Watch: Five rescued orangutans reach Nandankanan Zoo, kept in quarantine

The young animals are under veterinary observation as officials investigate how they reached India, and the possibility of animal trafficking.The five rescued orangutan are seen at the Nandankanan Zoo. (Photo: Screengrab)Five young orangutans rescued from a forest area in Odisha's Balasore district have been shifted to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, where they are being kept in quarantine and undergoing health checks.The animals were found abandoned in a casuarina plantation in the Udayapur-Talsari area of Balasore.Their presence in Odisha is highly unusual because orangutans are not native to India and are naturally found in Southeast Asia.Forest officials rescued the animals after they were spotted in the area and subsequently shifted them to Nandankanan for medical examination and observation.Their exact origin, and how they reached Balasore, remain unclear for now. 5 YOUNG ANIMALS UNDER WATCHPradeep Mirase, Deputy Director of Nandankanan Zoological Park, said the five orangutans arrived at around 10:30 pm from the Balasore wildlife division."They have been rescued from one PRF," Mirase said, referring to a Protected Reserve Forest. After their arrival, the animals underwent health checks and were cleaned before being placed in a CCTV-monitored quarantine facility.Zoo staff are providing them with food, with some already eating bananas by hand. Two of the five animals are particularly young, according to Mirase.#WATCH | Balasore, Odisha | Five baby orangutans, two females and three males, all under one year old, were found in the Ranakatha Protected Reserve Forest (PRF) near Badapai village, which is not their natural habitat.According to Balasore DFO Indalkar Pratik Prakash, "While pic.twitter.com/CcdHwug3FO— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2026One of the orangutans had a fever when it arrived and was given medication. Its condition is currently stable, while veterinarians continue to assess all five animals for any underlying health problems."They will be here until further orders," Mirase said.HOW DID ORANGUTANS REACH ODISHA?The discovery has raised questions about how five non-native great apes ended up abandoned in a forest in coastal Odisha.Forest officials are investigating the circumstances and have not yet established where the animals came from or how they were transported to Balasore.VIDEO | Bhubaneswar, Odisha: Five baby orangutans rescued from the Balasore forest have been brought to the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar. The young primates arrived at the zoo earlier today and were immediately taken in by wildlife officials. Given their tender age, pic.twitter.com/e5VtRRaBiS— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 9, 2026The possibility of illegal wildlife trafficking is among the angles being examined, but there is no conclusive evidence yet establishing a smuggling route or identifying those responsible.Orangutans are native to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, and all three recognised species are threatened with extinction.The Tapanuli orangutan is classified as Critically Endangered, while the Bornean and Sumatran orangutans are also threatened. A Sumatran orangutan crosses a canopy bridge. (Photo: AP) For now, the five rescued animals remain under veterinary observation at Nandankanan as authorities work to establish their origin and determine their long-term care.- EndsPublished On: Sep 9, 2026 13:06 IST