Monkeys to be put on the pill in India

India is planning to put its rising population of primates on the pill to tackle the growing "monkey menace" in its towns and cities, government wildlife officials have confirmed.

Vasectomies and sterilisation programmes are also being developed as part of a broader plan to curb the chaos being caused by troupes of marauding monkeys as urban India expands into their traditional forests.

Thousands of red-bottomed Rhesus Macaques or Bhandar monkeys are the scourge of New Delhi, where they roam through government buildings, chew Internet cables, bite the unwary carrying food and steal from people's homes.

Indian officials are exploring ways to administer the contraceptives and the likely impact of the drugs on primate behaviour before pressing ahead. One official said a mixed approach is likely to be adopted in Uttarakhand, in the Himalayan foothills where thousands of monkeys patrol the main roads and terrorise people in the hill towns.

Monkeys that can be caught will be sterilised while oral contraceptives will be put in food left for those primates that remain at large.

Source: The Telegraph

Model who believes 'it's every little girl's dream to have a pet monkey,' claims hers died of depression after kidnapping ordeal

A first world trauma-drama from Ireland:

'My monkey Alvin died from depression after he was stolen'

Owner Jennifer Murphy, who models in Dublin, said that Alvin was so devastated after the ordeal, in which he was put in a small cage in the boot of a car for several hours and transferred to several garda stations, that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result.
Dubliner Paul Murtagh was charged with the possession of the stolen monkey and sentenced to 80 hours of community service at court yesterday.
He died one month after, got really depressed," she told Independent.ie"He definitely had a version of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Murphys paid €1,800 for Alvin, a South American Marmoset nearly three years ago as well as spending a considerable sum on his maintenace and upkeep.
"I've wanted a monkey since I was a child. I think it's every little girl's dream to have a pet monkey, so when my husband bought me one, I was thrilled.
"Alvin was very playful. He would jump on your shoulder, climb down the sleeve and play with you.
"He had his own aviary, but slept inside at night."

Sad. On more than one level.