Jakarta – Five infant orangutans have been found in India, thousands of kilometers away from their natural habitat in Southeast Asia. The Indonesian government is now working to trace their origins and arrange for their repatriation.

The five infant orangutans were discovered by the local forestry department on Tuesday (September 8, 2026) in the Bhogarai/Udaipur forest block—located in the Jaleswar area of ​​Balasore District, Odisha—near the border with the state of West Bengal.

Based on initial information, the five are estimated to be between one and one-and-a-half years old and were found in good health. They are currently undergoing care at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, India.

Based on initial observations of their physical characteristics and morphology, the five animals are suspected to be Sumatran orangutans. However, this identification remains tentative and requires confirmation through DNA testing.

Given that the natural habitat of orangutans is limited to Indonesia and Malaysia, the presence of five infant orangutans in India strongly suggests wildlife smuggling involving a transnational network. This case also demonstrates that wildlife protection efforts cannot be undertaken by a single country alone. Wildlife trafficking and smuggling are crimes that can cross national borders, thereby requiring strong international cooperation,” stated the Ministry of Forestry, as cited on Friday.