---
title: "Five Rare Orangutans Rescued from Odisha Forest; International Trafficking Link Suspected"
url: https://mediathepower.com/five-rare-orangutans-rescued-from-odisha-forest-international-trafficking-link-suspected/
date: 2026-09-08
modified: 2026-09-08
lang: en
author: "Rajiv Singh"
description: "ODISHA — In a startling and highly unusual discovery, five critically endangered orangutans were rescued from the Ranakotha Reserve Forest in Odisha’s Balasore district on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. The..."
categories:
  - "State"
image: https://mediathepower.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1.jpg
word_count: 305
---

# Five Rare Orangutans Rescued from Odisha Forest; International Trafficking Link Suspected

ODISHA — In a startling and highly unusual discovery, five critically endangered orangutans were rescued from the Ranakotha Reserve Forest in Odisha’s Balasore district on Tuesday, 8 September 2026. The unexpected appearance of these great apes, which are non-indigenous to India, has prompted the Odisha State Government to suspect an active international wildlife trafficking ring and order a high-level probe.

The animals, estimated to be between one and two years old, were first spotted by local residents and a routine morning patrol team from the Udayapur Forest Division. The young primates were found wandering near the Bichitrapur forest area under the Bhograi block.As news of the exotic wildlife spread, large crowds of curious locals gathered in the area to record videos of the animals, which initially baffled local forest staff. Divisional forest officers believe the smugglers panicked due to tightening law enforcement along the interstate border and abandoned the valuable cargo near the West Bengal-Odisha boundary.

State authorities revealed that each young orangutan commands a staggering estimated black-market value of ₹25 lakh. Expressing deep concern over the breach, State Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia confirmed that the government has officially called upon the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to spearhead a comprehensive cross-border investigation."Senior field officers are currently verifying border entry points and combing neighboring forest sections to ensure no other smuggled animals remain stranded in the wild," Minister Singhkhuntia stated.

The five young orangutans were safely captured by a rescue team led by Udayapur Forest Ranger Sanjay Mohanty and brought to the local section office to protect them from public stress.A specialized medical unit, including veterinarians from Simlipal National Park, was deployed to assess the animals and arrangements are underway to transfer the rescued primates to the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar for long-term quarantine and care once final clearances are issued.