Bhubaneswar: Five young orangutans who were found abandoned in a casuarina plantation in the Udayapur-Talsari forest area of Balasore district have been shifted to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar.
The great apes were brought to the State zoo in a special vehicle for further medical examination. They have been kept in quarantine. Special veterinary experts are engaged to keep a watch on their health.The forest team found the orangutans in Udayapur section of Jaleswar Range during routine patrolling.
The orangutans, aged between six months and one year, have been shifted to Nandankanan for medical examination.”They do not appear to have sustained any injuries, but we have sent them to Nandankanan for further medical examination,” a forest official said.
“The orangutans were apparently brought here and subsequently abandoned in the casuarina forest in Balasore,” the official said.The Forest Department is yet to ascertain where the animals were brought from.
“From which part of the Odisha coast these orangutans were offloaded is unclear,” the official said, adding that an investigation is underway to trace the source.
