Orangutans, found only in Indonesia and Malaysia, spotted nearly 4,000 km away in Odisha jungle. Govt probing how five primates reached India

A group of five orangutans was rescued from a forest in Odisha’s Balasore district on Tuesday after their unexpected presence near a village left residents and forest officials puzzled. The animals, which are native to parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, are not found living in the wild in India, a TOI report stated.

The orangutans were spotted in the Bichitrapur forest area near Badapahi village in Bhograi block. Villagers who first noticed them were unsure what animals they were seeing and alerted others in the area.

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The unusual sight quickly became a talking point in the village. As more people arrived near the forest, several residents took photographs and recorded videos of the orangutans on their mobile phones. The footage then began circulating locally.

Forest officials reached the area after receiving information about the animals. A rescue team headed by Udaypur forest ranger Sanjay Mohanty began efforts to secure all five orangutans.

The operation was completed successfully, and the animals were taken to the Udaypur forest office. Officials will now examine their health before deciding on the next steps.

How did the orangutans reach Odisha?

The presence of the five animals has raised questions among wildlife officials because orangutans are not native to India. Their natural habitat is largely confined to Southeast Asia, making their appearance in a coastal Odisha forest particularly unusual.

Authorities have started an investigation to establish where the animals came from and how they reached Balasore. Divisional forest officer (wildlife), Balasore, Pratik Prakash Indalkar said the animals would undergo a detailed health assessment.

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“We will conduct a detailed investigation to ascertain the origin of the orangutans and how they came to Balasore,” Indalkar said.

Animals likely to be shifted to Nandankanan

The forest department is also preparing to move the rescued orangutans to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar. The transfer will take place after veterinary examinations are completed and the necessary formalities are carried out. Officials will assess the condition of all five animals before shifting them.

For now, the bigger mystery remains unanswered: how did five orangutans, a species not naturally found in India, end up in a forest in Balasore?