The New Indian Express ·
Environment
Odisha STF to seek help from Assam, Mizoram, Maharashtra cops in orangutan case
BHUBANESWAR: The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police, which is probing the alleged smuggling of five baby orangutans into Balasore, is set to seek the assistance of counterparts in Assam, Mizoram and Maharashtra, where such primates were rescued in similar circumstances in recent years, officials said.
In 2022, two baby orangutans were rescued from Cachar district in Assam. In October 2023, one was rescued from Aizawl district in Mizoram. In 2024, another was rescued from an apartment in Dombivli in Thane district of Maharashtra.
Orangutans are not native to India and are primarily found in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. The recovery of five infant orangutans in a forest in Balasore has raised suspicion that they may have been brought into the country as part of an illegal wildlife trafficking network with international links, a senior police officer said.
“As part of the investigation, steps will be taken to coordinate with the states from where the apes were previously rescued. This may provide substantial leads to trace the suspected wildlife trafficking network that brought the infant orangutans to Odisha,” the officer said.
West Bengal Police are also assisting the Odisha STF in the investigation. However, investigators are facing difficulties in tracing the suspected movement of the animals between Odisha and West Bengal as neither Balasore nor Digha has automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.
The STF had earlier obtained CCTV footage showing a black Thar moving near the Balasore forest, which investigators suspect may have been used to transport the orangutans to Odisha. Police tracked the SUV to a hotel in Digha. However, they are yet to establish whether the vehicle’s occupants were involved in transporting and abandoning the orangutans in the Balasore forest.
