Wildlife experts are closely monitoring the stress and health levels of the five orangutans rescued from a casuarina forest in Odisha’s Balasore district, playing them soft and classical music as part of music therapy and providing toys and a cloth hammock, before they carry out DNA and other tests, an official from Nandankanan Zoological Park said on Thursday.
“They are being played soft and classical music as part of music therapy. The babies are experiencing mood changes after being separated from their mother. The animals, housed in quarantine, have become more active after initially remaining largely inactive and have started responding to feeding of banana and mashed apple. Officials plan to seek advice through video conferences from experts at Mysuru Zoo, known for its past experience in handling orangutans. The Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun is also being consulted for further treatment.
To help keep them calm and occupied, caretakers have provided toys and dolls, while a cloth hammock has been made for them to swing and rest,” said Nandankanan deputy director Pradeep Mirase. “They are moving around, playing and responding to food, but we are closely observing their behaviour to determine whether they are stress-free or under stress,” Mirase said. “We will implement the recommendations of the experts as quickly as possible and take further decisions based on the animals’ condition and behaviour,” Mirase said.
