Bhubaneswar: They may have been deprived of their mother’s warmth, but five rescued orangutans at Nandankanan Zoological Park have found new companions to ease their loneliness — soft toys resembling themselves.
The five juvenile orangutans, believed to be around a year old, are currently housed in an isolation enclosure at the zoo after being rescued from a casuarina plantation in the Udayapur-Talsari area of Baleshwar district on Tuesday. Caretakers, noticing their need for companionship, have provided them with orangutan-like soft toys, which the animals have quickly taken to.
The young animals can now be seen hugging the toys, playing with them and spending long periods in their company. The unusual sight has also drawn attention on social media, with the rescued orangutans emerging as an instant sensation.
A special team is closely monitoring their behaviour and health as they undergo treatment, medical examination and quarantine. The animals were brought to Nandankanan at around 10 pm on Tuesday following their rescue in the presence of forest officials.
Forest authorities are also probing how the rare animals reached Odisha and whether they were brought into the state through an international route.
Orangutans in the wild are native only to the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Borneo is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, with wild orangutans found in the Indonesian and Malaysian parts of the island, while Sumatran orangutans are found in Indonesia.
For now, away from the forests they would naturally call home and without the comfort of their mother, the five little orangutans appear to have found some measure of solace in their unlikely, soft and cuddly companions.
