Swings, soft toys, music: Odisha zoo pulls out all stops for baby orangutans

Five baby orangutans recently rescued from Odishas Balasore district and quarantined at the Nandankanan Zoological Park here have been showing a range of emotions from playful behaviour and brief mood swings to anxiously clinging to one another prompting the zoo authorities to take measures to keep them stressfreeThe animals were taken out of their quarantine enclosure on Thursday for a sunbath a senior zoo official saidThe apes were rescued by forest department personnel on TuesdayThe orangutans aged between six months and one year have been displaying behaviour similar to human children the official said Three of the five orangutans are males and two are femalesSometimes they appear to be relaxed and in the next moment they cling to each other likely due to feelings of anxiety from being separated from their mothers he saidThe animals have also been playing with soft toys in the quarantine unit he saidRegional Chief Conservator of Forests Prakash Chandra Gogineni said humans and orangutans share a high degree of genetic similarityThere seems to be no difference between a human child and a baby orangutan Humans and orangutans share about 964 per cent of their genetic instructions according to certain journals he saidA recent study by the Sumatran Orangutan Society also noted similarities in their psychological and emotional behaviour he saidNandankanan Zoological Park Deputy Director Pradeep Mirase said the animals behavioural similarities with humans would help in their care and acclimatisationOrangutans have many behavioural similarities with humans and handrearing them is not so difficult They are friendly and staying together as a group which should help them acclimatise to human care he saidThe zoo has installed a swing inside the quarantine enclosure and provided soft toys for the animals as part of stressmanagement measures he saidAs advised by the experts steps are also being taken to play classical music to help reduce their stress Mirase saidNandankanan Zoological Park Director Sanath Kumar N said the animals were being provided veterinary care while their physical and mental condition was being closely monitoredWe are providing them with the best veterinary treatment available and at the same time monitoring their mental condition as the baby orangutans were found in a scared state when rescued Treatment is underway as per the advice of the Centre for Wildlife Health CWH he told PTIThough the quarantine enclosure has adequate space the animals have been observed sitting and sleeping close to one another he saidThe orangutans are also being exposed to morning sunlight and three animal keepers have been assigned to care for them Kumar saidThey are being fed infant milk formula boiled and mashed apple banana and oral rehydration solution he saidA veterinary doctor has been assigned roundtheclock duty to monitor their health he addedEvery care is being provided so that the animals feel at home at the zoo Kumar saidThe zoo has also constituted a health committee comprising veterinary experts from Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology OUAT who have conducted an initial examinationThe quarantine enclosure is being regularly disinfected to prevent possible infection Kumar saidAs per advice the animals need to be acclimatised to the new environment After that biosamples including blood and oral swabs will be collected for screening at CWH he saidAfter they were rescued and brought to the zoo on Tuesday night one of the animals was down with fever two showed symptoms of common cold and another was found to be infected with wormsNow the health condition of all the baby orangutans is stable after medication They enjoy eating apples bananas dry fruits and bottled milk a zoo doctor saidThe animals also give signals when they are hungry or thirsty he saidThe staff working in the quarantine enclosure have been barred from working in any other section of the zoo due to the risk of infection the doctor saidOdisha Forest and Environment Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia who visited the zoo said the government was prioritising the health of the animalsThe health of the orangutan babies is priority for the government The Nandankanan Zoo authorities are also in constant touch with officials of the Mysuru Zoo where orangutans are housed he saidThe five orangutans were rescued from a forest in Balasore district on September 8 Their presence in the state has raised questions as orangutans are not native to IndiaMeanwhile the state police and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau WCCB are conducting a joint probe amid suspicion that an international smuggling racket could be behind the animals sudden appearance in the state officials saidOrangutans are not found in India and are native to the rainforests of Malaysia and Indonesia including the islands of Borneo and Sumatra in Southeast Asia they addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no 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