Current Affairs · · Prelims · Environment

Orangutan rescued from Thane flat repatriated to Indonesia

An orangutan seized from a flat in Dombivli, Maharashtra, in 2024 has been sent back to Indonesia after months in Indian rescue centres. All three orangutan species are critically endangered, and international trade in them is banned under CITES. The case shows how exotic-pet trafficking reaches India.

Event date:

REq1
  1. Note1 / 4

    WHY IN NEWS?

    • An orangutan rescued in a forest department raid on a flat in Dombivli, Thane district, has been repatriated to Indonesia.
    • The raid in November 2024 also recovered exotic pythons, an iguana and turtles.
    • The ape was first kept at Nagpur's Gorewada Rescue Centre, then moved in 2025 to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Jamnagar, Gujarat.
    • Its return involved Indian wildlife authorities, Indonesian officials and rehabilitation specialists.
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    ABOUT ORANGUTANS

    • They are great apes found in the wild only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.
    • There are three species: Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli.
    • All three are Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Fewer than 800 Tapanuli orangutans are believed to remain.
    • The main threats are habitat loss, including for plantations, forest fires and illegal capture of infants for the pet trade.
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    KEY CONCEPTS

    1. What is CITES?

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulates cross-border trade in listed species. India is a party.

    1. What does Appendix I mean?

    It covers species threatened with extinction. Commercial international trade in them is banned. Orangutans are listed in Appendix I.

    1. How does Indian law handle exotic species?

    The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2022, brings CITES-listed species under Indian regulation. Possessing such animals requires declaration and permits.

    1. Why is repatriation not the end?

    A rescued ape must pass health checks and quarantine. It then needs long rehabilitation before experts decide whether it can live in the wild or must stay in a sanctuary.

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    A WIDER PATTERN

    • In 2026, five orangutan infants were found in a forest in Odisha and taken to Nandankanan Zoological Park.
    • Indonesia has sought their return as suspected trafficking victims.
    • Thailand has also returned seized orangutans to Indonesia under CITES cooperation.
    • Such cases point to organised smuggling routes for exotic pets across Asia.

Sources

Syllabus

PaperSubjectSub-topic
PrelimsEnvironmentSpecies in news; CITES appendices; IUCN Red List categories; Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972
GS3EnvironmentBiodiversity conservation; wildlife trafficking; protection of threatened species
GS2International RelationsInternational wildlife trade conventions and cross-border conservation cooperation

Topics

BiodiversityEnvironmental Laws, Conventions and PoliciesSpecies

Related previous-year questions

Asked in earlier UPSC Prelims papers on this topic. Answer, then check.

  1. UPSC Prelims 2023 · Environment and Ecology · Species

    Which one of the following makes a tool with a stick to scrape insects from a hole in a tree or a log of wood?

    1. Fishing cat
    2. Orangutan
    3. Otter
    4. Sloth bear
    Show answer

    Answer: B. In animal tool use, the physical aspects of mediation are easy to see: a chimpanzee might use its hand to strike a surface with some force; if the chimpanzee strikes with a stone in its hand, the force is amplified. An orangutan might reach into a hole with its finger; a stick held in its hand will reach farther or into narrower openings — making it useful for scraping insects from a hole in a tree or a log of wood. Hence option (b) — Orangutan — is the correct answer.

    Difficulty: easy · direct

    Open this question on its own page, with the full explanation →

  2. UPSC Prelims 2015 · Environment and Ecology · Environmental Organisations

    With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resource (IUCN) and the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which of the following statements is/are correct? 1. IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments. 2. IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments. 3. CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this Convention does not take the place of national laws. Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 and 3 only
    3. 1 and 3 only
    4. 1, 2 and 3
    Show answer

    Answer: B. VERDICT: The answer is 2 and 3 only. IUCN runs field projects and CITES is legally binding without replacing national law, but IUCN is not an organ of the United Nations. ANALYSIS: Statement 1 is INCORRECT. Founded in 1948 as the world's first global environmental organisation, IUCN is a membership union of States, government agencies and non governmental bodies, not a United Nations organ. Statement 2 is CORRECT. IUCN supports scientific research, manages field projects worldwide and convenes governments, non governmental organisations, United Nations bodies and companies to develop policy and best practice. Statement 3 is CORRECT. CITES binds the States that join it, but Parties must adopt their own domestic legislation to implement it, so the Convention does not take the place of national law. SOURCE: IUCN official material. Source type EN. HOW TO CRACK IT: Rejecting statement 1 removes three of the four options at a stroke, so identify the institutional status claim first and test only that. Beyond this question, keep the categories separate: IUCN is a union with mixed membership, CITES and Ramsar are treaties, UNEP is a United Nations programme. The other durable idea here is that a treaty creates an obligation while national legislation creates the enforcement, which is why implementing law is always required.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

    Open this question on its own page, with the full explanation →

Practice questions

  1. In the wild, orangutans are found only in:

    1. Sri Lanka and the Andaman Islands
    2. Borneo and Sumatra
    3. Madagascar
    4. the Western Ghats
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Their range is limited to these two Southeast Asian islands.

    Difficulty: easy · statement

  2. Consider the following statements: 1. All three orangutan species are classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN. 2. Orangutans are listed in Appendix II of CITES. Which is/are correct?

    1. 1 only
    2. 2 only
    3. Both
    4. Neither
    Show answer

    Answer: A. Orangutans are in Appendix I, which bans commercial international trade.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

  3. Species listed in Appendix I of CITES are those:

    1. Not threatened but needing trade control
    2. Threatened with extinction, with commercial trade prohibited
    3. Protected in only one country
    4. Invasive species
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Appendix I gives the strictest level of trade protection.

    Difficulty: medium · statement

Mains practice

Answer-writing practice on this article. Attempt it first, then open the hints.

  1. GS3 · 150 words

    The trafficking of exotic species into India exposes gaps in wildlife law and enforcement. Discuss with reference to recent cases and India's obligations under CITES.

    Show hints
    1. Exotic pet trade
    2. Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act 2022
    3. CITES Appendix I
    4. repatriation
    5. rehabilitation, inter-agency cooperation.