Monkey hanged to death in Khammam, Telangana; Video sparks furore on social media

Hyderabad: Close on the heels of a Kerala incident in which an elephant died after eating a cracker stuffed fruit, a video showing extreme brutality has come to light in Telangana.

The video of animal torture shows a monkey being hanged to death from a tree by three people. They reportedly did that to scare away other monkeys in Khammam district of Telangana, according to forest department officials.

"The perpetrators, who admitted their guilt, are being booked under the Wildlife Protection Act," Sathupalli Forest Range Officer A Venkateswarlu said.

The tragedy occured on June 26 in Vemsoor village. The video of the monkey being hanged using a rope has gone viral and created a social media furore. The video now being widely circulated on the internet has prompted officials to probe the incident."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 said to have become rampant in Sathupalli and nearby areas giving locals sleepless nights.

The official said as per a Telangana government directive, 30 per cent of the area in Sathupalli forest range during afforestation will have edible wild fruit species to enhance the food base of monkeys and other wild animals so that when they are rehabilitated, there will be sufficient food available.