The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, is set to genetically examine blood samples from five rescued orangutans at Odisha’s Nandankanan Zoological Park, a test that officials expect could help trace the animals’ geographical origin and support an investigation into suspected wildlife trafficking.
Nandankanan authorities sought ZSI’s consent for the analysis after the infant orangutans were rescued nearly two months ago from a forest near Bichitrapur in Balasore district. Their presence in the coastal forest under unexplained circumstances had raised suspicions about a possible international trafficking network.
Nandankanan deputy director Pradeep Mirase said ZSI had recently confirmed that it possessed molecular markers for different orangutan populations. The agency communicated its consent by email, while the matter is also expected to be reviewed by the ZSI director. The zoo is likely to send the samples within a week, Mirase said.
The genetic analysis will compare the animals’ DNA profiles with genotype records available with ZSI. Officials said the exercise would examine whether the database contains representative genetic samples from different orangutan populations and habitats. A successful match could help identify the animals’ native range and provide investigators with leads about where they originated and how they reached Odisha.
The testing is being undertaken while the five orangutans remain in quarantine at Nandankanan. They are housed in a controlled, air-conditioned facility at the zoo’s hand-rearing centre and are receiving round-the-clock veterinary supervision. Zoo officials said the animals had initially suffered from low haemoglobin levels but were steadily improving after specialised care, nutrition and continuous health monitoring.
The case places scientific identification alongside conventional investigation in determining the route through which the animals may have been moved. Establishing their population or habitat of origin could help investigators narrow the geographical trail, although the genetic exercise alone would not establish who transported or abandoned them.
Experts have also suggested sending the blood samples to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, which maintains genetic records of zoo animals. Officials believe findings from CCMB could complement the ZSI analysis and provide a clearer picture of the orangutans’ origin.
The immediate next step is the transfer of the samples to ZSI, subject to the review by its director. The genetic findings are expected to be used alongside the continuing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the rescue and the suspected illegal movement of the primates.
