At a zoo in Odisha, five rescued baby orangutans are receiving an unusual form of care.
Alongside veterinary monitoring, food and quarantine, staff are playing them soft and classical music.
The animals were rescued from a casuarina forest in Balasore district and transferred to Nandankanan Zoological Park, where experts are trying to reduce their stress before carrying out further health and DNA examinations.
Why are orangutans in Odisha at all?
Orangutans are not native to India. Wild orangutans naturally occur in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Their appearance in an Odisha forest therefore immediately raised questions about where they came from and how they reached the area.
The five are extremely young
Zoo officials described the animals as being around one year old. They have been observed displaying a range of behaviours: playing, showing anxiety, clinging to each other and experiencing sudden changes in mood.
Why use music?
The music is not being presented as a magical medical treatment. It is part of an effort to create a calmer environment while the animals adapt.
Staff are using soft and classical music and have also provided toys and a cloth hammock. Officials have taken the animals out for sunlight while trying to keep their surroundings as stress-free as possible.
Environmental enrichment is commonly used in modern zoo management to keep intelligent animals mentally engaged and reduce stress.
Orangutans are unusually intelligent
Orangutans are great apes and are known for sophisticated problem-solving, tool use and complex social behaviour. Young animals in particular depend heavily on their mothers for years.
Their origin is now a major question
Because orangutans do not belong naturally in Indian forests, investigators will need to determine how the animals arrived in Balasore. DNA testing and other examinations could help establish more about their background.
Their presence may also raise questions about illegal wildlife trafficking, although authorities will need evidence before drawing conclusions about these particular animals.
For now, the priority is simple
Keep them healthy. Keep them calm. And understand where they came from.
That is why one of the strangest wildlife stories in India this week currently includes five baby orangutans, a hammock — and classical music playing inside an Odisha zoo.
Source: Hindustan Times
