23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Wildlife
Between Two Worlds

In the quiet of the forest, this mother and infant are caught between reflection and reality—much like their species is caught between survival and extinction. Orangutans now exist between two worlds: the wild they've known for millennia, and an uncertain future shaped by human hands. As palm oil plantations continue to fragment their habitat, these great apes are running out of space, out of time.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 10.2025
Date Uploaded: 12.2025
Photo Location: Indonesia
Camera: NIKON Z 9
Copyright: © Amish Chhagan