Of the five Orangutans rescued in Odisha, Nandankanan Zoo authorities are placing special emphasis on one particular baby. Reason: The orangutan has been unwell right from the time it was found, along with four others, in a casuarina forest near Bhograi in Balasore district.

Why it mattersThe orangutans have been a source of much curiosity and concern ever since they were rescued last week. While Indonesia has been seeking their repatriation, Odisha authorities have said their present focus is to ensure their survival

On Sunday, too, it developed fever while in quarantine but its condition was reported stable on Monday, said officials.

According to officials, the baby orangutan had been showing high body temperature ever since it was brought to the zoo. “The fever subsides after administering medication but it recurs again. The same baby orangutan had developed a temperature again on Sunday but it’s normal now. We are taking all steps to ensure good health and wellbeing of the orangutans,” deputy director of Nandankanan Pradeep Mirase told .

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The other four orangutans are healthy and responding normally, officials said.

Sources said the quarantine enclosure at the zoo has recently become relatively crowded following the arrival of 58 new animals. However, separate arrangements have been made for the orangutans.

“We have made separate arrangements for the orangutans,” the official said, adding that special mosquito nets have been installed in their temperature-controlled room.

Will take time to get acclimatised’

Experts said the fever could be due to stress, fatigue or a sudden change in the environment.

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“It will take some time for the babies to get acclimated to the prevailing environment. The orangutans normally live in a rainforest atmosphere,” the veterinary officer said.

According to Aditya Acharya, head of the Centre for Wildlife Health at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), high body temperature in orangutans is monitored like that in humans.

“Normally, animals, like human beings, are administered paracetamol-based medication during high body temperature,” Acharya said.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government has constituted a five-member technical committee to monitor the health, well-being and management of the apes while in quarantine.

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Odisha is awaiting permission from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) to keep the five rescued orangutan cubs at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, even as authorities investigate how the animals reached Balasore.

State Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia said on Friday that the Odisha government had written to the CZA two days ago seeking permission to retain the five orangutans at Nandankanan. The infants were rescued on September 8.

Amid reports of Indonesia seeking the return of the five primates — orangutans live exclusively in the tropical rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra — senior state government officials said they haven’t yet thought about their repatriation and that the focus, at present, is on their survival.

With one of the orangutans still unwell, the process of collection of blood samples and other formalities are expected to be further delayed.