Karimnagar forest department fines man for caging Hanuman langur after PETA complaint India-Telangana Today

Gray langurs are protected under Schedule II of the WPA 1972, under which their capture, keeping in captivity as “pets” or forcing them to commit a crime is punishable by imprisonment for a term of up to three years, a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh or both.

Hyderabad: the gray langur, commonly known as Hanuman the langurwas rescued from a two-year imprisonment in a cage by the Karimnagar Forest Division following information provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) of India.

After being alerted about a gray langu caged for more than two years, PETA India warned Karimnagar The Forest Division of the Telangana Forest Department has to register a preliminary offense report against the accused. The primate was then rescued and rehabilitated and then released into the wild after following the necessary protocols, including a health check.

Gray langur are protected under Schedule II of the WPA 1972, under which their capture, keeping in captivity as “pets” or forcing them to commit an offense is punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, with a fine which may extend to Rs.1 lakh, or with both.

“PETA India is grateful to the Karimnagar Forest Department, especially Forest Officer Shoukat Hussain, for his prompt action in rescuing the captive langur and ensuring POR registration,” said Sinchana Subramanian, PETA’s India Cruelty Response Coordinator.

In forests, Hanuman langurs usually live in groups of dozens of individuals. They spend most of their time playing, grooming, and other social activities. Relatives are always wary of danger and quickly rush to protect their loved ones.

Monkeys kept in people’s homes as “pets” or made to dance are often chained or locked in cramped cages. When used for entertainment, they are usually trained through beatings and deprivation of food, and their teeth are usually pulled out so they cannot defend themselves.

In 1998, the central government issued a notification under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which said that monkeys and certain other wild animals cannot be exhibited or trained as performing animals.