New Delhi - About 241 rhesus monkeys, who have lived in 10 overcrowded cages on the outskirts of New Delhi for more than seven months, are to be freed in a forest, it was reported on Wednesday.
An estimated 10Â 000 rhesus monkeys, forced into urban areas because of loss of habitat, food and water, made the national capital their home. Efforts to catch and relocate them were speeded up in 2003 after the Supreme Court ordered civic authorities to fix the city's monkey problem.
Neighbouring states refused to accept them since they hadn't been checked for diseases. Urban monkeys frequently suffer from highly-communicable diseases like tuberculosis. The animals ended up in cages, with two caretakers hired to feed them.
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New Delhi officials claim the animals were checked in December 2003 - most suffered from skin infections and bleeding because of frequent fights inside the cramped cages, the Indian Express newspaper reported.
The Supreme Court has ordered the monkeys to be freed in their natural habitat, and they will soon be sent to a forest in central Madhya Pradesh state.
Experts say this may not necessarily be the best option for the animals. They say most of the monkeys have become used to living with people, and may not survive in the wild. They will likely search out areas populated by human beings, according to the experts. - Sapa-dpa
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