A day after forest officials rescued five infant orangutans from a forest in Odisha’s Balasore district, the Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha police and a team of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) launched an investigation to ascertain the involvement of any organised trafficking racket.

The orangutans have been brought to Nandankanan Zoo and are under quarantine and medical supervision. Officials said they are closely monitoring their health. The state government has also sought approval from the central zoo authorities to keep the animals there.

The orangutans were spotted near the Badapai village forest in the Bhograi area of the coastal district, around 6 am Tuesday. As news of the rare visitors spread rapidly, thousands of onlookers gathered within an hour, forcing the forest department to step in and rescue the wild animals.

As 5 orangutans find new home in Odisha, a probe into how they landed there https://t.co/tMfYYHqoi9 pic.twitter.com/1FV2QejMHc

A three-member STF team led by a Superintendent of Police-rank officer has now reached the site where the animals were rescued and is verifying CCTV footage from nearby, as well as questioning locals.

The orangutans were spotted near the Badapai village forest in the Bhograi area of Odisha around 6 am Tuesday. (Special arrangement)

Teams from WCCB’s Bhopal and Kolkata units are also expected to reach soon to take up the investigation, said officials.

STF DIG K V Singh said the investigation is in its preliminary stage and they are examining documents prepared by the forest department.

Field notes — great apes of the rainforest canopy

What are orangutans?

Asia's only great ape, and the largest tree-dwelling mammal on Earth — found nowhere in the wild except two islands, thousands of kilometres from where five juveniles were just found in an Odisha forest.

At a glance

Built for a life in the treetops

Orangutans spend nearly all of their lives above the forest floor, using extraordinary arm strength and grip to move hand over hand through the canopy rather than leaping like monkeys.

Native range

Two islands, and nowhere else

Wild orangutans exist only in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia. There is no natural land corridor connecting these islands to India — which is why officials say the Odisha sighting could not have been a natural migration.

“Since it’s a very sensitive matter, it would not be appropriate to speculate anything based on suspicion. We are analysing similar cases detected in India in recent years and contacting teams that looked into them. We are currently gathering data and carrying out the local inquiry,” said Singh.

Asked whether they suspect involvement of an international trafficking racket in the incident, the STF DIG said any information in this regard can only be confirmed after a thorough investigation.

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Officials said a case under the Wildlife Protection Act will be registered soon.

Odisha’s forest and environment minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia said India is not a natural habitat for the animals, and they suspect involvement of a trafficking racket. “We are verifying whether they were brought by sea route or by road. CCTV footage from the railway station, airport and other points is being examined,” said the minister.

Though the exact age of the orangutans is not known, forest department officials said that, from their size – measuring 1-to 1.5 feet in height – they are likely to be juveniles.