HYDERABAD: The video of a young man brutally thrashing a langur with a wooden stick went viral on Facebook and WhatsApp, putting the forest department on an alert mode. Social media continues to highlight animal cruelty.
The man is seen hitting the animal mercilessly as it is lying on the ground and asking it to ‘not whimper in pain’.
He continues torturing the animal by tying it to a tree branch and hitting it further.
The video was shot by another young boy who is seen encouraging the violence.
“We were unable to trace the video back to Telangana. So it hasn’t happened here. However, it was a very disturbing video and we urge citizens to alert us if they ever come across such a video or situation. Most of the audible parts in the video were spoken in Hindi which is how we were able to ascertain that it did not happen here,” said a forest official.
The man was also seen hitting the animal with a belt after it was tied to the tree.
Preliminary inquiry by the ministry of forest and environment made officials zero down to a location in Maharashtra.
The animal did not attempt to move as it was being hit, which forest officials said could be because the animal was injured grievously and could not escape.
OSD wildlife A. Shankaran said, “Such an act is punishable with imprisonment up to three years and a fine of '25,000. This is cruelty on the animal. not even ‘hunting’.
“Even hurting an animal grievously is a crime. As citizens, we should always report such cases. Even if we have a clue or inkling about the incident, it should be shared with the authorities to trace the location.”
This is the second case of animal cruelty to have been shared widely on social networks after an incident where three puppies were burnt alive in Wazir graveyard at Pathan Basthi in Musheerabad in 2016.
The puppies were seen struggling to come out of the fire set by a group of five boys using sticks and jute bags.
The pups’ attempt was unsuccessful as the boys waited till they were burnt completely.
“It is deeply sad that animal cruelty continues to happen despite repeated warnings. Anyone filming this act is also showing his sadistic side, though it at least brings these atrocities to light.
“This year, a woman in Madhapur was also booked for mercilessly beating a dog after she was caught on film in the act,” said Surender Reddy, an animal rescuer.
The culprits were tracked down and three people were arrested in Washim dictrict, Maharashtra on Monday evening.
