Bhubaneswar: Five baby orangutans discovered deep inside a forest in Odisha have triggered an international row, with Indonesia now seeking their return and investigators suspecting a cross-border wildlife smuggling racket.
The infants, aged between one and one-and-a-half years, were spotted on September 8 by forest personnel during routine patrolling in the Jaleswar range of Balasore district – far away from their natural habitat in Southeast Asia.
The animals were immediately rescued and shifted to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar. They have been kept in quarantine under veterinary observation.
Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry said preliminary assessment indicates the rescued apes could be Sumatran orangutans, an endangered species endemic to Indonesia. However, their exact species and origin will be established only after DNA analysis.
Confirming the move, Forestry Ministry spokesperson Ristianto Pribadi told a news agency on Friday that Jakarta has already reached out to New Delhi for repatriation.
“The Forestry Ministry has begun communicating with the government of India through the Indian Embassy in Jakarta,” he said.
Forest officials in Odisha said an investigation is underway to find out how the orangutans landed in the Jaleswar forest, with a possible international trafficking link not being ruled out.
Meanwhile, the STF’s wildlife wing of the Odisha Police has registered a case formally following the direction of DGP Vinaytosh Mishra and expedited the investigation to probe source, destination of the baby primates.
