Trafficking of wildlife is big business 5 baby orangutans found in India are center of a major investigation: how did the critically endangered wild orangutans get to India from Indonesia

Update:      (How it all started under this article)

Indonesia is working to bring five young orangutans discovered in Odisha, India, home as authorities investigate the suspected wildlife-trafficking network behind the operation.

According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry, the orangutans were discovered on September 8 in a forested area of Bhogarai/Udaipur in Jaleswar, Balasore District, near Odisha’s border with West Bengal. Initial information provided to the Ministry indicates that the five young orangutans are approximately 1 to 1.5 years old. They are now being cared for at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar. https://www.nandankanan.org/ 

Preliminary observations suggest the orangutans may have originated from Sumatra. However, DNA testing is still needed to determine which species of orangutan they are and where they came from.

Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry is coordinating with India’s CITES Management Authority, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta, the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi, Indonesia’s scientific authority, and other government agencies as it works to verify the orangutans’ origins and pursue their possible return to Indonesia. The Ministry says the process must comply with both national law and international CITES requirements.

If the orangutans are returned to Indonesia, they would undergo health examinations, quarantine, genetic identification, behavioral assessments, and rehabilitation tailored to the needs of each individual. If they later meet the necessary criteria, they could be considered for eventual release back into their natural habitat.

The Ministry said protecting the five orangutans remains a priority as authorities continue working to uncover the trafficking network involved.

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Five young orangutans found in Odisha, India, are now at the center of a major investigation into suspected illegal wildlife trafficking.

The orangutans were discovered Tuesday morning near Badapai village in Odisha’s Balasore district. Residents reportedly noticed them in the trees and contacted forest officials, who then brought all five into their care.

Orangutans are native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia and are not found in the wild in India. All three species are Critically Endangered, making the discovery especially concerning.

Authorities are now trying to establish where the animals originated, how they reached Odisha, and whether they were being moved as part of a larger illegal wildlife trafficking network.

The discovery comes as wild orangutans continue to face growing threats across their remaining habitat in Indonesia.

Forest and land fires are currently devastating parts of Indonesia, placing even greater pressure on orangutan habitat already destroyed and fragmented by agricultural development and palm oil expansion.

Indonesia’s meteorological agency, BMKG, has warned of continued fire risk during the current dry period. On September 2, officials recorded 463 high-confidence hotspots in Kalimantan and 264 in Sumatra, both regions where wild orangutans live.

On August 30, an adult male orangutan named Sempurna was found severely weakened and struggling to breathe in a dry ditch inside a community palm oil plantation while the nearby forest was burning. Indonesian wildlife authorities suspected smoke exposure had affected him. Despite rescuers’ best efforts to save him, Sempurna tragically died.

Orangutans are protected under Appendix I of CITES, which provides the convention’s highest level of international trade protection for species threatened with extinction.

There is currently no evidence linking Indonesia’s forest fires to the five orangutans found in India.

As the investigation continues, authorities will be working to identify where the animals came from, how they were transported, and whether other individuals or a wider trafficking network were involved.

World Animal News will continue following this developing story and share updates as additional information is confirmed by wildlife authorities.

www.worldanimalnews.org

Indonesia has resumed plans to export long-tailed macaques for use in research and testing, putting thousands of these intelligent, social animals at risk of capture, confinement, transport, and painful experimentation.

 

PETITION TARGET: Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni, Director General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation Satyawan Pudyatmoko, and Director of Species and Genetic Conservation Ahmad Munawir

Indonesia has resumed plans to export long-tailed macaques for use in research and testing, putting thousands of these intelligent, social animals at risk of capture, confinement, transport, and painful experimentation.

Macques being taken from the wild

In 2026, Indonesia submitted a CITES export quota for 1,928 long-tailed macaques — the first such quota since 2022.

A new macaque breeding and holding facility has also been established in Mesuji, Lampung. Operated by PT Biomedika Nusantara Indah, the facility can hold around 4,000 macaques and already houses hundreds of animals.

Wild macaques from areas described as experiencing human–macaque conflict are being used as founder animals for breeding. Residents are also reportedly being offered money for macaques handed over to the company.

This risks creating a financial incentive for wild macaques to be removed from their natural habitats.

Previous investigations in Indonesia have exposed the severe cruelty involved in capturing wild macaques. Footage has documented animals being beaten, dragged and violently restrained, dominant males being killed, and nursing infants being torn from their mothers.

For the animals who survive capture, the suffering may only be beginning.

Long-tailed macaques are widely used in toxicity testing and other experiments that can involve repeated restraint, forced administration of drugs or chemicals, invasive procedures, infection studies, and other tests that cause fear, pain, distress, and death.

The long-tailed macaque is classified globally as Endangered by the IUCN, with populations decreasing. Yet the species remains unprotected under Indonesian national law and continues to be exploited for commercial purposes.

Human–macaque conflict must not be used as an excuse to capture animals for the international laboratory trade.

Conflict is often driven by habitat loss, development, agricultural expansion, poor waste management, and human feeding. Removing macaques does not address these underlying causes. Humane, evidence-based coexistence measures are needed instead.

The renewed export trade is also moving in the wrong direction scientifically. There is growing awareness of the unreliability of using animals in research and testing, and increased scrutiny from regulators and governments worldwide.

The United States, EU, and the U.K. are now actively developing strategies to transition away from animal testing and accelerate the adoption of non-animal alternatives, such as in vitro systems, organ-on-chips, and AI modeling.

Jakarta Animal Aid Network, Action for Primates, and Lady Freethinker are calling on the Indonesian Government to protect long-tailed macaques rather than allow them to be captured and supplied to overseas laboratories.

Please urge Indonesia’s Minister of Forestry and relevant authorities to:

• Immediately suspend the export of long-tailed macaques for biomedical research

• End the capture of wild macaques for commercial breeding and export

• Strengthen legal protection for long-tailed macaques in Indonesia

• Replace capture-based responses to human–macaque conflict with humane, evidence-based coexistence measures

• Support modern, non-animal research approaches rather than expanding the supply of primates for laboratory experiments

Indonesia’s long-tailed macaques are part of the country’s natural heritage. They should be protected in the wild — not treated as commodities for the global laboratory trade.

Please sign this petition and urge the Indonesian Government to protect long-tailed macaques from capture and export for research and testing.

PETITION

https://ladyfreethinker.org/sign-protect-indonesias-long-tailed-macaques-from-cruel-laboratory-export/

Newsletter from Jakarta Animal Aid Network: 114 Papuan (Province of Indonesia), animals confiscated and a month-long race to bring them home.

 

One of the 114 animals rescued. 

Dear friends, What a quarter it has been. From a sperm whale rescue, to the release of rehabilitated macaques into protected forest, to wildlife crime raids in Java and a massive confiscation in North Maluku that brought over 100 animals into safety. The support we have felt from this community (in words and in donations) during our most urgent rescue operations has been incredible. Thank you!! A warm welcome too to everyone joining us from the Ellis Park community. We are so happy you are here. Read on to discover all the animals we have been fighting for this quarter. Kinds regards, Femke Den Haas Co-founder & Director, JAAN Wildlife

Stranded sperm whale rescued in West Bali On December 23rd, our Umah Lumba team worked side by side with the Marine Police and Forestry authorities through an entire day (six attempts, hours of tension) to refloat a stranded sperm whale off the coast of West Bali. Read the full story (or watch the YouTube video) of how this magnificent creature finally took three deep dives and disappeared into the open ocean. ­ Visit the news article

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From a smuggler's box to the treetops of Sumatra: 24 macaques finally home Rescued as infants from Indonesia's illegal pet trade, 24 long-tailed macaques spent years in rehabilitation at our Sumatra Wildlife Center before making the long journey to the mangrove forests of Berbak Sembilang National Park. Discover the full story and witness the moment they leapt into the trees for the very first time. ­ Visit the news article

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114 Papuan animals confiscated and a month-long race to bring them home. In February 2026, authorities intercepted a vessel carrying 114 Papuan animals (tree kangaroos, cuscuses, pythons and more) crammed into pipes, cages, and the ship's cabin toilet. Read how our team joined a month-long operation to care for the survivors and return them to the forests of Papua where they belong. ­ Visit the news article

Freek Vonk went to Sumatra and became a baby monkey mum When Dutch biologist and TV personality Freek Vonk visited our Sumatra Wildlife Center, he didn't just observe! He rolled up his sleeves and became a temporary surrogate mum (and long-term sponsor) for two of our ten rescued baby macaques.  The little ones had been intercepted by our K9 sniffer dog team at a port in South Sumatra, about to be smuggled to Java. The 10 of 13 survivors are now receiving round-the-clock care at our center and will start a 3-year rehabilitation journey before they can be released into protected rainforest as confident, independent adults. You can be part of their journey. By sponsoring one of the baby monkeys, you directly cover the costs of their medical care, nutrition, and full rehabilitation program.  ­ Meet the baby monkeys and become a sponsor

117 and counting: another family of macaques returns to the Bali forest Bali has taken a landmark stand for primates. By banning the trade and private ownership of primates, the island has created something rare: a place where positive change and real enforcement is possible. The ban came into force last year, after years of campaigning by JAAN. Since then, we have been able to rescue and release 117 primates back into the wild. This quarter, another family of 17 rehabilitated long-tailed macaques was released into a protected forest reserve in West Bali, with full coordination and attendance of local authorities.

That same ban also gave us the tools to act fast when reports came in of people walking along Canggu Beach with baby pig-tailed macaques dressed in clothing, offering them for tourist photo shoots. At least one monkey has also been sold to a foreigner. Working alongside BKSDA Bali, we tracked down the traders and confiscated the macaques. ­

Bali is setting the example.  Now, all of Indonesia needs to follow!

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Our wildlife crime investigators led a raid on a poacher's home in Central Java, with assistance of the police. They found kilos of pangolin scales, one live pangolin covered in bite wounds from the poacher's dogs (who died shortly after rescue), two young leopard cats, a baby siamang, and a yellow-crested cockatoo. Legal proceedings are underway, and our team is determined to see the traders held accountable.

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The investigators identified two more illegal wildlife traders and they coordinated a raid with undercover police. During the operation, local residents gathered and attacked the team! Luckily, police backup arrived quickly and both the traders and all 18 eagles were taken into custody. The birds are now in our care at the Sumatra Wildlife Center.

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Indonesia's first K9 anti-poaching unit (run by JAAN) recorded 21 violations in national park territory within its first two months alone. In February, two of our handlers and their dogs completed their official certification with IFAW, making them fully operational. With only tens of Javan rhinos left in the wild, the work of this team has never been more critical.

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From the forest to the sea: a quarter of rescues and releases across Indonesia Sari the leopard cat, rescued as a tiny cub in August 2025, was successfully released back into the wild on December 27 after six months in our care.  In Denpasar, a baby pig-tailed macaque was found abandoned in a rubbish bin and is now being cared for ahead of relocation to our Sumatra Wildlife Center.  A mouse deer that had wandered into a Sumatran village in a panic was evacuated and safely released within 12 hours, and a green sea turtle in poor condition was brought into our UmahLumba sea turtle hospital in West Bali.  Later in January, two brown booby seabirds (a species we had never rescued before) were found exhausted on the West Bali coast, likely disoriented by storms, and are now recovering at our center.  On January 27, a stranded pygmy sperm whale was rushed to our marine mammal rehabilitation center, but despite 20 hours of intensive care, the animal did not survive. A heartbreaking reminder of how fragile these situations can be.. Finally, our Sumatra Wildlife Center took in 33 confiscated non-native reptiles, including alligator snapping turtles and Amboina box tortoises, handed over by seaport quarantine authorities.

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Alam, who has been through so much suffering, has found her forever home at Ellis Park! She was kept by someone in a tiny cage on the streets of Jakarta for over 6 years. It left her exposed and vulnerable. Kids would often bully her and at some point poked her with a sharp stick. The wound grew into an enormous tumor, covering almost her entire face! Thanks to your support and donations, we were able to rescue Alam. She underwent surgery and received intensive veterinary care. Now, she's sharing a beautiful and spacious enclosure with Pearle, a blind female macaque. Her recovery is going well and she's slowly getting used to her new forever home at Ellis Park. It's another painful example of why we need a nationwide ban on keeping monkeys as pets! And that's exactly what we are going to keep fighting for.

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"I just want to thank all our supporters of Ellis Park. With your help the team is able to work to their best abilities. What an incredible community we have created. Love, Warren Ellis" Ellis Park co-founder

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February Survey results  In February, we sent out a short survey asking for your thoughts on our new newsletter layout and content. The response was clear: the quarterly frequency works well and the content is much appreciated. Two things you'd love to see more of: updates from Ellis Park and more insights into our ongoing programs and projects (including how you can contribute). We'll be adding more of both into every edition going forward. Finally, congratulations to Julia. You won the survey raffle! We sent you an email yesterday and you will have the special opportunity to name one of our most recent rescues!

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