(IN) Monkey business in Kalyan, Dombivli comes to an end

[Guest guest]

Checkout Today's Mumbai Mirror Page - 8, PAWS Story.

 

Regards,

Nilesh Bhanage

www.pawsasia.org <http://www.pawsasia.org/>

" Justice delayed is justice denied. "

 

Monkey business in Kalyan, Dombivli comes to an end

 

The simian, which had caused quite a ruckus in the area in the last few

months, was finally trapped by PAWS volunteers on Monday

 

 

By Yogesh Sadhwani

Posted On Wednesday, July 08, 2009 at 02:02:28 AM

 

 

PAWS activist Nilesh Bhange (red T-shirt) says the langur must have come

to the city in search of food

 

After a gruelling seven hours, the Dombivli fire department and the

Plants and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS), finally managed to trap a

monkey that had been wreaking havoc in the Kalyan-Dombivli area for the

last few months.

 

The simian, which had earlier been spotted in Kalyan, entered the

Pandurang Wadi, in Dombivli east on Sunday morning, and went on a

rampage there. The locals immediately informed the fire department,

which in turn sought help from PAWS.

 

However, though PAWS volunteers and fire personnel tried to trap the

monkey, they were unable to do so.

 

On Monday morning the monkey, which authorities say is on heat, entered

the Pandurang Vidyalaya. That was when PAWS volunteers and fire

department were able to lock the creature in one of the rooms inside the

school.

 

Over the next few hours they tried to trap him with the help of nets.

" The monkey was too aggressive to be trapped with the regular rescue

equipment. Finally, forest officers at the spot gave us the clearance to

tranquilise him, " said Manasi Bhanage of PAWS.

 

By 6 pm, the monkey had been tranquilised. It was only late in the

evening that it was taken to Parel's Bai Sakarbai Petit Hospital, where

it will undergo a few tests and later be released in its natural

habitat.

 

Nilesh Bhanage, founder of PAWS, said the monkey was a common langur,

which is found in the Karnala bird sanctuary. " It must have got onto a

truck and come to the urban settlement in search of food. It seems like

a langur which has been thrown out of its pack, " he said.

 

Now that the animal has been trapped, the main concern of rescuers is to

ensure that it survives captivity for the next few days. " Monkeys of

this breed do not eat in captivity. We hope that other langurs at the

hospital will keep the new one company. Once we have tested him for HIV

and tuberculosis, and ensured that he is free of the diseases which are

common in monkeys and bats, we will release him back into the Karnala

sanctuary, " Bhanage added.