India
Rescued orangutan leaves India for Indonesia
The Indian Express·
A male orangutan rescued from wildlife trade in Maharashtra's Thane district arrived in Indonesia on Monday. Officials said the primate, about three years old, flew from Ahmedabad under Wildlife Crime Control Bureau watch. It stayed at Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre since March 2025 on court panel orders. Indian officials will oversee quarantine handover in Jakarta.
Prism
What It Means For You
- The orangutan enters quarantine in Jakarta before any move to a rehabilitation centre.
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Indonesian officials supervised the private-plane transfer from Ahmedabad.
- CITES Appendix I rules limit orangutan trade and encourage repatriation when feasible.
What's Happening
- The male orangutan was found in a cramped cage inside a bathroom at Palava City in Dombivli.
- Thane Forest Division rescued it during a raid on a suspected trafficked wildlife consignment.
- It stayed at Gorewada Zoo in Nagpur before a Supreme Court panel ordered the Vantara transfer.
Why The Transfer Took Months
- A Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee headed by Justice Deepak Verma oversaw housing at GZRRC from March 2025.
- Indonesia had already issued an import permit during an earlier 2025 repatriation process.
- India's Wildlife Protection Act also calls for consultation with the country of origin on repatriation.
all-news
