Orangutans Abandoned in Odisha Spark Trafficking Investigation
Five baby orangutans were found in a forest in Odisha, far from their native habitat, triggering a probe into how they arrived there.
Images and videos shared online show the young apes sitting together on the forest floor and eating bananas, miles away from the tropical rainforests they belong in. They are not native to India and are only found in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Odisha’s forest minister says investigators are looking into whether the animals were trafficked by an international smuggling network and abandoned near a highway. The five orangutans were rescued early on Tuesday when locals spotted them and alerted authorities.
They received first aid before being taken to Nandankanan Zoological Park in the state capital Bhubaneswar, where they are currently in quarantine and under medical monitoring. Forest officials believe the animals could not have reached Odisha naturally and may have been transported by road.
Balasore district forest officer Pratik Prakash Indalkar told the BBC the five mammals were found in Ranakata, a proposed reserve forest near the West Bengal border; the area is covered mainly by casuarina trees, not a dense forest, and is close to a state highway.
The Odisha government has asked the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to investigate. Police, forest officials and a special task force are all involved in the inquiry.
Wildlife experts highlight that young orangutans normally stay with their mothers for several years to learn survival skills. The absence of adult bears and the presence of five infants together heighten concerns about how they ended up in Odisha.
This is not the first time young orangutans have been found in India. In 2022, two baby orangutans were discovered at a checkpoint near the Assam-Mizoram border, with officials suspecting entry from Myanmar.
Orangutans, including the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli species, are all critically endangered. Their numbers have declined due to deforestation, habitat loss and hunting. International trade of these apes is prohibited under CITES, yet they continue to be trafficked as exotic pets and for private collectors.
The case underscores the ongoing threat of wildlife crime to endangered species and the need for stronger enforcement of protection laws across India.
