New Delhi: An orangutan rescued in India as a baby in 2024 was sent back to Indonesia Monday, following nearly two years of care by Indian wildlife authorities and coordination between the two countries’ wildlife protection agencies. Authorities are now also working to arrange the return of the five young orangutans rescued in Odisha in September. Their repatriation will depend on confirmation of their species and origin, as well as completion of procedure and regulatory clearances.
Rocky the orangutan, believed to be of Sumatran origin, was repatriated from Gujarat, and arrived at Kualanamu International Airport in Medan earlier Monday. Officials from the Consulate General of India in Medan attended a reception ceremony organised by Indonesia’s forestry ministry, according to an official statement by the Indian embassy in Jakarta.
Rocky was rescued from an apartment in Thane’s Dombivli, where he was kept in a cage, along with six pythons and a star tortoise. A tip-off led Maharashtra forest officials to the endangered ape. He was then transferred to a zoo in Maharashtra, and later sent to Vantara.
The repatriation was coordinated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) management authorities of both countries, in accordance with applicable procedures and requirements. This is the first successful repatriation of a seized CITES animal, Mongabay quoted a CITES official as saying.
As a gesture of goodwill, the Indian government waived all historical costs associated with the orangutan’s care and maintenance before its return to Indonesia.
Odisha orangutans
On 9 September this year, five baby orangutans were found near Badapali village in Odisha’s Balasore division. Since the animals are native only to the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra, their discovery raised suspicions of wildlife trafficking networks in the area.
The animals are currently being cared for at the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar.
The Indian embassy in Jakarta is facilitating a proposed visit to India by Indonesian wildlife experts from the country’s forestry ministry in November. The visit is expected to help advance discussions and procedures for return of the animals.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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