India, Sept. 8 -- At least five orangutans, which are not indigenous to India, were rescued from a forest in Odisha's Balasore district on Tuesday, prompting authorities to suspect that an international wildlife smuggling racket may be behind their sudden appearance.

The state government has urged the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) to investigate how the critically endangered great apes reached the Bichitrapur forest area under Bhograi block.

Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singhkhuntia said a forest patrolling team rescued the five orangutans on Tuesday morning.

"These animals are not found in India and are mostly seen in rainforests of Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia. We suspect that they mi...