Balasore, Odisha: A surprising wildlife discovery in Odisha has raised serious questions about illegal animal trafficking. Five young orangutans were found in a forest in Balasore district, thousands of kilometres away from their natural habitat. Since orangutans are not native to India, forest officials are investigating how the animals reached Odisha.
The orangutans were spotted by local people in the Ranakata area near the West Bengal border. Forest officials rescued the animals and gave them first aid before moving them to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, where they are being kept in quarantine and monitored. Officials believe the animals had been in the area for only two or three days. They also say the orangutans could not have reached the forest naturally and may have been transported by road.
The Odisha government has asked the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to investigate the case. Police, forest officials and a special task force are also involved. Investigators are trying to find out where the orangutans came from and whether an international wildlife-smuggling network was involved. Their discovery is especially concerning because young orangutans normally stay with their mothers for several years while learning how to survive.
Orangutans are critically endangered and are naturally found only in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia. There are three living species — Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans. International commercial trade in these animals is prohibited, but illegal trafficking continues because they are sometimes sold as exotic pets or to private collectors. Authorities are now working to determine who brought the five young animals to Odisha and why they were abandoned in the forest.
