Bhubaneswar: Five orangutans, who were recently rescued from Odisha’s Baleshwar district and kept at a zoo here, have been displaying a range of emotions, from momentary mood swings, playful actions to anxiously clinging to each other.
On Thursday, they were taken out of their quarantine cell for a sunbath to keep them “stress-free”, a senior official of the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar said.
The animals were rescued by forest department personnel Tuesday.
The orangutans, aged about one year, have been expressing emotions like human children, the official said.
“Sometimes they appear to be relaxed, and in the next moment, they cling to each other, likely due to feelings of anxiety for being separated from their mothers,” he said.
They have also been playing with teddy bear soft toys in the quarantine unit of the zoo, the official said.
“We 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),” Nandankanan Zoological Park Director Sanath Kumar N told PTI.
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“The orangutans are also exposed to the morning sunlight to keep them stress-free. Three animal keepers have been engaged to look after them,” he said.
They are being fed infant milk formula, boiled mashed apple, banana, and oral dehydration, the zoo director said.
A veterinary doctor has been assigned the duty to oversee the health condition of the baby orangutans round-the-clock, he said.
“Every care is being provided so that the animals feel at home at the zoo,” he said.
The zoo authorities have also constituted a health committee comprising veterinary experts from the OUAT (Odisha University of Agriculture Technology), who have conducted an initial round of examination, he said.
“As per advice, the animals need to be acclimatised to the new environment. After that, bio-samples, including blood and oral swabs, will be collected for screening at CWH,” the official said.
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