Odisha: Rescued baby orangutans get health check-up after one develops fever

BHUBANESWAR: A six-member team of experts on Tuesday examined the health of the five baby orangutans quarantined at Nandankanan Zoological Park here, after one of the primates developed fever following their rescue from a forest in Odisha's Balasore district.

The orangutans, which are generally found in the wild in Borneo and Sumatra, were rescued on September 8, triggering a probe into possible trafficking of these animals. Officials on Monday said one of the baby primates developed a high body temperature since Sunday and was being administered medicines.

On Tuesday, Nandankanan Zoological Park, in a statement, said members of the technical committee formed by the principal chief conservator of forests (Wildlife), Odisha, visited the quarantine area and checked the health of all five orangutans.

"After further checking and discussion tomorrow, the observations of the visits will be submitted by the committee," it said.

In a bulletin, the zoo authorities stated that the body temperatures of the five infant orangutans were between 98 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit. "All five are apparently stable, with normal feed acceptance and improved activity," an official said.

The veterinarians at the zoo are closely monitoring the primates' condition and providing round-the-clock care, he said, adding that special arrangements, including special mosquito nets and a temperature-controlled room, have been made for them.

Aditya Acharya, the head of the Centre for Wildlife Health at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, said that high body temperature in orangutans is monitored as it is in humans. "Normally, they are administered paracetamol-based medication to control high body temperature," he said.

The animals are being fed milk every two hours, along with apple and banana fluids and boiled potatoes at regular intervals, according to a dietary chart prepared by experts.

Following the rescue of the five orangutans, the Odisha government formed a five-member technical committee to oversee their care.

The Odisha Police’s Special Task Force and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau have launched a joint investigation into an alleged international wildlife smuggling, but there has been no visible breakthrough in the probe, an official said.