Orangutans native to SE Asia found in Odisha; wildlife trafficking suspected

On Tuesday, a group of residents exploring a forest near the village of Badapai in Odisha’s Balasore district made an unusual discovery – five young orangutans. News of the rare event quickly spread, prompting a massive crowd to gather within an hour, leading the forest department to intervene and safely remove the animals. Balasore Divisional Forest Officer Pratik Prakash Indalkar reported that four of the five babies are in good health, while veterinarians are currently examining and treating them.

The orangutans were first seen near 6 am in the Badapai village forest in the Bhograi area of the coastal district. Forestry officials estimate the orangutans to be between 1-1.5 feet tall, indicating they are likely juveniles. While the exact origin of the primates remains unclear, the department suspects they may have been smuggled into the state through an international wildlife trade network.

With no natural migration link between Odisha and the orangutans' native habitats of Borneo and Sumatra, human intervention is the most likely explanation for their presence in the Balasore forest.

Forestry authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the orangutans' arrival. A formal complaint has been filed under wildlife protection laws, and the state's forest minister, Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, has enlisted the help of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to probe the matter further. The government suspects involvement of an international smuggling racket, given the multi-million-dollar illicit industry associated with such cases.

To ensure the orangutans' safety, the forest department plans to transport them to the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar for further examination and rehabilitation. A team from the Nandankanan Zoo is already en route to assist in the transfer, with the apes expected to spend a few days in quarantine before being reintroduced into a controlled environment. The Nandankanan Zoo previously housed the only orangutan in India, Binny, who died in February 2019 at the age of 41 after battling respiratory issues.