Injured monkey takes shelter in Rashtrapati Bhawan, rescued

New Delhi: A badly injured wild monkey sneaked into the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Saturday and took shelter in one of the meeting halls, surprising the presidential staff.

The monkey, of the rhesus macaque species, was later rescued and put under medical observation.

The Rashtrapati Bhawan staff spotted the frightened monkey and called the Wildlife SOS.

The Wildlife SOS, which rescued the monkey, said the macaque had received severe injuries on its shoulders which had become infested with maggots.

"The injured animal is likely to be a victim of human-animal conflict and it took shelter in a place where it found safety," said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS.

A two-member team of animal rescuers handled the monkey with care, ensuring that the already distressed monkey did not undergo further stress.

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It is now under observation and will be released into its natural habitat when its health improves.

"We thank the staff of the President's house for alerting (us)," said a statement from Wildlife SOS.

According to Satyanarayan, human-primate conflict, often termed as "monkey menace", was on the rise because of the fragmentation and disappearance of the original habitat that these animals were dependent on.

Currently, Wildlife SOS is seeking legal permissions to go ahead with its plan for first-ever scientific sterelization and marking of the rhesus macaque in Delhi.

"Cities generate enough garbage which provides feeding grounds for rhesus macaques," said Satyanarayan.

IANS