Baby orangutan develops fever at Odisha's Nandankanan zoo

One of five baby orangutans quarantined at Odisha's Nandankanan Zoological Park since September 8 has developed fever, officials said on Monday. The infant has run a high temperature since Sunday and is being given medicines, with veterinarians providing round-the-clock care; a senior zoo official said it is stable under strict supervision. The other four are healthy. Niranjan Sahoo, former director of OUAT's Centre for Wildlife Health, said the cause, infectious or stress-related, must be established. The infants were rescued from a casuarina forest in Balasore district.

Written by AI from Hindustan Times — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 15 Sept 2026, 9:51 am IST

Source

Hindustan Times — India · read the original report ↗

#orangutan#nandankanan zoo#wildlife#odisha#animal health

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

One of five baby orangutans quarantined at Nandankanan Zoological Park since September 8 has developed fever. — Attributed to unnamed officials speaking on Monday; dates and figures appear in source.
The infant has run a high temperature since Sunday and is being given medicines; it is stable under medical supervision. — Attributed to veterinarians and a senior zoo official, who is quoted but not named.
The other four infants are healthy and responding normally. — Attributed to officials, no individual named.
Cause of fever must be established; it could be infectious or stress-related, linked to transport or low immunity and colostrum intake. — Attributed by name to Niranjan Sahoo, former director of the Centre for Wildlife Health at OUAT; expert opinion, not confirmed diagnosis.
The infants were rescued from a casuarina forest in Balasore district a few days ago. — Stated in source without a named source; consistent with the September 8 quarantine reference.

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Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

Five baby orangutans — a species not native to India — were rescued from a casuarina forest in Balasore district, Odisha, and placed in quarantine at Nandankanan Zoological Park from September 8. Their rescue has raised fears of wildlife trafficking. Officials said on Monday that one of the five infants has been running a high fever since Sunday and is under round-the-clock veterinary care, while the other four are healthy.

Key facts

Five baby orangutans have been in quarantine at Odisha's Nandankanan Zoological Park since September 8.
One of the five infants has been running a high temperature since Sunday and is being given medicines to control the fever.
A senior zoo official said the fever subsides after medication but reappears; the animal is stable and under strict medical supervision.
The other four infant orangutans are healthy and responding normally, officials said.
Orangutans are not native to India; the infants were rescued from a casuarina forest in Balasore district.
Niranjan Sahoo, former director of the Centre for Wildlife Health at OUAT, said the cause of the fever must be established to assess risk to the other animals.
Sahoo said if the fever is infectious it could spread to another orangutan infant; if stress-related, the situation could be different.
Sahoo flagged that how much colostrum — the mother's first milk that builds immunity — the infants received, if any, is a major question.

Timeline

Before September 8Five baby orangutans rescued from a casuarina forest in Balasore district, Odisha.
September 8The five infants placed in quarantine at Nandankanan Zoological Park.
SundayOne infant begins running a high temperature; medication started.
MondayOfficials confirm the fever, say the animal is stable under round-the-clock veterinary care and the other four are healthy.

Who has a stake

Nandankanan Zoological Park, Odisha — Responsible for quarantine, veterinary care and survival of five non-native infant orangutans.
Zoo veterinarians — Providing round-the-clock monitoring and medication, and determining whether the fever is infectious or stress-related.
The five infant orangutans — Their health and survival; one is febrile, the other four could be at risk if the cause is infectious.
Niranjan Sahoo, former director, Centre for Wildlife Health, OUAT — Expert assessing causes — infection, transport stress, low immunity, lack of colostrum.
Wildlife enforcement agencies — The rescue of a non-native species has raised trafficking fears requiring investigation.

Why it matters

The presence of five infant orangutans — a species with no natural range in India — in a coastal Odisha forest points to possible wildlife trafficking, and their survival in captivity is now a test of India's wildlife health and quarantine capacity. A fever in one quarantined infant raises the risk of transmission to the others if infectious, while stress and poor immunity from early separation from mothers complicate treatment.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Nandankanan Zoological Park is located in Odisha; it is holding five rescued infant orangutans in quarantine since September 8.
Orangutans are not native to India.
The infants were rescued from a casuarina forest in Balasore district, Odisha.
The Centre for Wildlife Health functions under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT).
Colostrum, the mother's first milk, is critical for building immunity in infant mammals.

Mains framing

The fever in one of five infant orangutans quarantined at Nandankanan since September 8 illustrates two linked problems: the illegal movement of non-native wildlife into India and the strain such rescues place on wildlife health infrastructure. As the source records, the animals were found in a casuarina forest in Balasore, far from any natural orangutan range, and their rescue has raised trafficking fears; captive care now involves round-the-clock veterinary monitoring, medication and quarantine to prevent spread if the fever proves infectious. Expert opinion cited in the story identifies plausible non-infectious causes too — the stress of transport from a distant location, pre-existing weakness or low immunity, and uncertainty over whether the infants ever received colostrum, the mother's first milk that confers immunity. The way forward, on the evidence available, lies in precise diagnosis (temperature levels, whether fever is constant or intermittent, overall condition) to separate infection from stress, strict quarantine discipline to protect the four healthy infants, and pursuing the trafficking question that the rescue has opened up.

Key terms

Nandankanan Zoological Park: Odisha zoo where the five rescued infant orangutans have been quarantined since September 8.
Quarantine: Isolation of newly arrived or sick animals under medical supervision to prevent disease spread to others.
Colostrum: The mother's first milk, which helps build an infant's immunity; its absence may leave rescued infants vulnerable.
Centre for Wildlife Health, OUAT: Wildlife health institution under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology; its former director commented on the case.
Casuarina forest: Coastal plantation-type forest; the Balasore district site where the five orangutan infants were rescued.

Practice questions

The recovery of five infant orangutans in coastal Odisha points to gaps in India's wildlife trafficking surveillance. Discuss the challenges of handling and rehabilitating non-native rescued wildlife.
Why is quarantine central to the management of rescued wild animals in zoos? Examine with reference to the Nandankanan orangutan case.
Distinguish between infectious and stress-related illness in rescued wild animals, and explain why this distinction shapes veterinary and containment decisions.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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