Chennai, Nov 14 (IANS): The Madras High Court has refused to grant custody of a partially paralysed infant monkey to a veterinarian who had been caring for it over the past ten months.

A bench of Justice C.V. Karthikeyan rejected the petition by veterinarian V. Valliappan, stating that the monkey is considered government property and therefore cannot be exclusively owned by the petitioner.

Justice Karthikeyan had previously permitted Valliappan to visit the monkey at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, where it is currently housed.

Valliappan, accompanied by his daughter and his advocate, visited the monkey at the zoo on November 9. Speaking to the media afterwards, he noted that although the monkey appeared excited to see and hear him, zoo authorities did not permit him to touch the animal.

While granting permission to the veterinarian to visit the infant monkey, the judge had indicated that a decision regarding the veterinarian’s plea for interim custody would be made after receiving reports on the interaction between Valliappan and the monkey.

He further told Special Government Pleader T. Srinivasan that cases involving human-animal bonds should be handled with sensitivity.

Valliappan’s counsel, Advocate R. Sankarasubbu, informed the court that his client had been caring for the monkey from December 4, 2023, to October 26 this year, after it sustained injuries from dog bites.

At this, Justice Karthikeyan expressed an interest in determining whether the monkey could recognise Valliappan, as it had been two weeks since their separation. He also directed the government counsel to submit relevant regulations concerning the interim custody of animals by individual caretakers.

In his affidavit, Valliappan claimed that he encountered the injured monkey at a dog sterilisation camp in Sholingur Municipality, Ranipet district. After discovering that the monkey had multiple dog bites and was paralysed below the waist, he took it under his care, providing medical treatment and nutrition.

Although the monkey has shown significant recovery, it remains unable to function independently, Valliappan said. He also alleged that the Forest Department officials removed the monkey from his care last month and transferred it to the zoo without adequately considering its welfare.