Odisha Sets Up Expert Panel to Oversee Care of Five Rescued Orangutans

The Odisha government has constituted a five-member technical committee to supervise the welfare of five baby orangutans rescued from Balasore district, officials said on Sunday. The animals are currently housed at the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar.

According to an official order, the panel will examine matters relating to the welfare and upkeep of the rescued animals and offer technical inputs for their proper care. The director of Nandankanan Biological Park will serve as member-convener.

The committee includes a veterinary officer from Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens in Mysuru, a representative of the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun, and the project coordinator of the Centre for Wildlife Health at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar. The order states that the panel may also consult or co-opt experts and organisations of national and international repute as and when required.

Chief Wildlife Warden and PCCF (Wildlife) P.K. Jha said the state's immediate priority was to ensure that the five animals, which are not native to India, receive the best possible care at Nandankanan's hand-rearing centre. Three caretakers and doctors are deployed round the clock to monitor the health of the babies, he said.

Aditya Acharya, head of OUAT's Wildlife Treatment Centre, said the rescued orangutans are gradually becoming familiar with their caretakers and readily accepting food from them. He described the caretakers as being like new mothers to the baby orangutans. Mr. Acharya added that the animals' ease in interacting with humans suggested they had been in contact with people and received care previously.

A caretaker at Nandankanan's quarantine unit said the animals are being fed milk every two hours, along with apple and banana fluids and boiled potatoes at regular intervals, following a dietary chart prepared by experts. The orangutans have also been given soft toys and swings, and are made to listen to music to keep them stress-free, officials said.

One of the five babies has recovered from fever, while two others have recovered from cold, officials added. The collection of blood samples for DNA testing has been postponed by around 10 days.

The five orangutans were rescued from Bichitrapur forest in Bhograi block of Balasore district on September 8. Meanwhile, the Odisha Police's Special Task Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau have intensified their investigation into international wildlife smuggling linked to the case.