Bhubaneswar: Indian authorities have reportedly agreed in principle to the Indonesian government’s proposal for an official delegation from that country to visit Odisha to assess the health and welfare of the five orangutans rescued from a forest in Baleshwar in September.
The five orangutans, including three males and two females, are recuperating at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar at present. Zoo officials said the animals are being hand-reared and kept under continuous watch.
Soon after the primates were rescued, Indonesia’s Forest Ministry had written to its Indian counterpart, expressing willingness to cooperate in repatriation or return of the animals, which they said were suspected to be of Sumatran origin.
People aware of the matter confirmed the outreach by the Indonesian government. “Indonesia’s CITES Management Authority has communicated a proposal for a technical delegation to visit Odisha through diplomatic and technical channels. The Indian side has conveyed its agreement in principle, and both sides are coordinating the timing and practical arrangements,” The Indian Express quoted Ristianto Pribadi, a spokesperson for Indonesia’s Forest Ministry, as saying.
CITES, or the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is the global treaty that regulates cross-border trade of wild animals and plants. Orangutan trade is strictly restricted under CITES.
Pribadi said the Indonesian delegation will comprise a representative of its CITES Management Authority, veterinarians, and specialists in orangutan biology, identification, health, welfare, and conservation.
The visit has been proposed even as the Odisha forest department is yet to determine the exact origins of the orangutans. Indonesian officials said the visit will support verification of their species and origin, among other things, The Indian Express reported.
