Rescued baby orangutans stable, responding to care in Bhubaneswar zoo

Five rescued baby orangutans are stable and under care at Nandankanan Zoological Park. Vets confirmed the primates are responding well, with normal temperatures and healthy feeding patterns, after being found in Odisha's Balasore district.

Rescued Orangutans Stable at Nandankanan Zoo

All five rescued baby orangutans under specialised care at the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar are stable, exhibiting normal feed acceptance and showing improved physical activity, the Deputy Director of Nandankanan Zoological Park said on Tuesday.

The clinical assessment conducted by the zoo's veterinary wing confirmed that all five primates—comprising three males and two females—are responding well to supportive care and continuous monitoring. According to the clinical evaluation conducted on Monday afternoon using thermal imaging, body temperatures across the babies were recorded within the normal physiological range between 98.2°F and 99.0°F. The weight assessment recorded Male 1 at 4.990 kg, Male 2 at 3.470 kg, and Male 3 at 2.850 kg. Among the females, Female 1 weighed 4.130 kg, while Female 2 was recorded at 2.080 kg. All five infants demonstrated consistent and healthy feeding patterns.

Discovery and Rescue in Balasore

The five orangutans were found near Badapali village under Bhograi Block of Balasore Division in Odisha on September 9 morning, prompting the Forest Department to launch an investigation into how the animals reached the area. According to Balasore DFO Indalkar Pratik Prakash, forest officials received information from a VSS member at around 6 AM about five animals believed to belong to the monkey species. "When our staff arrived and inspected the site located near Barpai village in Bhograi Block, they discovered that the animals were actually orangutans," the DFO said.

The officials found that all five were young and were not moving around much, though they were alert and active. The animals were initially provided food at the spot. As a crowd began gathering at the location, the forest officials rescued the orangutans and shifted them to the Udaipur Section Office for proper assessment.

Investigation into Suspected Smuggling

The DFO said the animals' young age and limited mobility suggested that they could not have travelled a long distance on their own. He also said that surviving overnight in the area would have been difficult due to the presence of animals such as jackals, foxes, dogs and langurs. "Smuggling is a possibility, but we cannot state that conclusively right now because we haven't found any evidence regarding it," Prakash said. He added that since orangutans are not native to the area and do not naturally migrate across such habitats, the Forest Department suspects human intervention. "We will investigate who brought them, and only then will we be able to say for sure," he said.

The five orangutans, two females and three males, are approximately one year old. Forest officials, veterinarians and biologists examined the animals, while the department also coordinated with scientists from Nandankanan and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). An inquiry has been initiated into the incident. Forest personnel conducted combing and search operations in the area to look for evidence and will also examine nearby CCTV footage. "An inquiry officer has been appointed, and we will coordinate with other agencies such as the police department, WCCB, and STF, as we need to work in coordination with all of them," the DFO said. He said the case requires coordination with multiple agencies as orangutans are an international species that are not native to India. (ANI)

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