Odisha Forest: Five Baby Orangutans Found Thousands of Kilometres From Natural Habitat, Trafficking Probe Underway
Five baby orangutans have been rescued from a forest in Balasore, Odisha, thousands of kilometres from their natural habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia. Their unusual discovery has triggered an investigation into possible wildlife trafficking and an international smuggling network.
Five Orangutan Infants Found Near West Bengal Border
The five young orangutans were rescued early Tuesday after local residents spotted them in Ranakata forest in Bhogarai block, near the West Bengal border, and alerted forest officials.
The area is reportedly dominated by casuarina trees rather than dense forest and is located close to a state highway. Forest officials believe the animals had been in the area for only two or three days.
Balasore District Forest Officer Pratik Prakash Indalkar said the orangutans could not have reached Odisha naturally and may have been transported by road.
Orangutans Taken to Nandankanan Zoological Park
After being rescued, the animals were given first aid and transported to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar.
They have been placed in quarantine and are being monitored by officials. A search of the surrounding forest reportedly found no other orangutans or clear clues about how the five animals arrived in the area.
Officials described the animals as infants, although some local reports have suggested they may be between one and two years old.
Wildlife Trafficking Angle Under Investigation
Odisha authorities are investigating whether the orangutans were brought into India illegally and abandoned near a highway.
The state government has reportedly sought the involvement of India's Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, while police, forest officials and a special task force are participating in the investigation.
The discovery of five young orangutans together, without any adult animals nearby, has raised particular concern among wildlife experts.
Why the Discovery Is Raising Concern
Young orangutans normally remain with their mothers for several years, during which they learn essential survival skills.
Wildlife expert Biswajit Mohanty said the young age of the rescued animals makes the discovery especially concerning. Orangutans reproduce slowly, with females typically giving birth only once every several years.
Their presence in Odisha, far outside their natural range, therefore raises serious questions about their origin and how they were transported.
Orangutans Are Critically Endangered
There are three recognised living orangutan species — Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli — and all are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Their populations have declined significantly due to deforestation, habitat destruction and hunting.
International commercial trade in orangutans is prohibited under CITES, the global agreement governing trade in endangered wildlife. The animals are also protected under Indian wildlife laws.
Despite these protections, orangutans continue to be targeted by illegal wildlife traffickers for the exotic-pet trade and private collectors.
Previous Case Reported in India
This is not the first reported case of young orangutans being found in India.
In 2022, two baby orangutans were found abandoned at a checkpoint near the Assam-Mizoram border. Officials suspected at the time that the animals may have been brought into India through neighbouring Myanmar.
The latest discovery of five young orangutans in Odisha has now renewed concerns over the illegal trafficking of endangered wildlife into India.