Five baby orangutans have been discovered in a forest in India's eastern state of Odisha, a finding that has prompted an investigation into potential trafficking and smuggling networks. The critically endangered apes are thousands of kilometers away from their natural tropical rainforest habitats in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The orangutans were found by local residents early Tuesday in Balasore district and subsequently alerted forest officials. They were given initial medical aid and are now in quarantine at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, the state capital, where they are under observation.
Officials believe the animals could not have naturally reached the area, which is characterized by casuarina trees and is not dense forest, located near a state highway. Balasore District Forest Officer Pratik Prakash Indalkar suggested they may have been transported to the location by road.
Authorities are examining the possibility that the animals were trafficked into India by an international smuggling ring and then abandoned. The Odisha government has requested an investigation by India's Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, with police, forest officials, and a special task force involved in the inquiry.