Five young orangutans rescued from Odisha’s Balasore district

The Odisha Forest Division on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) rescued 5 younger orangutans after they have been discovered deserted in a casuarina plantation within the Udayapur-Talsari forest space of Balasore district.

The orangutans, which aren’t native to India, have been discovered within the Udayapur part of the Jaleswar Vary throughout routine patrolling, mentioned Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) Prakash Chand Gogineni. “We’ve rescued all of them. Of the 5, three are male, and two are feminine,” Mr. Gogineni mentioned.

The orangutans, aged between six months and one yr, have been shifted to Nandankanan Zoological Park for medical examination. “They don’t seem to have sustained any accidents, however we have now despatched them to Nandankanan for additional medical examination,” he mentioned.

Orangutans are naturally discovered within the forests of Indonesia and Malaysia and usually are not native to India. “It seems to be a botched-up transit operation. The orangutans have been apparently introduced right here and subsequently deserted within the casuarina forest in Balasore,” Mr. Gogineni mentioned.

The Forest Division is but to establish the place the animals have been introduced from. “We don’t know from which a part of the Odisha coast these orangutans have been offloaded. We are going to register a case beneath the Wildlife Safety Act, and the investigation will proceed accordingly,” he mentioned.

The orangutans have been discovered deserted in a casuarina plantation within the Udayapur-Talsari forest space of Odisha’s Balasore district.

“A separate group has been deployed within the Badapai–Ranakatha space to assemble detailed data on how the orangutans reached the placement and establish any individuals who could have been concerned. The matter is beneath lively investigation,” Odisha Forest and Surroundings Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia mentioned.

In the meantime, the Forest and Wildlife Division has alerted its coastal divisions and directed them to seek for another orangutans that will have been deserted within the space.

The rescue drew appreciable public consideration, with a whole bunch of native residents gathering within the morning to catch a glimpse of the younger animals.

Nandankanan Zoological Park has beforehand housed an orangutan. In 2019, its 41-year-old feminine orangutan, Bini, died of age-related and related illnesses. An endangered nice ape species, Bini had been delivered to Nandankanan from Pune Zoo on November 20, 2003.

Forest Division sources mentioned that whereas discovering orangutans exterior their pure habitat was definitely a matter of concern, their arrival might doubtlessly be vital for Nandankanan. “The choice on whether or not the orangutans will probably be saved in captivity for public viewing will probably be taken by the authorities on the Centre and within the State,” an official mentioned.