Indonesia steps in to save baby orangutans found motherless at Indian forest

Indonesian authorities are working to repatriate five baby orangutans allegedly trafficked to India, where they were found motherless in a forest, Jakarta’s forestry ministry said on Friday.

The critically endangered animals were found on Tuesday by rangers patrolling in the Balasore district of India’s eastern Odisha state.

Authorities suspect the primates, known for their shaggy red fur, were trafficked into India, sparking a criminal investigation.

The youngsters, estimated to be about one-and-a-half years old, appeared to be healthy and were being cared for at a zoo after their rescue, the ministry said in a statement.

Orangutans in the wild are native only to Indonesia’s Sumatra Island and Borneo, which it shares with Malaysia and Brunei.

The five infants were believed to be of Sumatran origins, based on preliminary physical observations, the ministry said.