In yet another instance of cruelty towards animals, a monkey was hanged to death from a tree in Telangana’s Khammam district. In a video that is going viral on social media, the monkey could be seen battling for life while onlookers with sticks are heard cheering. Three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place at Ammapalem village in Vemsuru mandal Friday. According to officials, the villagers were under the impression that the monkey was dead before they hung it from the tree. They also said the village had been facing monkey menace. On Friday, as a troop of monkeys raided the teak plantation in the area, the main accused, Sadhu Venkateshwara Rao, and two others tried to chase them away with sticks. Reportedly, one of the monkeys fell down and became unconscious. The FRO said the villagers apparently thought the monkey had died and decided to hang it from a tree to scare other monkeys so that they stop raiding the village. The monkey, however, regained consciousness and the accused filmed the animal as it struggled to breathe. They then shared the video on local WhatsApp groups. As the video was shared widely in local Whatsapp groups, it also came to the notice of forest officials who visited the plantation and investigated the matter. They recovered the monkey’s carcass from a nearby field on Sunday. “From what they have stated, it does not look like a deliberate act of cruelty towards animals. No one would hang a monkey to death. But it is still an offence and the three have been booked under section 9 of the Wildlife Protection Act for hunting a wild animal,” the FRO told indianexpress.com. The FRO said the three accused were arrested Monday and released on station bail on the court’s advice. The forest department has filed a POR (preliminary offence report) and recorded the statements of the accused.
