Monkey chained up for hours under Bandra skywalk with no food, water

In an instance of gross violation of laws preventing cruelty towards animals a monkey is being illegally tied up with a chain and left under the Bandra East skywalk to suffer in the scorching heatLast week Mulundbased NGO RAWW Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare received a call on their helpline from an animal lover who had seen the monkey frequently tied up under the skywalk in Bandra East and left unattended by its owner without food and waterWhen RAWW volunteers made the trip to the Bandra East skywalk again on Wednesday they found the monkey tied with a chainOn Monday RAWW volunteers reached the spot to verify the facts but did not find the monkey They made the trip again on Wednesday and found the monkey tied with a chainHungry thirsty and beggingWhen our team reached the Bandra East skywalk near the station we saw that the monkey was tied with a chain It hadnrsquot been given food and water and was sitting under the sun We tried to get details about the owner of the monkey but people who were present there told us that we should leave the spot immediately or we could fall into troublerdquo said Pawan Sharma founder of RAWWOn Friday afternoon midday visited the spot to see if the monkey was still there but couldnrsquot spot it A paan shop owner in the locality said ldquoWe donrsquot know about the owner of the monkey but frequently we see it tied with a chain under the skywalk Its owner takes the monkey to slum areas for beggingrdquoRAWW members said they have informed the Mumbai Police about the mistreatment but no action has been taken yetAll species of monkey are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 This Act declares that all Indian wildlife is government property and prohibits the capture and possession of monkeysldquoIrrespective of the ban on such activities it is unfortunate to see them being practised in a developed city like Mumbai We expect strict action to be taken by concerned departments against perpetrators of such violence to set the right example Because of negligence the animals sufferrdquo Sharma addedAuthorities sayThe island city and suburbs come under the jurisdiction of the Bombay Territorial Department a wing of the Thane Forest Department Thane FD Range Forest Officer RFO Anil Todarmal said ldquoI will instruct my staff to go and rescue the monkey tomorrow We will also take strict action against the owner as per the lawrdquoExpertspeakIn Mumbai many monkeys are forced to beg and perform This illegal practice can be only stopped if the forest department officials start taking strict action against the perpetrators of such cruelty Keeping the animal in this way without permission is a violation of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and the owner can also be booked under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act PCArdquomdash Krishna Tiwari Forest and Wildlife Conservation Centre FWCCThe rulebook saysAny animal protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 is not allowed as a pet and thus cannot be caught chained or tamed If any person is caught illegally keeping the banned animals the Forest Department has the power to confiscate the animal and arrest the owner Monkeys come under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 According to the forest department officials keeping a monkey as a pet is a violation of Section 22 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act PCAAs per the rules performing animals should be registered officially If they arenrsquot registered making them perform becomes a cognisable offence and the owner can be arrested on the spot