Chandigarh, September 12, 2020 (Kulbir Singh Kalsi)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India is offering a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to the discovery of a missing rhesus macaque – a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972 – who was reportedly illegally held captive for over a year by tattoo artist Kamaljit Singh (alias Kamz Inkzone) and his studio manager, Deepak Vohra.
After receiving complaints from concerned members of the public about photos and videos of the monkey posted on social media by Singh, PETA India worked with the Chandigarh forest department to file a Preliminary Offence Report under Section 9 of the WPA, read with Sections 2(16)(b), 39, and 51, against the two men, who were arrested last month but have since been released on bail. One video uploaded by the tattoo artist shows the monkey being offered what is believed to be wine. The monkey’s current location is unknown.
Anyone with information about the monkey’s whereabouts should call PETA India’s emergency helpline on +91 9820122602 or e-mail [email protected].
“Smart, social monkeys need to be with their friends and families in nature, not held captive by cruel people and exploited on social media,” says PETA India Emergency Response Coordinator Garima Ozas. “PETA India urges anyone who knows something about what happened to this monkey to come forward immediately before the animal suffers any longer.”
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – points out that wild animals belong in their natural habitats and that exploiting them for profit or keeping them in captivity as “pets” is both morally wrong and punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of at least Rs 10,000 under the WPA, 1972.
Monkeys are trained to perform tricks through beatings and food deprivation. Their teeth are often pulled out so that they can’t defend themselves. In 1998, the central government issued a notification under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, stating that monkeys and several other species of wild animals aren’t to be exhibited or trained as performing animals.
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