Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Odisha Probe Tracks Black SUV in Orangutan Mystery
Five baby orangutans were found in a forest in Odisha, India, on September 8.
Orangutans do not naturally live in India.
Investigators are looking for a black SUV seen near the forest the night before.
They checked many security cameras in Odisha and West Bengal, but have not identified the vehicle’s registration number.
Officials think the animals may have been moved through rural roads from West Bengal.
They are also checking railway stations, airports, waterways, ships, and fishing boats.
The forest has been closed to the public so possible evidence is not disturbed.
The orangutans are being cared for at a zoo in Bhubaneswar.
Authorities are investigating whether an international wildlife-trafficking network was involved.
Five baby orangutans were rescued from Bichitrapur forest in Balasore district on September 8.
Investigators are searching for a black SUV seen near Badapahi village around 11:25 p.m. on September 7.
The STF examined 55 CCTV cameras, while another report cited at least 46 route cameras examined.
Officials suspect the animals may have been transported from West Bengal by rural roads, waterways, or other routes.
The orangutans are receiving round-the-clock care at Nandankanan Zoo as agencies investigate possible international trafficking links.
- Who
- Odisha Police’s Special Task Force, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, forest officials, Crime Branch personnel and other agencies are investigating; five baby orangutans were rescued.
- What
- Authorities are investigating how the orangutans reached Balasore and whether a wildlife-trafficking network transported them.
- When
- The orangutans were rescued on September 8; the black SUV was reportedly seen around 11:25 p.m. on September 7, and the investigation was intensified by September 10.
- Where
- The animals were found in the Bichitrapur Badapahi forest area under Bhograi block in Balasore district, Odisha; investigators are also examining Digha and other locations in West Bengal.
- Why
- Orangutans are not native to India, and officials suspect they may have been illegally transported as part of a possible trafficking operation.
Overland Route Theory
Waterway and International Route Theory
How the animals may have reached Odisha
Overland Route Theory
Forest officials said circumstantial evidence strongly indicated transport from West Bengal through the Digha-Chandaneswar-Bhograi route, using rural roads to avoid national highways.
Waterway and International Route Theory
Investigators are examining whether the animals arrived through waterways, including on ships or fishing trawlers; railway stations, airports and other routes are also being checked.
Possible trafficking origin
Overland Route Theory
One official theory is that the orangutans may have been trafficked from Myanmar through India’s Northeast into eastern India.
Waterway and International Route Theory
Officials also raised Indonesia as a possible origin, which they said would indicate international traffickers and local agents in West Bengal or Odisha.
- Animals rescued
- Five baby orangutans, ranging from about six months to one year old
- Rescue site
- Bichitrapur Badapahi forest area, Balasore district, Odisha
- Vehicle clue
- A black SUV, identified in one report as a Mahindra Thar, was seen around 11:25 p.m. on September 7; its registration number was not captured
- CCTV review
- Reports cited 55 cameras in Bhograi and Digha, and at least 46 cameras along routes toward Digha
- Possible routes
- The Digha-Chandaneswar-Bhograi rural-road route, waterways, railway stations and airports are being examined
- Current care
- The orangutans are housed in a temperature-controlled room at Nandankanan Zoo in Bhubaneswar
- Investigating agencies
- Odisha Police Special Task Force, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, forest officials and Crime Branch personnel
