Environment
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Odisha finds 5 orangutans in Balasore forest
Hindustan Times··8 Sept
Five orangutans aged about one to two years were found Tuesday in Ranakatha Protected Reserved Forest in Balasore, Odisha. Principal chief conservator Prem Kumar Jha said they appeared during 6 am patrols. Orangutans are critically endangered and native to Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests, not India. Forest minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said trafficking is suspected. Nandankanan will quarantine them.
Prism
What It Means For You
- The animals will move to Nandankanan Zoological Park for quarantine first.
- Police have been informed as the forest department opens a trafficking probe.
- Exotic-pet demand is cited as a motive; one orangutan can fetch around Rs 25 lakh.
What's Happening
- Five young orangutans were found during routine 6 am patrolling in Balasore.
- PCCF Prem Kumar Jha said the wildlife wing is investigating how they arrived.
- Forest minister Khuntia said an international trafficking network may be involved.
Species Out Of Range
- Orangutans are great apes with reddish-brown hair and are largely arboreal.
- They are not native to India and live in Indonesian and Malaysian rainforests.
- An assistant chief conservator of forests will investigate, the minister said.
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