A Meghalaya man was arrested after he had killed, burnt and consumed a rhesus macaque monkey, a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, in West Garo Hills district.
The People for Ethical Treatment of Animal (PETA) came to know about the incident after the suspect, Sengkud Sangma, had posted the photographs of the killed and burnt animal in the Facebook. The PETA immediately got in touch with the administration of West Garo Hills regarding the offence committed by the person, to file an FIR against him.
The Deputy Commissioner of (WGH) ordered the Superintendent of Police and the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of West Garo Hills District to form a joint team to investigate the matter and arrest Sangma.
The charge in the FIR – filed under Sections 9 and 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – is a non-bailable offence and is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine of at least Rs 10,000. Sangma was arrested on December 30 and will appear in court soon. After committing the alleged offence, he reportedly posted photographs of it on Facebook, which is where PETA India learned about it.
“We commend the Superintendent of Police, the Deputy Commissioner, and the Divisional Forest Officer of West Garo Hills District for sending out a strong message that such cruelty will not be tolerated,” says PETA India Lead Emergency Response Coordinator Meet Ashar. “This incident is exactly why laws exist to protect wild animals from being hunted or poached, and it’s imperative that humans heed these laws – for everyone’s sake.”