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Bhubaneswar, Sep 11 : Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry has stepped in following the rescue of five infant orangutans from Odisha's Baleshwar district , calling for their origin to be verified and saying it is working with Indian authorities on their possible repatriation. In a statement issued in Jakarta on September 10, the ministry said it was closely following the case and had begun coordinating with authorities in India and Indonesia over the animals' care, identification and possible return to Indonesia. Five Orangutans Found In Bhograi The five animals, estimated to be between 1 and 1.5 years old, were found by villagers clinging to trees in a casuarina forest in the Bichitrapur area of Bhograi block on the morning of September 8. Forest officials rescued them and shifted them to Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar later that night, where they are currently being cared for. DNA Tests To Establish Origin Indonesia's ministry said an initial assessment of the animals' physical and morphological characteristics suggested they may be Sumatran orangutans. Meanwhile, forest department officials in Odisha are conducting further tests to establish their health, age, species and genetic origin. Blood, sickle-cell and DNA samples were collected on September 10 on the advice of the Centre for Wildlife Health Committee under Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology. DNA analysis could also determine whether the five animals are from the same mother or belong to different maternal lineages. Indonesia Flags Possible Wildlife Trafficking Orangutans are not native to India and are naturally found in Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly on Sumatra and Borneo. Against that backdrop, Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry said the presence of five infant orangutans in Odisha raises strong suspicions of illegal wildlife trafficking and cross-border smuggling. The ministry said it would support efforts to establish the animals' origin and investigate any possible trafficking network involved. The Indonesian government said it has been coordinating with India's CITES Management Authority, the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta and Indonesian scientific authorities. Also Read : Odisha STF Examines Past Orangutan Seizures To Trace Baleshwar Smuggling Link Indonesia has also contacted conservation organisations experienced in orangutan rescue and rehabilitation and said they are prepared to assist if the animals are eventually returned. For now, however, the immediate focus remains on the animals' health and establishing exactly where they came from. If repatriated, the ministry said the orangutans would undergo health checks, quarantine, genetic identification and behavioural assessments before entering rehabilitation and, if suitable, potentially being released into their natural habitat.

New Delhi, Sep 11 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday remembered spiritual leader and reformer Swami Vivekananda on the anniversary of his historic address in Chicago on September 11, 1893, saying his inspiring words continue to resonate across the world. PM Modi took to social media 'X' and said, "11th September 1893, Chicago. Swami Vivekananda’s captivating address offered a glimpse of the civilisational ethos of India. His inspiring words still reverberate across the world." The Prime Minister also shared a publication by Belur Math containing the text of Swami Vivekananda’s historic address. 11th September 1893, Chicago. Swami Vivekananda’s captivating address offered a glimpse of the civilisational ethos of India. His inspiring words still reverberate across the world. https://t.co/1iz7OgT5Ab — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 11, 2026 Swami Vivekananda delivered his famous 'Response to Welcome' speech on September 11, 1893, at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. “Sisters and Brothers of America, it fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us. I thank you in the name of the most ancient order of monks in the world; I thank you in the name of the mother of religions; and I thank you in the name of the millions and millions of Hindu people of all classes and sects, ” Vivekananda said. Vivekananda had said that he was proud to belong to a religion that taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. "My thanks, also, to some of the speakers on this platform who, referring to the delegates from the Orient, have told you that these men from far-off nations may well claim the honour of bearing to different lands the idea of toleration. I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation which has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations of the earth," he said. Vivekananda further said, "I am proud to tell you that we have gathered in our bosom the purest remnant of the Israelites, who came to southern India and took refuge with us in the very year in which their holy temple was shattered to pieces by Roman tyranny. I am proud to belong to the religion which has sheltered and is still fostering the remnant of the grand Zoroastrian nation,” Vivekananda said. He also quoted a hymn that he remembered from his childhood: “As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee.” Referring to the gathering in Chicago, Vivekananda had said the convention itself represented the spirit of universal acceptance and echoed the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. “The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world, of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: ‘Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to Me.’ Also Read : Kaliyadalana Ekadashi: Know Its Significance In Jagannath Tradition Vivekananda criticised sectarianism, bigotry and fanaticism, which he said had caused violence, bloodshed, destruction of civilisations and despair among nations. He concluded by expressing hope that the convention would mark the beginning of the end of fanaticism, persecution and hostility between people following different paths. In his historic address, Swami Vivekananda had expressed hope that the bell marking the opening of the convention would signal the end of fanaticism, persecution and hostility among people following different paths towards the same goal. “I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal,” he had said. (IANS)