Somewhere between the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra and a windswept casuarina forest on the Odisha coast lies a journey of thou sands of kilometres that five baby orangutans somehow made. What happened along the way is a mystery that investigators are now trying to piece together. How did the five endangered pri mates, all less than a year old, make their way from their natural habitat in Southeast Asia to Bichitrapur village in Balasore district?
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The answer could reveal a trafficking route spanning countries, borders and several possible transit points. The Odisha Forest department rescued the five orangutans on Septem ber 8, setting off a probe into how they reached the State and who was behind their suspected illegal transportation. A Special Task Force (STF), constituted following Chief Minister Mohan CharanMajhi’s orders, is examining their source and ownership, the people involved in their transportation, the route they travelled, possible inter-State links and any international or cross-border connections.
Orangutans are found only in the tropical rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, where they spend most of their lives high in the trees. Borneo is around 3,600 km from the Odisha coast while Sumatra is about 2,800 km away. For the apes to cover that distance, a long and complex overland or sea journey would have been difficult, experts say, pointing to the possibility of air and road transport.
Speaking to PTNS, former member secretary of the National Tiger Conser vation Authority (NTCA) Anup Nayak says a long sea journey seems unlikely, given the age of the orangutans. “All five are less than a year old. It is not convinc ing that they came by sea, covering such a long distance.The handlers might have used air and road transport,” he asserts. One possibility, Nayak says, is that the orangutans were flown from Southeast Asia to Myanmar and then brought into India through the Moreh route on the India-Myanmar border. “From the northeast, they may have been moved towards their intended destination.
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But for some unknown reason, they were abandoned,” he adds. Another possibility is that the orangu tans were flown to Bangladesh before being brought into India. “They could have entered India either by land or sea from Bangladesh. We have heard of leopard skins and pangolins being smuggled, but orangutans are not commonly associated with such trafficking. This makes the case all the more unusual,” Nayak observes. Where were they headed? The composition of the ape group has also raised questions about their intended destination. Nayak believes the animals were likely being taken to captive facilities such as zoos either From Borneo or Sumatra to Odisha, investigators are trying to reconstruct the extraordinary journey of five orangutan infants within India or neighbouring coun tries.
“The group has three males and two females. Perhaps, the intention was to use them for breeding,” he avers. Former Director General of Police B.K. Sharma also believes that the orangutans could have been moved through a combination of air and road routes even as he points to another possible entry point into India.“There is another porous border at Vairengte in Mizoram. They could have crossed the border there, entered India and then travelled towards Chennai, a known market for endan gered animals,” he says. Investigators would, how ever, have to examine multiple possibilities before establishing the actual route. “Nothing can be ruled out at this stage. There is also a possibility that the animals first landed in Chennai and then moved towards the northeast and eventually to neighbouring countries.
The route needs to be established. We are all baffled by how they reached Odisha,” he adds. The probe, he says, should focus on reconstructing the final stages of the animals’ movement using CCTV footage, physical evidence and transport records. “CCTV footage of all suspected vehicles in the area where the animals were rescued needs to be examined thoroughly. All footprints found nearby should be digitally recorded and analysed. Details of suspected air-cargo consignments across India, as well as those in neighbouring countries, should also be verified,” Sharma suggests.
The STF has already zeroed in on a black SUV that villagers reportedly spotted in the area on Monday night. CCTV footage also captured the vehicle. Investigators are now trying to establish its possible connection with the animals and trace their movements before they were abandoned. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Prem Kumar Jha says, “The presence of the animals so far outside their natural geographical range raises suspicion about their source and illegal transpor tation. The possibility of an organised inter-state and/or international trafficking linkage cannot be ruled out.” Inspector General of Police, STF, Himanshu Lal says the investigation would uncover the larger network:
“Just wait; we will dismantle the entire network”. An unusual wildlife trade Both Nayak and Sharma said it was too early to put a figure on the illegal market for exotic animals in India. But the case has drawn attention to India’s growing role in the global illegal wildlife trade. India serves as a source, transit hub and consumer destination for illegally traded wildlife. The global illegal wildlife trade is estimated by Interpol and the Financial Action Task Force to generate $7 billion to $23 billion annually, making it one of the world’s largest illicit trades. India has also emerged as a major consumer market for exotic pets.
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Species such as star tortoises, exotic birds, iguanas, pythons, marmosets and tamarins are among those trafficked through illicit networks, often from Southeast Asian hubs such as Thailand and Malaysia into domes tic markets. The suspected trafficking of orangutans, however, presents a different challenge, given their size, specialised needs and the difficulty of keeping five infants alive during a long journey. While investigators work to trace the route, Indonesia has sought India’s cooperation to repatriate the five animals. Under medical watch The five orangutans are currently housed at the Nandankanan Zoological Park, where their health is being closely monitored.
Their condition is said to be stable, though two have been found to have health issues. “One of them is suffering from fever. Another was found to have a worm infection. All of them are under constant medical supervision,” says zoo deputy director Pradeep Mirase. The zoo authorities have also decided to conduct DNA testing to establish more about the animals and potentially help trace their origins. “We will undertake DNA sequencing too. We will need to collect swabs and blood samples for the purpose. Once the animals recuperate, we will proceed with the DNA testing,” Mirase shares.
(By Aveek Bhowmik)
