Health Assessment of Rescued Orangutans
Blood tests have found severe anaemia in one and mild anaemia in two of five rescued baby orangutans at Odisha’s Nandankanan Zoological Park, as officials conducted health tests and collected samples to establish their origin.
The animals underwent a comprehensive health examination on Wednesday by a technical committee constituted by the state’s principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), Prem Kumar Jha. X-rays of their chest, abdomen and skull were taken, while blood, serum and nasopharyngeal swab samples were collected, said Nandankanan zoo deputy director Pradip Mirase.
He said supportive supplements have been started on the committee’s advice.
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“The blood samples will also be tested for parameters including haemoglobin and white blood cell counts. Stool and urine samples are being examined as part of the broader health assessment,” Mirase added.
Officials said one orangutan developed a high temperature on Sunday and was given medication. They said all five were stable, with temperatures between 98 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
“All five are apparently stable, with normal feed acceptance and improved activity,” an official, who did not wish to be named, said.
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The animals are being fed milk every two hours, along with apple and banana fluids and boiled potatoes at regular intervals under a diet plan prepared by experts.
Officials said they will soon send blood samples for DNA testing to help establish where the orangutans came from. “An appropriate laboratory needs to have the standard DNA sample profile of orangutans for comparison. Such laboratories are not very common,” the official said.
