Table of Contents
Dubai: Five young orangutans worth potentially more than Rs10 million on the illegal exotic-animal market have mysteriously turned up in an Odisha forest — thousands of kilometres from their natural habitat — triggering an investigation into a possible international wildlife trafficking operation.
The critically endangered great apes, native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia and not found in the wild in India, were discovered during routine forest patrols in Balasore district at around 6am on Tuesday.
All five are believed to be just one to two years old.
But it is what happened several hours earlier that has added another layer to the mystery.
CCTV footage from the area reportedly shows a black Mahindra Thar passing near the forest at around 11.25pm the previous night — and returning about 15 minutes later.
Local residents also reported seeing a black SUV near the forest that night, according to NDTV.
Investigators are examining the footage and trying to establish the vehicle’s identity and movements. There is so far no confirmation that it was involved in bringing the orangutans to the area.
Why these 5 apes are such an extraordinary find
-
Meaning: “Person of the forest” in Malay and Indonesian
-
Natural home: Indonesia and Malaysia; they are not native to India
-
Species: Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutans
-
Status: All three species are critically endangered
-
Lifestyle: The world’s largest tree-dwelling mammals, spending most of their lives in the forest canopy
-
Distinctive feature: Long arms and reddish-brown hair
-
Threats: Habitat destruction, illegal hunting and wildlife trafficking
-
Why young ones are trafficked: They can be sold as exotic pets or kept in private collections and for entertainment
How did five orangutans reach Odisha?
That is now the central question confronting wildlife authorities.
Odisha Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said the animals could have entered the state by air, sea or rail, and authorities are examining possible transport routes.
“We have urged the WCCB to probe into the incident and asked the airport, railway stations and ports to verify their CCTV cameras as the animals might have been brought through their transportation facilities,” the minister said, according to Indian media.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau specialises in combating organised wildlife crime and illegal trafficking.
A four-member special task force has also begun investigating the case.
Khuntia said authorities suspect an international trafficking network could be involved.
“An international mafia may be involved in trafficking them,” he said.
Worth up to Rs2.5 million each
The potential value of the animals provides another clue to why they may have been brought into India.
According to the forest minister, an orangutan could fetch around Rs2 million to Rs2.5 million in the international illegal market.
That would put the potential combined value of the five animals at up to Rs12.5 million.
Orangutans can be trafficked for the exotic pet trade, private collections and entertainment.
Their young age could also be significant because infant and juvenile primates are particularly sought after in the exotic-animal trade.
Authorities have not yet established where these five animals originated or who brought them into Odisha.
‘People of the forest’
Orangutans are among humans’ closest living relatives.
Their name comes from the Malay and Indonesian words orang and hutan, commonly translated as “person of the forest.”
Recognisable by their reddish-brown hair, the great apes spend much of their lives in trees and occur naturally only in Southeast Asia.
All three recognised orangutan species — Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli — are classified as critically endangered.
That makes the appearance of five young animals together in an Indian forest particularly unusual.
Now in quarantine
The orangutans have been transferred to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, where they have been placed in quarantine and are being monitored by veterinarians.
“All our doctors from the Forest Department are involved in this,” Khuntia said, adding that specialists from national wildlife authorities could be brought in if required.
For investigators, however, the larger mystery remains outside the zoo.
They must now trace how five critically endangered apes travelled from a species whose natural home lies thousands of kilometres away to a protected forest in coastal Odisha — and whether the black SUV captured on CCTV provides the first clue.
