BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government on Saturday formed a five-member technical committee comprising experts from Mysuru Zoo, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and other agencies from the state to monitor the health and care being given to the five orangutan infants shifted to Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) following their rescue from a forest in Balasore district on Tuesday.
As per the notification of the state wildlife headquarters, a veterinary officer of Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysuru, representative of the director of WII, Dehradun, project coordinator of the Centre for Wildlife Health (CWH) at OUAT, a veterinary officer of National Zoological Park, New Delhi and NZP director are members of the technical committee.
PCCF wildlife and chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha told this paper that the committee has been formed to ensure that the orangutan infants, who are less than one-year-old, are housed and cared at the Centre for Rearing of the Animal babies in the zoo, in accordance with the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
The panel will assess the issues pertaining to welfare of the rescued infants and provide necessary guidance for their upkeep. The initial tenure of the committee will be six months and can be extended further if needed, Jha said.
He said the committee has been allowed to consult any individual or organisation of national and international repute in wildlife care to facilitate necessary care to the baby orangutans.
Officials in the wildlife wing said the zoo is already in touch with the experts from Mysuru Zoo, Vantara and other zoos for effective care of the baby apes. Veterinarians are monitoring temperature and other health parameters of the orangutan infants at regular intervals every day.
All necessary measures for their special care have been taken at hand rearing centre, they said.