Bhubaneswar, A day after at least five orangutans were rescued from a forest in Odisha’s Balasore district, a joint probe was launched by the state police’s STF and the WCCB on suspicion that an international wildlife smuggling racket might be behind the animals’ sudden appearance here.
“We are at the preliminary stage of investigation and presently collecting data and facts available locally. The STF team contacted the Balasore district SP and DFO and collected details regarding the rescue of the rare animals from a casuarina forest in the Bichitrapur area of Bhograi block in Balasore district. Meanwhile, forest officials and local police went door to door to collect information regarding the incident.
Nandankanan Zoological Park has a special enclosure for orangutans, but it has remained empty since the death of one such animal in 2019 at the age of 41.
We are in contact with the central government’s IG, wildlife, and seeking to know whether a similar incident had ever happened in any part of the country,” STF DIG Vishal Singh said. “Therefore, locating the SUV and its owner could give some clue to the arrival of the baby orangutans in Balasore,” a local police officer said. The Odisha forest department has also sent messages to zoos across the country seeking information on whether any orangutan was missing from their facilities, the minister said.
