Missing squirrel monkeys rescued
The Hindu
The two simians had gone missing from the Vandalur zoo on February 8
The Arignar Anna Zoological park said on Sunday that two squirrel monkeys that went missing on February 8 were rescued by the police. The animals are back at the zoo. The squirrel monkeys were stolen from their enclosures by a pet trader in collusion with a temporary zoo worker.
The squirrel monkeys had been given to the zoo by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence in July 2020 and were housed at the park ever since. However, on February 8, the Forest Range Officer II at the zoo reported that the night patrolling party noticed early in the morning that the chain link fencing of the squirrel monkey enclosure had been cut open. The two simians housed at the enclosure were missing.
A complaint was lodged at the Otteri police station by the Forest Range Officer. A team headed by the Deputy Superintendent of Police there visited the zoo on February 9 and initiated an investigation. The Director of the Arignar Anna Zoological Park too initiated an internal investigation and checked CCTV footage for leads.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.