Bhubaneswar, Sept. 8 -- The rescue of five young orangutans, an endangered ape species native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia and not found in the wild in India, in Balasore district has raised suspicion of an organised wildlife-smuggling racket operating along Odisha's coastal belt.
According to the sources, the five orangutans, believed to be around two years old, were spotted by local residents in the Bichitrapur forest area under the Udaipur forest range on Tuesday. Their unusual appearance left the villagers puzzled, prompting them to alert forest officials.
"A team of forest personnel reached the spot and rescued the animals," Balasore Wildlife Division Divisional Forest Officer Pratik Prakash Indalkar said.
"The rescued orang...