BHUBANESWAR: Five baby orangutans turning up in a forest in Balasore has left wildlife experts and enforcement agencies with a question on how did an exotic species, native to the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, make its way to coastal Odisha.
The rescue on Tuesday has brought the spotlight on the possibility of Odisha being used as a transit route for an illegal inter-state or international wildlife trafficking network, prompting experts to call for a thorough investigation to trace the chain and prevent the state from becoming a safe passage for smugglers.
Forest officials admitted that the animals are not indigenous to India and have no natural wild population in Odisha, which is why their presence in a Balasore forest has raised the possibility of an organised wildlife trafficking racket operating across state or international borders.
Former National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) member secretary Anup Nayak told TNIE that the distribution range of orangutans is very limited, with the species found only in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
“The location where the animals were found has further added to the suspicion. Since Balasore is close to West Bengal, the trade route could have been through Bangladesh,” Nayak said.
He said wildlife trafficking is rampant in Bangladesh and wild animals are frequently smuggled through the country because of poor enforcement of the law. The smugglers might have used it as one of the safer routes to move the exotic species to their intended destination. However, they appear to have failed to do so after entering Odisha, for reasons that remain unclear, he said.
“This needs to be investigated,” Nayak said, stressing the need to trace wildlife criminals in Odisha who may be connected to the larger racket and facilitating such activities through the state.
Former DGP BK Sharma, who has handled several wildlife crime cases at the national-level, said available data suggests that wildlife coming from the Myanmar side generally crosses into the Northeast before being transported by train or road towards South India, primarily Chennai and to some extent, Mumbai.
He pointed out that South India is said to have a market for exotic species, with some people keeping them as pets. From the landscape it is also easier for the traffickers to smuggle such animals to other destinations abroad. “If that is the case, Odisha obviously is an illegal trade route,” the former DGP said.
He suggested that investigators focus on CCTV footage, particularly following reports of a Thar vehicle being spotted in the area, besides local intelligence and digital footprints, if available, to identify those involved in the racket. But investigators may also have to look beyond the conventional trafficking trail, experts opined.
A senior police official who worked with the Odisha STF, meanwhile, said the investigation is challenging as it is a first-of-its-kind case in the state involving an exotic species such as orangutan.
PCCF Wildlife Prem Kumar Jha said the STF has already intensified its probe, while WCCB has also formed a team and will send it to the state in a day or two for a thorough investigation.