The heartbreaking truth? Their mothers may have been killed to get them. This isn’t random; it’s part of a dangerous gap in India’s wildlife laws. No legal framework exists to stop private ownership of great apes. In 2024, one orangutan was found in a Mumbai flat. Now, five more. Where are they coming from? And who’s buying them? Experts say this trade thrives because the law doesn’t see great apes as unsuitable for captivity. Until that changes, more babies will be stolen; and more mothers will die silently. This isn’t just conservation. It’s a call for legal reform; before the next rescue becomes another tragedy.