Chennai, Nov 6 (IANS) The Madras High Court on Wednesday granted permission to Coimbatore-based veterinary surgeon, V. Valliappan, to meet an infant monkey he rescued and cared for over ten months after it sustained injuries from a stray dog attack.
This directive was issued as part of an interim order on a writ petition filed by Valliappan earlier this week.
A single-judge bench of Justice C.V. Karthikeyan directed Valliappan to visit the Arihant Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur, Chennai, on Saturday and submit a report on the interaction.
The bench also instructed Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials to observe the interaction between Valliappan and the baby monkey and submit a report by November 14.
A decision regarding Valliappan’s plea for interim custody of the monkey will be made after the reports are reviewed.
Addressing Special Government Pleader T. Srinivasan, Justice Karthikeyan emphasised that cases involving human-animal bonds require sensitive handling. The judge expressed an interest in knowing whether the monkey would still recognise Valliappan, as it had been two weeks since their separation.
This comment was in response to the petitioner’s lawyer, R. Sankarasubbu, who argued that Valliappan had looked after the monkey from December 4, 2023, to October 26, 2024.
Justice Karthikeyan also requested that the government pleader provide the court with relevant rules and regulations concerning the granting of interim custody of animals to individual caretakers.
In his affidavit, Valliappan recounted how he first encountered the injured infant monkey during a dog sterilisation camp in Sholingur Municipality of Ranipet district.
The monkey had multiple dog bite injuries and was partially paralysed below the hip. Since then, he provided extensive treatment and nourishment, but the animal was taken from him on October 26 and transferred to the zoological park.
Valliappan, who initially requested interim custody of the monkey on October 28, stated that the animal still requires additional care to achieve full independence. He argued that, while the monkey might eat out of hunger, it may not be able to ensure adequate nourishment on its own.
Citing the bond he developed with the animal over months of caregiving, he expressed concern that it could fall ill again without his supervision. The veterinarian assured the court he would submit regular updates on the monkey’s health if granted temporary custody and would allow Forest Department inspections as necessary.
Valliappan is affiliated with Prani Mithran, an animal welfare organisation based in Madurai that offers free veterinary services throughout Tamil Nadu.
–IANS
aal/vd
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
