In an unprecedented wildlife rescue, forest officials recovered five rare baby orangutans from the Badapahi area near Ranakotha reserve forest in the Bhograi block of Baleshwar district on Tuesday morning.
As orangutans are non-native to India and naturally inhabit the rainforests of Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, and Sumatra, the unexpected discovery triggered a massive crowd in the area.
A patrolling team from the Udaipur Forest Department first spotted the exotic primates around 6:00 AM. A specialised team immediately secured the five young orangutans—estimated to be between one and two years old—and transported them to the Udaipur Forest Office. They were later given a medical evaluation, where veterinarians confirmed that four of the animals were healthy and consuming fruits and ORS, while one remains under close observation.
Following the preliminary medical examination, the primates were shifted in a specialised vehicle to the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar under the supervision of the Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF). A medical team from Nandankanan had also arrived at Bhograi to assist in the transfer. The animals will undergo a mandatory quarantine period and receive specialised care at the zoo.
The unusual incident has sparked strong suspicions of an international wildlife trafficking syndicate. Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia noted that each orangutan fetches between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 25 lakh in the international black market.
“This species is not indigenous to India. We are initiating a thorough probe into how they reached Odisha, and an international trafficking syndicate is strongly suspected,” the Minister stated. Suspecting that the primates were smuggled via air, rail, or sea routes, the Minister requested the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to join the probe and ordered the verification of CCTV footage across regional airports, railway stations, and ports.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Prem Jha confirmed that the Wildlife Wing of the Forest Department is actively investigating the entry points with assistance from local police. Balasore Divisional Forest Officer added that since there are no natural corridor links connecting India to the natural habitats of orangutans, their presence in Odisha is unquestionably the result of human intervention.
Joint surveillance by police and forest authorities has been intensified around the Ranakotha-Badapahi forest belt, while officials monitor the health of the animals in quarantine.
