Five Non-Native Orangutans Rescued From Odisha Rural Forests, Probe Ordered

Five baby orangutans have been found in a forest in India far from their natural habitat, prompting an investigation into how they got there. Photos and videos shared online show the young, critically endangered apes sitting together on the forest floor eating bananas thousands…

Native only to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, the rare apes were found thousands of kilometres away in Odisha state Five baby orangutans have been found in a forest in India, prompting authorities to investigate if they were trafficked into the country from south-east Asia.…

The apes are native to Indonesia and Malaysia and are trafficked for sale as exotic pets.

Five juvenile orangutans, likely trafficked and accustomed to humans, were found abandoned in a casuarina plantation in Odisha’s Balasore district. Officials suspect a wildlife-smuggling racket using Odisha as a transit route. The critically endangered apes are now in quarantine…

The critically endangered apes were found far from their natural habitat in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.

Five orangutans were rescued from a forest in Odisha’s Balasore district, with officials probing their origin and possible illegal trafficking.

The state forest and wildlife department will investigate whether an international wildlife trafficking network was involved