Bhubaneswar: A technical committee of wildlife experts formed by Odisha authorities inspected the hand-rearing centre at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar and assessed the health and overall condition of five rescued baby orangutans.
The panel, constituted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), includes Dr Sashidhar and Dr Madan from Mysore Zoo and Dr Aditya Acharya, a wildlife expert from the Centre for Wildlife Health (CWH) at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).
Nandankanan Zoological Park Director, Deputy Director Pradeep Mirase and the park’s Senior Veterinary Officer were present when the inspection of the quarantined animals was conducted on Tuesday.
The experts entered the quarantine enclosure after following prescribed biosecurity protocols and conducted physical examination of all five orangutans as part of the assessment, according to Mirase.
Members of the committee are expected to hold further discussions and make additional observations before finalising its findings. Its report, along with recommendations, will be submitted to the concerned authorities after the assessment is completed.
Notably, the five juvenile orangutans were brought to Nandankanan after being rescued from a coastal forest area in Baleshwar district on September 8. The rare animals, which are not native to India, have been kept under quarantine as a precautionary measure.
The animals are under round-the-clock video surveillance and are receiving regular medical observation and specialised nursing care from veterinarians and animal keepers.