This isn’t a zoo escape. It’s suspected wildlife smuggling. And the price tag? ₹20–25 lakh per baby ape on the black market. They were rescued from Balasore, near the West Bengal border; a soft spot for smugglers. Authorities think they were flown, shipped, or even smuggled by train. Now, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau is scanning airport, port, and railway CCTV to trace their path. The animals are now under care at Nandankanan Zoo. Wildlife officers say they’re healthy, eating well, and surprisingly calm around humans. But that calm hides a darker truth; someone spent serious money to bring them here illegally. Why does this matter for you? Because if orangutans can slip into India unnoticed, what else can? This isn’t just about animals; it’s about broken borders, blind spots in security, and the terrifying scale of illegal wildlife trade. The real question isn’t “How did they get here?”; it’s “Who allowed it to happen?”