A Russian man has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle a drugged baby orangutan out of Bali airport in his hand luggage.

Key points: Andrei Zhestkov was stopped by Bali airport security, who noticed something suspicious while scanning his suitcase

Andrei Zhestkov was stopped by Bali airport security, who noticed something suspicious while scanning his suitcase He claimed he had bought the critically endangered orangutan for $4,200 and was trying to take it to Russia as a pet

He claimed he had bought the critically endangered orangutan for $4,200 and was trying to take it to Russia as a pet Two Tokay geckos and four chameleons, alongside syringes and sedation drugs, were also found by authorities

Andrei Zhestkov, 27, was stopped by Bali airport security, who noticed something suspicious while scanning his suitcase.

They searched his bag and found the two-year-old sedated orangutan in a wooden basket, which had been wrapped in clothing.

Mr Zhestkov claimed he had bought the orangutan for $4,200 and was trying to take it back to Russia as a pet, according to a spokesman from Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

However, airport officials also found other animals in his luggage, including two tokay geckos and four chameleons.

They also confiscated a number of syringes and sedation drugs.

The orangutan was found sedated in a wooden basket. ( Supplied )

Mr Zhestkov could face time in prison and thousands of dollars in fines.

Orangutans, among the most intelligent primates, are considered to be critically endangered.

Their numbers in the wild continue to plummet due to habitat destruction, the illegal pet trade and poachers.

Last week, an orangutan mother was found in a critical conditions on Indonesia's Sumatra island, after being shot with 74 air gun pellets, including in both eyes.

Her month-old baby, which was severely malnourished when it was found, didn't survive.

Earlier this month, an Indonesian court dismissed a lawsuit aimed at stopping the construction of a hydro-electric dam, which is being built by a Chinese consortium in the heart of a Sumatran rainforest, home to the world's most endangered species of orangutan.

The Tapanuli orangutan, which were only discovered in the Batang Toru rainforest in 2017, are believed to number just 800.