Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has not received any official communication regarding the proposed visit of Indonesian wildlife experts or the repatriation of five baby orangutans rescued from a forest in Baleshwar district in September, officials said Thursday.
The clarification comes days after the Indian Embassy in Jakarta announced that efforts were underway to facilitate the early repatriation of the rescued primates, currently housed at Nandankanan Zoological Park near Bhubaneswar, subject to confirmation of their place of origin.
In a press release on Monday, the embassy also said it was facilitating a visit by wildlife experts from Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry to India in November 2026.
However, Odisha’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), P K Jha, said the state had not received any official communication on the proposed repatriation.
“The state government also has no information about the possible visit of Indonesian wildlife experts in November,” he said.
Nandankanan Zoological Park Deputy Director Pradeep Mirase said blood samples of the five orangutans had been collected, but their DNA reports were still awaited, leaving their geographical origin unconfirmed.
“How can we say that they belong to Indonesia? We need to confirm their place of origin first before making any repatriation plan,” Mirase said.
He added that the animals were doing well at Nandankanan and growing under the care of their keepers.
The five orangutans were rescued on September 8, prompting an investigation into suspected wildlife trafficking. The primates are native to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia.
Earlier in September, Odisha Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia had said the state government had written to the Central Zoo Authority seeking permission to keep the rescued animals in Odisha.
“The climate of Odisha suits orangutans. Special care is being taken, and 24-hour monitoring is being done. The weight of the rescued orangutans has also increased,” the minister had said.
The next course of action regarding their repatriation is likely to depend on the confirmation of their place of origin through DNA analysis.
