India, Sept. 10 -- A day after at least five orangutans were rescued from a forest in Odisha's Balasore district, a joint probe was launched by the state police's STF and the WCCB on suspicion that an international wildlife smuggling racket might be behind the animals' sudden appearance here.

State Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia on Wednesday said the joint probe by the Special Task Force (STF) and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) would look into how the animals came to Balasore, who brought them to the forest and who was involved in such activities.

Given the high value of the animals -- an orangutan can fetch Rs 20-25 lakh in international markets -- it is suspected that they were smuggled from foreign ...