India returns a rescued orangutan to Indonesia and prepares to send back five more found in Odisha

National Environment Environment & Climate

India returns a rescued orangutan to Indonesia and prepares to send back five more found in Odisha

19 October 2026

A young orangutan of Sumatran origin, called Rocky, was flown from Gujarat to Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, Indonesia, on 19 October 2026. Indonesia's forestry ministry held a reception that officials of the Consulate General of India in Medan attended. The animal, then a baby, was rescued in 2024 by Maharashtra forest officials from an apartment in Dombivli in Thane, where it was kept in a cage with six pythons and a star tortoise. The CITES management authorities of India and Indonesia coordinated the return, and India waived all historical care and maintenance costs. Five baby orangutans found near Badapali village in Odisha's Balasore division on 9 September are being cared for at Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, and the Indian mission in Jakarta is arranging a visit to India by Indonesian forestry ministry wildlife experts in November.

Destination airport: Kualanamu International Airport, Medan Year of rescue: 2024 Orangutans found in Odisha: Five, on 9 September Where the five are kept: Nandankanan Zoological Park, Bhubaneswar

Why it matters for exams: CITES management authorities, the Nandankanan zoo and the native range of orangutans are all standard environment questions.

Kerala PSCUPSC

19 October 2026 Source: The Print report

In plain words

CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — A treaty that controls international trade in listed wild animals and plants through permits issued by national management authorities.