In a horrific case of animal brutality, villagers hanged a monkey to death from a tree in an attempt to scare away other monkeys in Khammam district of Telangana.
"The perpetrators, who admitted their guilt, are being booked under the Wildlife Protection Act," Deccan Chronicle quoted Sathupalli Forest Range Officer A Venkateswarlu as saying.
The video of the incident, which took place on June 26 in Vemsoor village, has gone viral, enraging the public.
"The accused wanted to scare other monkeys by hanging the one which was caught. We found the carcass in a decomposed state. The accused are being booked under the Wildlife Protection Act," said the forest official.
Monkey menace is rampant in Sathupalli and nearby areas. According to the official, a Telangana government directive states that during afforestation, 30 percent of the area in Sathupalli forest will have edible wild fruit species to enhance the food base of wild animals, including monkeys. Therefore, when they are rehabilitated, there will be sufficient food available.