The Supreme Court in India has ordered wildlife authorities to catch around 300 monkeys that run free in New Dehli, often terrorizing residents, and move them to forests thousands of miles away.
The monkeys will be moved from the capital to the jungles of Madhya Pradesh, and that state's government will receive 2.5 million rupees (NT$1.8 million) from the federal government to cover the cost of their rehabilitation, Hindu reported.
Government buildings, temples and many residential neighborhoods of New Delhi are overrun by the monkeys. They scare passers-by, and sometimes bite or snatch food from unsuspecting visitors.
PHOTO: EPA
For years, state animal welfare agencies have tried to clear the capital of the monkeys, but India's Hindus believe that monkeys are the way the monkey god, Hanuman, appears on earth.
Many Hindus feed the monkeys nuts, bread and bananas, encouraging the animals to hang around parks, temples and other public places.
Many monkeys caught by animal handlers in the past have been left to live in cages while the government decides what to do with them. This has made animal rights activists accuse the government of cruelty and say the animals should be rehabilitated.
The Supreme Court ruling started with an application by an animal rights activist saying the animals would die if kept in cages for too long.
Six states in north India have in the past refused to take the New Delhi monkeys, saying they have enough already, the government's counsel told the court.
Court officials were not available to comment.(AP)
印度最高法院已下令野生動物主管單位追捕在新德里各處橫行,經常驚嚇居民的三百多隻猴子,並將之遷移至數千英里外的森林。
根據印度人日報指出,這批首都內的猴子將被移往中央省的叢林中,而省政府將獲得聯邦政府補助兩百五十萬盧比(新台幣一百八十萬元)的野放金。
猴子在新德里的政府建築物、寺廟以及許多住宅區橫行,不僅驚嚇路人,有時還會盯上沒有戒心的旅客,咬食或奪取他們的食物。
多年來省立動物福利機構一直試圖淨空首都的猴子,但是印度的印度教徒相信猴子是猴神哈奴曼顯世的模樣。
許多印度教徒餵猴子吃堅果、麵包和香蕉,鼓勵猴子留連於公園、寺廟和其他公共場所。
過去許多被動物管理員捕獲的猴子,在政府還沒決定如何處置前,會一直被關在籠子裡,許多動物權倡議人士指控政府這種不人道的做法,表示動物應該野放。
動物權倡議人士的申請書揭開了最高法院的判決程序,他們表示動物若被關在籠子太久會死亡。
政府律師告知法庭,印度北部六省過去一直拒收新德里的猴子,因為他們的猴子已經夠多了。
目前無法取得法院人員的評論。
(美聯社╱翻譯︰鄭湘儀)
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