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The Odisha Forest Department rescued five juvenile orangutans (three male, two female) from a forest in Bhograi block, Balasore district, on 8 September 2026.
Orangutans are not native to India — wild populations exist only on Borneo and Sumatra — so the case points to international wildlife trafficking.
The animals were moved to Nandankanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneswar, for quarantine; the state asked the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau to trace the route, and the Crime Branch STF joined the probe on 9 September.
All three orangutan species are Critically Endangered and listed in CITES Appendix I, which India enforces through Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act.
| Species | Scientific name | Found in | IUCN status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bornean orangutan | Pongo pygmaeus | Borneo (Malaysia, Indonesia) | Critically Endangered |
| Sumatran orangutan | Pongo abelii | Northern Sumatra (Indonesia) | Critically Endangered |
| Tapanuli orangutan | Pongo tapanuliensis | Batang Toru, Sumatra — described 2017, fewer than 800 left | Critically Endangered |
Orangutans are in Appendix I, the highest protection tier; commercial international trade is banned.
The 2022 amendment brought CITES-listed species into a new Schedule IV, so possessing or trading exotic species like orangutans without documents is now punishable in India.
Seized live CITES specimens can be returned to the country of origin at that country's expense, or kept in a recognised zoo if return is not possible.
Statutory body under MoEFCC that tackles organised wildlife crime and coordinates with CITES and Customs
Zoo and conservation centre where the orangutans are in quarantine
State police unit investigating the trafficking network
Balasore is a coastal district in northern Odisha on the Bay of Bengal, bordering West Bengal; Bhograi block lies at its northern tip. Wild orangutans live only on Borneo and Sumatra in South-East Asia, far outside India.
GS Paper III > Environment — biodiversity, wildlife trafficking, CITES
General Awareness > Environment / Static GK
Species threatened with extinction; commercial international trade is prohibited.
Schedule added by the 2022 amendment that lists CITES-listed species, including exotic animals.
Family Hominidae: orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and humans; orangutans are Asia's only great apes.