The Tapanuli orangutan is so rare that most people had never heard of it until 2017, when scientists named it a separate species. Today about 716 are left in the wild, all in one forest in North Sumatra, Indonesia. One of them now appears on the animal list of Vantara, the Reliance-backed wildlife centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
That one entry has raised a simple question in Indonesia: how did it get there?
What the records show
- Vantara’s 2024-25 inventory lists one Tapanuli orangutan, as reported by the Associated Press.
- Trade data under CITES, the global treaty on wildlife trade, shows the animal left Indonesia for the UAE and then came to India. AP puts the export in 2024. An earlier AFP report put it in 2023.
- The records describe it as “captive-bred”.
Why experts doubt the paperwork
Trade in wild orangutans is banned. Captive-bred animals can be traded with permits. That is why the “captive-bred” label matters.
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Panut Hadisiswoyo of the Orangutan Information Centre told AFP that there are no captive breeding programmes for orangutans in Indonesia. Another expert told AP plainly: “That can’t happen legally.”
What Indonesia has said
Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry has said it is taking the reports seriously. It cannot yet confirm the animal’s species, origin or route to India. To check, it needs permits, transfer records and scientific tests.
Separately, Indonesia is working to bring back five baby orangutans that were found in Odisha in September 2026.
What Vantara has said
Vantara told AP the animal was legally imported, but said its “prior chain of custody remained to be clarified with the United Arab Emirates”.
It is worth noting that in 2025 the Supreme Court cleared Vantara of allegations of wildlife trafficking and mistreatment of animals. In September 2026, 27 animal welfare groups wrote to Vantara asking it to stop importing wild animals, saying it had acquired more than 60,000 animals.
The bigger picture
According to CITES data cited by AP, India imported 41 orangutans between 2021 and 2024. Vantara today houses more than 150,000 animals from over 2,000 species on about 3,500 acres. Its supporters see it as one of the world’s biggest rescue and care centres. Critics want more openness about where the animals come from.
For now, the question stays open until Indonesia gets the documents and test results it has asked for.
FAQs
What is a Tapanuli orangutan?
It is a great ape species found only in the Batang Toru forest of North Sumatra, Indonesia. It was named a separate species in 2017 and is the most endangered great ape, with about 716 left in the wild.
Is it legal to import an orangutan into India?
Orangutans are protected under CITES. Wild-caught animals cannot be traded commercially, but captive-bred animals can be moved with the right permits from both countries.
What has Vantara said?
Vantara says the orangutan was legally imported, and that its chain of custody before the UAE is still to be clarified with UAE authorities.
Was Vantara cleared by the Supreme Court?
Yes. In 2025 the Supreme Court cleared Vantara of allegations of wildlife trafficking and animal mistreatment.
Sources: Associated Press, AFP. Photo of Tapanuli orangutan: Tim Laman, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
