Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], September 9 : The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police has launched an investigation into the suspected international smuggling of five baby orangutans found in a forest in Balasore, an official said on Wednesday.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) of the Special Task Force (STF) Himanshu Lal, speaking to ANI, said the investigation will focus on tracing the entire network involved in the suspected smuggling and determining the source of the orangutans.
"STF is investigating this. The case has been taken up, and we will finish off all the networks; stringent action will be taken against all the gangs involved. This is being supervised by the DIG. We are making every effort to take maximum action as per the law at the earliest. We will examine the entire network, where they brought the Orangutans from and where they were being taken. We will investigate from scientific and technical angles. We will dismantle the entire network," he said.
Five orangutans were found near Badapali village under Bhograi Block of Balasore Division in Odisha on Tuesday morning, prompting the Forest Department to launch an investigation into how the animals reached the area.
According to Balasore DFO Indalkar Pratik Prakash, forest officials received information from a VSS member at around 6 AM about five animals believed to belong to the monkey species.
"When our staff arrived and inspected the site located near Barpai village in Bhograi Block, they discovered that the animals were actually orangutans," the DFO said.
The officials found that all five were young and were not moving around much, though they were alert and active. The animals were initially provided food at the spot. As a crowd began gathering at the location, the forest officials rescued the orangutans and shifted them to the Udaipur Section Office for proper assessment.
The DFO said the animals' young age and limited mobility suggested that they could not have travelled a long distance on their own. He also said that surviving overnight in the area would have been difficult due to the presence of animals such as jackals, foxes, dogs and langurs.
"Smuggling is a possibility, but we cannot state that conclusively right now because we haven't found any evidence regarding it," Prakash said.
He added that since orangutans are not native to the area and do not naturally migrate across such habitats, the Forest Department suspects human intervention.
"We will investigate who brought them, and only then will we be able to say for sure," he said.
The five orangutans, two females and three males, are approximately one year old. Forest officials, veterinarians and biologists examined the animals, while the department also coordinated with scientists from Nandankanan and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).