Madras High Court calls for postmortem report of female baby monkey Muthalali

It had survived for 10 long months under the personal care of a veterinarian but died within 27 days after the forest officials took custody of it

The Madras High Court on Friday called for the postmortem report of female baby monkey Muthalali which was taken care of by a Coimbatore based veterinarian for 10 long months, since it suffered dog bites in December 2023, but died within 27 days after the forest officials took custody of the primate on October 24 this year.

Justice C.V. Karthikeyan directed Special Government Pleader (Forests) T. Seenivasan to place the postmortem report before the court on November 28. The judge made it clear that a copy of the autopsy report could also be shared with the veterinary surgeon V. Vallaiappan’s counsel R. Sankarasubbu and K. Kesavan.

The orders were passed after Mr. Sankarasubbu made a mention before the judge about the bonnet macaque (Macacaradiata) having died at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP) hospital at Vandalur in Chennai on November 20 despite a rosy picture painted about its health condition to the court on November 14.

The lawyer said, his client had taken personal care of the monkey, suffering from hind leg paralysis, ever since it was just a month old in December last. He had rushed to the court by way of a writ petition last month after the forest officials forcibly took it away from him citing the provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

On November 14, the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Director of AAZP Ashish Kumar Srivastava got the veterinarian’s writ petition, seeking interim custody of the monkey, dismissed by filing a status report wherein it was claimed that the monkey was feeding well and put on around 100 grams of weight.

“Special diets including fruits, nuts etc is being given twice daily. Physiotherapy by dry warm formentation and passive range of motion exercise being carried out twice daily. Proper bedding is also provided inside the cell for its comfort,” the Additional PCCF said and stated that a committee of experts was providing best possible care.

Mr. Srivastava also told the court that “it is more than 15 days since the monkey came to the zoo hospital, now it has socialized with the animal keepers and hospital staff without any fear, distress or anxiety. It is responding to the staff, moves actively around treatment cell and ofen climbs the cell using its forelimbs.”

The officer had further stated: “It is also cooperating when it is physically handled by the staff for treatment, dressing and changing the diaper. It is displaying its natural behaviours like grooming, climbing the treatment cell, making sounds and facial expressions to communicate with the staff. It is now comfortably settled in the new environment.”

After reading out the contents of the status report, Mr. Sankarasubbu wondered how the juvenile monkey that was so physically active on November 14, when the veterinarian’s writ petition for interim custody was dismissed by the court on the ground that the wild animal was a government property, could suddenly die on November 20 by developing unforeseen complications.

The lawyer said, the veterinarian had taken care of the animal at his home for 10 months that too from its tender age, without it suffering any kind of infection. “On the contrary, the State could not keep the animal alive for more than 27 days even in the so called state of the art veterinary hospital at Vandalur zoo,” he lamented.

Published - November 23, 2024 12:45 am IST