Baby Orangutans in India Expose Illegal Wildlife Trade as Experts Question a Billionaire’s Zoo
Indonesia is sending experts to verify the infants’ origins as conservationists say the illicit primate trade is fueled by wealthy collectors and gaps in import controls.
- Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry is taking 'active steps' to repatriate five baby orangutans discovered on a plantation in Odisha, India, in early September, sending experts to verify their origins and assess their health.
- Traffickers likely killed the infants' mothers, leaving the three males and two females stranded over 2,700 kilometers from their native rainforests in Borneo and Sumatra, evidence of a growing illicit trade into India.
- Sinan Serhadli, a wildlife trafficking expert at the Orangutan Information Centre, questioned whether the animals were legitimately bred in captivity, citing corruption and loopholes in Indian wildlife laws that allowed exotic pet registration without origin proof.
- Previously, a different orangutan was returned to Indonesia on Oct. 19 after 19 months at Vantara, a private facility run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani's family, following concerns about the animal's care and transfer legality.
- The global illegal wildlife trade, estimated at $34 billion annually, positions India as an emerging critical market. Conservationists warn that India's exotic pet trade sits at the 'crossroads of biodiversity loss, unbridled community demand, and organized criminal activity.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Baby orangutans in India expose illegal wildlife trade as experts question a billionaire's zoo
The villagers who first spotted the five baby orangutans in a casuarina forest in India in early September were puzzled by their reddish hair and unfamiliar faces.
Endangered Apes Trafficked Into India From Southeast Asia
India has emerged as a major destination for illegal wildlife trafficking, driven by wealthy collectors seeking endangered orangutans and other rare apes as status symbols. According to Sinan Serhadli, a wildlife trafficking expert at Indonesia’s Orangutan Information Centre, the illegal trade is increasingly funneling these high-risk species into Indian markets. Southeast Asia continues to serve as a critical transit hub for global contraband, …
South China Morning Post
PressNewsAgencyDiscovery of baby orangutans in India exposes booming illegal pet trade
The villagers who first spotted the five baby orangutans in a casuarina forest in India in early September were puzzled by their reddish hair and unfamiliar faces. The three males and two females, aged six to eight months – were left on a plantation in eastern India’s Odisha, over 2,700km (1,700 miles) from their native rainforests in Borneo and Sumatra, evidence of a growing illicit trade of apes being trafficked into India. They are now at an …
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