Odisha Seeks Central Zoo Authority Nod to House Five Rescued Orangutans at Nandankanan

Odisha has approached the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for permission to retain five rescued orangutan cubs at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, even as investigators work to establish how the animals reached Balasore district.

State Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia said on Friday that the government had written to the CZA two days earlier seeking approval to keep the five orangutans at the zoo. The cubs were rescued from the Bichitrapur forest in Balasore on September 8.

Following the rescue, the animals were moved to Nandankanan, where they have been placed in quarantine in a temperature-controlled room and are being gradually acclimatised to local conditions, an official said. They are being given food and oral rehydration solutions and are under close observation.

Zoo authorities said the cubs have shown a mix of behaviours, including playful activity, short-lived mood swings and anxious attempts to cling to one another.

The minister said orangutans, which are native to the rainforests of Indonesia, Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia, could adapt to Odisha's climate. Officials noted that the species is not entirely unfamiliar to the state and has survived in its coastal climate before.

Nandankanan already has a dedicated enclosure for orangutans, but it has stood empty since the death of a 41-year-old female orangutan in 2019. That animal had been brought to the zoo from Pune in 2003.

Singhkhuntia said it would be "very good news" for animal lovers if the CZA permitted Nandankanan to retain the five cubs, adding that their presence could also draw more visitors.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that Indonesia has approached the Indian government seeking the repatriation of the rescued orangutans.

A joint investigation by the Odisha Police's Special Task Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is examining how the animals reached Balasore. Officials are also probing the possible involvement of an international wildlife trafficking network.