Three rescued orangutans in Odisha found anaemic; DNA tests planned to trace origin

Three of the five baby orangutans rescued in Odisha are anaemic, a health bulletin from the Nandankanan Zoological Park has said, with one animal showing severe anaemia and two others mild anaemia.

The primates, now quarantined at the Bhubaneswar zoo, underwent a comprehensive check-up that included X-rays of the chest, abdomen and skull along with the collection of blood, serum and nasopharyngeal swab samples. The examinations followed a bout of fever in one of the juveniles.

According to the bulletin, supportive supplementation recommended by the Technical Committee has already begun for the affected animals. Laboratory tests are still in progress.

Zoo director Sanath Kumar N. said the overall health of the orangutans appeared stable. Four of the five recorded a body temperature of 98.4 degrees Fahrenheit, while a male registered 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Officials noted that this male has shown a slightly higher temperature than the others since arriving at the zoo on the night of September 8.

Blood samples are being assessed for parameters including haemoglobin and white blood cell count, and stool and urine samples are also under examination. The samples will additionally be used for DNA testing to establish where the animals came from, a step that could assist the investigation into suspected wildlife smuggling.

Officials said a laboratory capable of carrying out the DNA test is yet to be identified, as the facility would need standard orangutan DNA profiles for comparison and such laboratories are uncommon. Aditya Acharya, who heads the Centre for Wildlife Health at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, said the well-being of the animals remains the priority and that the zoo authorities will decide where and when to send the samples.

The five orangutans were rescued from a forest in Balasore district on September 8. Experts have drawn up a dietary chart under which the babies are fed milk every two hours, along with apple and banana fluids and boiled potatoes at regular intervals.

Orangutans are not native to India and are found mainly in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra.

Investigation yet to make headway

The Odisha Police's Special Task Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, which are jointly probing the suspected international smuggling network behind the animals' arrival in the State, have so far made no major breakthrough, officials said.

Bhograi MLA Goutam Buddha Das of the BJD criticised the State government over the pace of the investigation and urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to transfer the case to a central agency such as the CBI or NIA, arguing that the international dimension demands a high-level professional probe. BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal countered that the STF is capable of solving the case with the WCCB's assistance and accused the BJD MLA of politicising the matter.