Binny, the only orangutan in India, died late on Wednesday after suffering from respiratory problems. She was kept at the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The 41-year-old orangutan was first brought to the zoo from Pune's Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park in 2003. She was sourced from Singapore.
Along with the respiratory complications, Binny also had a massive wound on her abdomen which refused to heal since she kept scratching it. "Since the last three days, she was suffering from cold and old age related respiratory tract issues. Accordingly, treatment was going on," sources said.
Binny was also going in and out of the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry OUAT for medical treatment. She was declared dead at 9.40 pm on Wednesday.
"Binny was already old. Every effort was made to cure the infection, including a teleconference with veterinarians from outside the country," an official at the Central Zoo Authority was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
Orangutans are three of the world's extant species to apes and are native to Malaysia and Indonesia. They can live up to 45 years and Binny was already 41 years old.
"The condition of orangutans in their distribution area, Borneo and Sumatra, is precarious. Society at large must take the message not to use palm oil whose commercial production is destroying their habitat. In fact, orangutans give us a direct example of deforestation affecting wildlife. Orangutans are not migratory animals and stay rooted in their area. So they suffer more," said Dr NVK Ashraf of Wildlife Trust of India Director.
