Goa, Sept. 13 -- Five infant orangutans rescued from a forest in Odisha have raised serious questions about illegal wildlife trafficking and India's growing demand for exotic animals as pets. The animals, aged between six and eight months, were found by villagers in the Ranakantha reserve forest in Balasore district on September 8 and were subsequently rescued by state authorities.

Conservationists say the orangutans could not have reached Odisha naturally. Orangutans are native only to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia, and all three species - Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli - are classified as Critically Endangered.

Wildlife Trust of India CEO Jose Louies said there was little doubt that the animals had been illegally trafficke...