Bhubaneswar: Investigators probing the mysterious appearance of five baby orangutans in Odisha suspect the critically endangered apes were trafficked from Indonesia through north-east India and West Bengal, possibly en route to a destination in southern India by road.With the Odisha Special Task Force’s (STF) investigation indicating that the state may have been used as a transit route, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered a comprehensive probe and asserted that Odisha will not be allowed to become a corridor for illegal trafficking of exotic wildlife. “If any network is found to be involved in the illegal transport of these exotic animals, it will be identified and dealt with firmly under the law,” an official statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.The chief minister directed investigators to ascertain the route through which the animals were brought into Odisha, how they entered the state, who transported them and the purpose behind their movement. He also asked that the investigation be carried out in coordination with the Government of India, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and other wildlife and law enforcement agencies.A senior officer said investigators initially explored the possibility of trafficking through sea routes but found no significant leads, prompting a shift in focus to the road route. Police have since shortlisted several mobile numbers that were active along the suspected transit corridor and near the Balasore site where the animals were found.Investigators believe the traffickers deliberately avoided national highways and instead used village roads to evade CCTV surveillance and detection. The STF has also examined details of vehicles that passed through coastal Odisha in an effort to identify the suspected courier who abandoned the animals following a suspected failed trafficking attempt.Regional chief conservator of forests (RCCF) Prakash Chand Gogineni, said there is no strong indication of local involvement, suggesting Odisha was merely a transit point. STF DIG Kanwar Vishal Singh said all possible angles are being examined.While investigators believe the case resembles a failed wildlife trafficking consignment, what makes the Odisha case unusual is that all five juveniles were found together, uncaged and apparently in good health. It appeared as though the courier wanted the animals to be spotted after abandoning them, the officer said. In most previous cases internationally, animals were seized from traffickers at airports, in vehicles, homes or private collections rather than being left in a forest.Meanwhile, the baby orangutans continue to remain healthy and playful in a quarantined enclosure at Nandankanan Zoo. “Except for one that has intermittent fever, the others are doing fine. After keeping them under observation for a few more days, molecular genetic screening will be conducted to establish their species. Since it is an invasive test requiring blood samples, we will wait for them to acclimatise,” said Pradeep Mirase, deputy director of Nandankanan Zoo.