Delhi: Chained Rhesus Macaque Rescued by Delhi Forest Department, Following PETA India Complaint
For Immediate Release:
19 December 2025
Contact:
Meet Ashar; [email protected]
Anushka Yadav; [email protected]
Delhi—Following a complaint from a resident of Parampuri about a rhesus macaque illegally held captive and cruelly chained and confined in a flat, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) worked with the Delhi Forest Department to rescue the primate.
Videos of the illegal confinement and the release of the monkey are available upon request.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of India (MOEFCC), in its letter bearing F. No. WL-8/91/2024-WL, dated 09 September 2024, clarified that rhesus macaques are protected under Appendix II of Schedule IV of the Wild Life Protection Act (WPA), 1972. And as per Section 49M of the WPA, 1972, every person possessing a living specimen of an animal species listed in Schedule IV is required to report the details of such animal in his possession to the Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW).
To ensure implementation of Section 49M, the MOEFCC notified the Living Animal Species (Reporting and Registration) Rules, 2024, vide Gazette Notification dated 28 February 2024. As per the Rules every person who is in possession of any living specimen of species listed in Schedule IV of the WPA, 1972, is required to report the details of such animals and submit an application for registration electronically through the PARIVESH 2.0 portal to the CWLW of the concerned state, within a period of six months from the issue of Gazette Notification and or within thirty days of possession of such animal species.
Thus, keeping rhesus macaques in captivity without Parivesh portal registration is a punishable offence that may lead to imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh, or both.
“PETA India is thankful to the Delhi Forest Department, particularly Shri Vipul Pandey, IFS, Deputy Conservator of Forest, West Delhi, for their swift action in rescuing and releasing the illegally confined monkey,” says PETA India’s Senior Cruelty Response Coordinator, Sinchana Subramnayan. “We urge compassionate citizens to stay vigilant and report any instances of cruelty to wildlife or other animals to the forest department or the police.”
In addition to being revered in Hinduism, rhesus macaques play an important role in local ecosystems by dispersing seeds, which is largely due to their predominantly fruit-based diet, and their absence can be detrimental to forests.
To report cruelty to animals or emergencies involving them, please call PETA India on (0) 98201 22602.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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