before returning (being returned) to the wild. This may be learned behavior.

This photo was certainly manipulated with Photoshop or some other program. There is movement with the orangutan and the water, but not with the stick. The artist forgot to add motion blur to his stick layer.

Any good photo these days will be accused of being photoshopped. Take many of the best pics from the 70s and show them today, and people will say they are fake..

I've already chimed in on that thread stating my opinion that this is a photochop job. Is there supposed to be a survey here that we vote on?

I was fine with the idea of the orangutan using a spear, but the addition of Nessie rearing her head out of the water (center image, right above the chimp's head) is kind of making me question it now. I mean, c'mon ... that's just gratuitous.

It looks legit to me, but even if it's not, kudos to the 'photoshopper' that did it.

Either way, I think it's believable - they ARE very smart animals, but based on the profile of the splash, it looks less like spear fishing, and more like slapping the water with a stick.

If you look at it closely, you can see at least two places where the stick isn't completely straight. Looks like a kind of bamboo.

Does anyone watch National Geographic or Discovery channels? Orangutans have a higher learning and problem solving ability than chimps and it was discovered nearly 20 years ago that they were capable of using tools. Read Wikipedia.

Photoshop. You notice that the splashing water doesn't create even the suggestion of a shadow in any direction.

Let's not forget Clyde from "Any Which Way But Loose" ... Orangutans can act in movies – though not as advanced a skill as fishing or throwing feces at zoo patrons – that PROVES that animals can do many things, such as drive cars and shoot guns and even drink whiskey from bottles.

If it is photoshop then that is a very talented primate, I have trouble with some of the finer details when using PS CS3 on the Mac but our Orangutan friend not only fishes with a pole but can use a mouse too. There will be plenty of jobs around for him Shakespear eat your heart out.. with infinite monkey theorem: states that a monkey hitting keys at random on a typewriter keyboard for an infinite amount of time will almost surely type a particular chosen text, such as the complete works of William Shakespeare.. so not only have they typed their own books but are now doing the photoshop too..

Photo looks a little bit strange. Nevertheless, even if this particular photo is photoshopped, I'm ready to believe in orangutans hunting fish with spears.

If you look for videos on YouTube about orangutans, you'll find out how intelligent these species are.

And, actually, this is not the first time, when primate uses spear to hunt flesh. A year ago, it seems to me that chimps were reported to sharpen one end of the pole with the help of teeth, thus making spear, and hunt smaller monkeys (bush-babies, if I'm correct).

No surprise at all for someone who follows wildlife news. :)

Definitely Photo shoped. That stick is a manufactured tool, not a jungle stick. Nowhere will you find a pole that straight and smooth in nature.

Everyone knows other primates use tools. Whether or not the picture is real, this shouldn't be shocking.

The photo does not look real to me. I can't describe what about the photo looks fake, but it does to me regardless of the content. Regarding the content, Orangutans are mostly vegetarians. They occasionally eat termites, ants, and other small animals, but are not hunters likes chimpanzees and bonobos. I don't think they would eat fish or have the dexterities to spear a fish if they wanted to.

I've seen dumber animals do smarter things, so I have no trouble believing it's real.

I looked at it and had it all figured out how it was a photoshop job...then I found this article in the London Times(not the final word of course, but I now think it is real)

FROM LONDON TIMES
Orang-utans have confounded naturalists by learning to swim across rivers and to fish with sticks.

Naturalists were shocked to see the apes swim across a river to gain access to some of their favourite fruits at a conservation refuge on Kaja island in Borneo. Orang-utans were previously thought to be non-swimmers. The wildlife experts were equally surprised to see an orang-utan pick up a tree branch and stun a fish before eating it. Other apes introduced to the island were seen trying to spear fish with sticks after watching fishermen using rods. The naturalists also noted that the apes quickly worked out that it was even easier to steal fish from unattended lines used by the humans on the island. The unexpected behaviour has been captured in photographs published in the book Thinkers of the Jungle — the Orang-utan Report, by Gerd Schuster, Willie Smits and Jay Ullal, of the Borneo Orang-utan Survival Association. The pictures are thought to be the first to show an orang-utan using a tool for hunting. The apes live in Borneo and Sumatra and are regarded by some as second only to humans in intelligence. They are threatened with extinction as their habitats diminish.

IT IS REAL. Orangutans are extraordinary with tool-use, more than what most people know and that's why this doubt exists.

Check out article I did on it clarifying any questions by clicking on my name - Richard Zimmerman commented on it (the director of the sanctuary where Organtuan Island is filmed) confirming it's truth.

You can find more info about these studies on the orangutans using spears here. Chimpanzees are already shown to MAKE and use spears, is it so unlikely orangutans could be doing something similar?

http://primatology.net/2008/04/29/orangutan-photographed-using-tool-as-spear-to-fish/

As Executive Director of the Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) Foundation UK which funds the projects in Borneo where this photo was taken, I can confirm that the photo is authentic. It is also backed by the BOS Scientific Advisory Board, including Dr Anne Russon who has done extensive studies of the orangutans on this island. The behaviours including spear fishing and swimming on these islands is not uncommon, and are almost certainly learned behaviours as they have not been seen in wild populations. Chimps have been reported by National Geographic of using a similar technique to hunt bushbabies out of tree hollows in Senegal.
Michelle Desilets
Executive Director
Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation UK
www.savetheorangutan.co.uk