Viewers across the globe are left heartbroken after seeing an orangutan trying to fight a bulldozer as the machine destroys its habitat in front of it.

The heartbreaking footage was aired as part of new BBC documentary series presented by Sir David Attenborough.

In the documentary Climate Change: The Facts, a desperate orangutan was seen rushing towards a bulldozer in an attempt to stop the digger from ruining its home.

The animal crashed its fists down on the machine but, unfortunately, it fell down the tree as the ape was no match to the metallic digger.

As if it wasn’t enough, the distressed animal was then shooed away by the workers involved in the process.

The clip was shared to raise awareness among the masses about how the global palm oil industry is destroying the habitats around the world.

Massive stretches of forest rich with flora and fauna have been cut down across South East Asia to make room for the plantation of palms trees.

After the clip was shared online, people worldwide were left heartbroken by the tragic reality of how these poor creatures are suffering at the hands of humans.

One Twitter user grieved: “Why are humans doing this?? Heartbreaking and truly awful footage….leave these beautiful creatures and their homes alone.”

Another said: “The orangutan trying to stop the workers destroying his home speaks volumes! Animals are an innocent bystander as humans destroy the planet.”

One person commented: “I will never, ever countenance that destroying the home of an orangutan is worth anything that could possibly ‘want’ or ‘need’.”

The 92-year-old veteran broadcaster aims to raise awareness about climate change through his show.

“Right now we are facing our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change,” Attenborough said. “At the current rate of warming we risk a devastating future.

“The science is now clear that urgent action is needed. What happens now and in these next few years will profoundly affect the next few thousand years.

“We are facing a man-made disaster on a global scale.

“It may sound frightening but the scientific evidence is that if we have not taken dramatic action within the next decade we could face irreversible damage of the natural world, and the collapse of our societies.”