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Five baby orangutans found without their mother near the Bichitrapur forest area in Balasore district, Odisha, on 8 September 2026 are being cared for at Nandankanan Zoological Park.
Zoo staff are playing Indian classical music and lullabies and have added swings and soft toys to reduce stress in the infants, four of whom are under a year old.
Orangutans are not native to India, and their presence points to trafficking; blood sampling to establish the species and origin was deferred on the advice of the wildlife health committee.
All CITES-listed species, including orangutans, fall under Schedule IV of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 as amended in 2022.
Nandankanan was the first Indian zoo admitted to the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the first anywhere to breed melanistic and white tigers.
The parent statute; the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, in force from 1 April 2023, rationalised six schedules into four and created Schedule IV for CITES-listed species
India has been a party since 1976; orangutans are on Appendix I, which bars commercial international trade. A person holding a CITES-listed exotic species must prove lawful import
Smuggled wildlife is seized under customs law, which is why enforcement in trafficking cases involves customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence alongside forest departments
Odisha state zoo built inside a natural forest, with an attached botanical garden and a sanctuary area; first Indian zoo to gain WAZA membership
Statutory body under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 that recognises and regulates zoos and lays down standards for animal housing and care
Statutory multi-disciplinary body set up in 2007 to combat organised wildlife crime and coordinate with customs and state forest departments
The rescue site sits in the north-eastern corner of Odisha near the West Bengal border, on the coastal route that trafficking networks are known to use; the animals were moved inland to the zoo near Bhubaneswar.
GS Paper III > Conservation, environmental legislation; GS Paper II > Statutory bodies and international conventions
General Awareness > Environment, zoos and wildlife institutions
"Project Tiger" was launched in India in which year?
Answer: 1973
Species threatened with extinction, for which commercial international trade is prohibited and non-commercial movement needs both import and export permits
Planned captive breeding of a threatened species with the aim of eventual reintroduction, distinct from ordinary zoo display breeding
The schedule created by the 2022 amendment that lists species covered by the CITES appendices