Odisha: Technical team examines health condition of rescued orangutans

Bhubaneswar, A technical team has examined the health condition of five rescued orangutan cubs, quarantined at the Nandankanan Zoological Park here, a statement said on Sunday.

The team, comprising veterinary officers from the Delhi Zoo and the Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun, also advised that medicines be administered to the cubs to completely eliminate the animals' worm load, it said.

The technical team, comprising Delhi Zoo veterinary officer Abhijit Bhawal and WII wildlife veterinarian Krishna Muliya, visited the quarantine facility at Nandankanan Zoo on Saturday to screen the health condition of the baby orangutans, a health bulletin issued by the zoo said.

The veterinary experts advised the Nandankanan officials on feeding, healthcare and management interventions. They advised the zoo officials to gradually increase the feed quantity and introduce solid food in their diet, the bulletin said.

During the examination, the zoo reported that the body temperature of the five animals was between 98.6 and 101 degrees Fahrenheit. The health condition of the orangutans was stable at the time of the examination, and their feed acceptance was normal, it said.

The team also advised zoo officials to administer ivermectin/doramectin medicines to completely eliminate the worm load.

The zoo authorities had earlier said that three of the five baby orangutans were suffering from anaemia. During in-house haematology analysis, the zoo had found severe anaemia in one of the primates and mild anaemia in two others.

Orangutans are not native to India; they are primarily found in the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, they said.

The five orangutans were rescued from a forest in Balasore district on September 8. They have since been under quarantine at Nandankanan Zoo, where periodical health check-ups are being conducted, a zoo official said.

On the other hand, the Odisha Police's Special Task Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau have been investigating into suspected international wildlife smuggling. There has been no major breakthrough in the probe so far, officials said.

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