Three performing monkeys rescued

Islamabad : The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has rescued three monkeys from I-8 sectors that were illegally being used for commercial purposes.

According to the details, the IWMB received complaints from the local people about presence of some persons who were using monkeys as ‘street performers’ for financial gains.

It is pertinent to mention here that despite clear directives from the wildlife departments the inhumane practice of dancing monkeys is still prevalent in Islamabad and other cities of the country.

After receiving complaints the IWMB sent its teams that recovered three monkeys and brought them to the temporary conservation centre set up in the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). A team of experts is also currently evaluating their health condition. Though the IWMB and the wildlife departments have been making serious efforts to curb the use of monkeys for commercial purposes but the laws are still not strict enough to give punishments to the culprits.

The dancing monkeys, which are used for begging, are often treated horribly. The abuse that the monkeys undergo to learn the tricks is cruel. They are kept hung by the neck for hours, with their hind feet barely touching the ground, so that they would learn how to walk upright. Their teeth are also taken out so that they cannot bite. The rescued monkeys will stay with other animals and birds at the conservation centre and will be released in the open after their proper rehabilitation.

An official informed that the monkeys are quite traumatized and no longer able to defend themselves against predators or other monkeys, so we cannot release them in a forest. The IWMB chairperson through her twitter handle also shared the news about the rescue of three monkeys from the I-8 sector of the federal capital.