In a recently concluded Nagaland Biodiversity Survey, team members Dipti Humraskar and Swapna Reddy found this injured stump-tailed macaque infant with a village girl (in a nepali settlement 15kms from Dzulekie). A boy, aged approximately 14 years, who caught the infant claimed that he saw a troupe of about 20 macaques near his house. He aimed at the troupe with his catapult. The infant somehow fell down or was mistakenly dropped by the mother while escaping and was captured by the kid. He then got the infant back to his house where his family intended to keep it as a pet. The macaque was injured and bleeding from his forehead and nose. It seemed petrified with the handling and the presence of so many people around. The team observed several such instances where Naga villagers scarcely knew that hunting wild animals (like macaques, leopard cats and slow loris) and/or keeping them as pets were illegal. The team has proposed setting up of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centres needs with modern facilities and experienced veterinarians to deal with rescued, orphaned or injured animals which can eventually be released back into the wild when considered fit to survive without human aide.
CI is a non-profit, non-commercial portal that aims to facilitate wildlife and nature conservation by providing reliable information and the tools needed to campaign effectively.
Chosen as 'Picture of the Week'
The team observed several such instances where Naga villagers scarcely knew that hunting wild animals (like macaques, leopard cats and slow loris) and/or keeping them as pets were illegal.