Rescued baby orangutans cling, play and soak up sunlight as they adjust to life at Odisha zoo

The orangutans, all around one year old, have been displaying a striking range of emotions since their rescue, shifting between relaxed behaviour, playful activity and moments of anxiety.

The animals were rescued by forest department personnel on Tuesday and placed in quarantine at the zoo.

On Thursday, officials took them outside their quarantine enclosure for a session in the morning sunlight as part of efforts to keep them calm and stress-free.

Orangutans show changing moods

A senior zoo official said the young animals appeared to be displaying emotions similar to those seen in human children.

“Sometimes they appear to be relaxed, and in the next moment, they cling to each other, likely due to feelings of anxiety for being separated from their mothers,” the official said.

The baby orangutans have also started engaging in playful activities inside the quarantine unit.

Zoo officials said they have been playing with teddy bear soft toys while adapting to the unfamiliar surroundings.

Nandankanan Zoological Park Director Sanath Kumar N said the zoo was providing comprehensive veterinary care while also paying close attention to the animals' psychological condition.

“We are providing them with the best veterinary treatment available, and at the same time monitoring their mental condition, as the baby orangutans were found in a scared state when rescued," he told the media.

"Treatment is underway as per the advice of the Centre for Wildlife Health (CWH),” the zoo director added.

Photo: Screen grab from X

Morning sunlight to ease stress

The zoo has also incorporated controlled exposure to morning sunlight into the animals' routine.

“The orangutans are also exposed to the morning sunlight to keep them stress-free. Three animal keepers have been engaged to look after them,” Sanath Kumar said.

The young animals are being given infant milk formula along with boiled and mashed apple and banana.

They are also receiving oral rehydration support as part of their care.

A veterinary doctor has been assigned to monitor their health around the clock, with officials keeping a close watch on their response to treatment and the new environment.

“Every care is being provided so that the animals feel at home at the zoo,” the director said.

Health screening planned

Zoo authorities have also constituted a health committee involving veterinary experts from the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).

The experts have already carried out an initial examination of the five orangutans.

Further medical screening will follow once the animals have had sufficient time to acclimatise to their new surroundings.

“As per advice, the animals need to be acclimatised to the new environment. After that, bio-samples, including blood and oral swabs, will be collected for screening at CWH,” the official said.

The samples will help specialists assess the animals' health condition and determine whether they require any additional medical intervention.

Orangutans rescued from Balasore forest

The five orangutans — three males and two females — were spotted by local residents hanging from tree branches in the Bhogarai forest area, around 40 km from the Balasore-Kolkata stretch of NH-16.

As orangutans are not native to India and do not occur naturally in the country's wild, forest officials suspect that the animals may have reached Odisha through an international wildlife trafficking network.

The animals are believed to have been abandoned near Badipada in Chandaneswar by traffickers who may have feared being caught.

Photo: Screen grab from X

STF launches trafficking probe

The Special Task Force (STF) of the Crime Branch has begun investigating the circumstances surrounding the orangutans' arrival in Odisha.

A team from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) is also travelling to Balasore as part of the investigation.

STF IG Himanshu Kumar Lal said, “We have sent our personnel to Balasore to start the probe.”

Forest Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia said the WCCB would carry out a detailed investigation to establish where the animals originated and determine how they were brought to Odisha.

Locals mistook them for monkeys

The unusual sighting initially left local residents puzzled. People who noticed the animals alerted forest officials, believing that a rare species of monkeys had wandered into the area.

However, when forest personnel reached the location, they discovered that the animals were orangutans — two females and three males.

Balasore divisional forest officer Prateek Indalkar described the rescue operation, saying, “When our field personnel visited the site, to their surprise, the five were orangutans, including two females and three males. As a crowd started gathering near the forest, we decided to bring a cage and safely secure the animals without using tranquillisers.”

He added that the animals were remarkably calm during the operation.

“The orangutans were extremely calm and meek. They could be handled by hand and placed inside the cage without any difficulty,” Indalkar said.

Possible Kolkata connection

Officials are also examining the possibility that the animals were transported by road from Kolkata to Balasore.

Indalkar said the orangutans may have entered India through Kolkata before being moved towards Odisha.

“We suspect they may have come from Malaysia to Kolkata by ship. The WCCB has the expertise to determine the exact species and identify the country of origin,” he said.

The investigation is expected to focus on tracing the animals' route, identifying those involved in their transportation and establishing whether an organised international trafficking network was behind their arrival.

Orangutans targeted in exotic pet trade

Chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha said orangutans have been trafficked and illegally kept as exotic pets by wealthy individuals in several countries.

The latest discovery has therefore raised concerns about the illegal movement of exotic wildlife, with the WCCB expected to assist Odisha authorities in determining the animals' species, origin and trafficking route.