An Animal Rahat staffer spotted these female bonnet monkeys, who were being illegally tethered by chains. One was kept as a “pet” in front of a man’s house, and the other two were chained near a temple and forced to beg. One was a youngster—only 1½ years old—and the other two were over 20 years old. Who knows how many of those years they had spent in misery on a chain?
When we called local Forest Department officials (who have jurisdiction over captive wildlife issues), they refused to act, claiming the monkeys were just fine. It was risky to force the issue. Many Animal Rahat staff members live in the area. It would not have been safe for them to incur the wrath of local Forest Department officials or the monkeys’ owners. Fortunately, the Animal Rahat staffer who spotted the monkeys is also certified by the Animal Welfare Board of India as an Honorary Animal Welfare Officer. So it was with this title—as opposed to his position with Animal Rahat—that he identified himself when he presented photos of the monkeys to the local Forest Department office and insisted that they be confiscated.
A Forest Department official said that he would send two men to confiscate the monkeys. Unbeknownst to the two men, our staffer followed them and was angry—but not surprised—to see that the men simply went into a hotel lobby and sat there shooting the breeze. After 30 minutes, our staffer called their supervisor, who immediately collected the two men and then went to confiscate the two monkeys near the temple. Two down, one to go.
By the time they got to the third monkey, however, word had reached her owner. He had unchained her, shooed her away, and run away himself. Our staffer found the owner’s brother and explained the legal ramifications to him. The brother then called the owner, who returned, captured the monkey, and handed her over to the Forest Department officials.
It took cleverness and persistence, but mission accomplished! All three monkeys are now at a wildlife rehabilitation center where they will never be chained again.