Monkey Rescued From Bhosari Factory

PUNE: A tip-off by an informant from the office of People For Animals, New Delhi, on Friday afternoon helped rescue a monkey from a factory in
Bhosari, where it was kept in captivity.

Officials from the Animal Welfare
Board of India (AWBI) and forest department, Pune, rescued a Rhesus Macaque, one of the best known species of the Old World monkeys.

The informant had sent photographs of the animal, but as the pictures were not very clear the monkey's specie could not be ascertained. All information was then sent to the National Wildlife Crime Bureau, which appointed animal welfare officer Manoj Oswal of AWBI to visit the factory.

It was later confirmed that the monkey is a Rhesus Macaque, an animal protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

The AWBI and forest department at Bhamburda range raided the factory and found an adult male macaque, who had developed severe symptoms of zoochosis.

Zoochosis is a term used by animal rights activists in reference to the degrading effect of zoos on animals that have been kept in captivity over a long period of time. The problem is characterised by the animal swaying its head and pacing up and down in its enclosure incessantly in a trance-like state, indicating it may be suffering from boredom.

On seeing the team of officials, the animal's caretaker released the monkey, who was later successfully sedating and taken to the PCMC zoo.

The factory owner has gone missing after the incident.

The animal has been temporarily kept at the zoo's quarantine ward. The monkey has been given vaccine shots and medical check-ups are being conducted. It is still being determined whether the animal is fit to be released in the wild.

Speaking to TOI on Saturday, Oswal said, "Owners' ignorance has destroyed the animal psychologically. We have a challenging task ahead, that of deciding its future. Even if we wish to, we are not sure if we can ever release him in the wild."

Source