Five rescued baby orangutans quarantined at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar underwent extensive health checks, including X-rays and blood sample collection, to assess their condition and facilitate DNA testing. The health check-up was prompted after one primate developed a fever. Officials are identifying a suitable laboratory for DNA analysis, which is crucial for determining their origin and aiding an ongoing international wildlife smuggling investigation.
Odisha Police's STF and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau are investigating the rescue of five baby orangutans in Balasore, suspecting an international wildlife trafficking network. The probe focuses on a black SUV seen near the rescue site and potential routes from West Bengal, with officials believing the animals were trafficked from Southeast Asia. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has called for stringent action against those involved.
Two individuals have been arrested in Odisha's Gahirmatha forest range after being found in possession of nine kg of venison. The suspects were apprehended in the Sasanpeta forest area with deer meat and nylon nets, leading to their booking under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Three individuals have been detained in Odisha's Dhenkanal district for allegedly electrocuting a wild elephant and burying its carcass on a farmhouse property.
Odisha forest officials arrested three individuals in Ganjam district for allegedly killing a spotted deer. The accused, residents of Khapraganda, are suspected of killing the deer to sell its meat after it wandered into their village from a nearby forest.
During the training, the dogs will be trained to detect tiger and leopard skins, bones, elephant tusks and other body parts, bear bile, Red Sanders, and several other illegal wildlife products.
'Animal populations are increasing. Human populations are increasing. So there is no way the man-animal conflict going to go away.'
