Monkey hanged to death in Khammam, video sparks outrage on social media

Hyderabad: Forest officials arrested three people on 29 June for torturing a monkey and hanging it to death in Sathupalli village in Khammam district. The incident, which took place on 26 June, came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media.

The three accused own a teak plantation and were vexed by the monkey menace. “A group of monkeys had entered their farmland. One of the accused, Venkateshwar Rao, threw a stick at the animals to scare them off which knocked down one of the monkeys,” said Sathupalli forest range officer A. Venkateshwarlu.

In the video, the animal can be seen being hanged from a rope and tortured before its death. “The video, that had been shot by the accused themselves, brought the incident to light. We found the carcass of the monkey in a decomposed state. All three have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and have been released on bail,” said the forest officer.

The officials said that according to the Telangana government’s directive, 30 per cent of the Sathupalli forest area will have wild fruit species which will provide food for the monkeys and other wildlife so that such conflicts can be avoided.