5 orangutans, a critically endangered species native to the Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests, had been discovered on Tuesday in a forested space in Ranakotha Badapahi in coastal Odisha’s Balasore, prompting the state forest and wildlife division to analyze whether or not a world wildlife trafficking community was concerned in smuggling them.
Orangutans are smuggled for high-end unique pet commerce, tourism leisure, and personal animal collections. An orangutan may fetch round ₹25 lakh.
Principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) Prem Kumar Jha stated the orangutans, estimated to be between one and two years outdated, had been discovered inside Ranakatha Protected Reserved Forest throughout routine patrolling round 6am.
Jha stated orangutans are discovered solely in two to 3 locations overseas. “The wildlife wing of the forest division is investigating how they got here to Odisha,” he stated.
Jha added that police have been knowledgeable and a group from Nandankanan Zoological Park will take them. “As soon as the animals are dropped at Nandankanan in Bhubaneswar, they’ll stay in quarantine earlier than additional selections are taken about their care.”
The place are Orangutans discovered
Orangutans are nice apes and will not be present in India. They’ve reddish-brown hair and are largely arboreal. Their identify derives from Malay and Indonesian phrases which means individual of the forest.
Odisha forest minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia stated the invention raised suspicions of wildlife trafficking. “A world mafia could also be concerned in trafficking them,” Khuntia stated. He added that an assistant chief conservator of forests will examine.