Orangutan Trafficking Probe Widens: Interior Roads, Global Link Suspected

Authorities investigating the recent orangutan trafficking case in Odisha have revealed that smugglers avoided national highways and instead used interior village roads to bypass strict highway checks.

Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF) officer Prakash Chand Gogineni stated that orangutans cannot be bred or kept locally, pointing to an international smuggling route likely originating from Myanmar through the Northeast into eastern India.

To strengthen the probe, two Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) teams from Bhopal and Kolkata have joined the investigation.

Officials are reviewing CCTV footage along interior routes to trace movements and identify the network behind the trafficking.

The investigation aims to expose the international syndicate and ensure strict action against those involved.