NEWS

ACRES IN THE NEWS
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Today
20-21 May 2006

A bittersweet homecoming

SHE WAS found in a warehouse here two years ago, chained up to a pole in the outdoors, subjected to the elements of nature.

But yesterday, this female rhesus macaque called Asha (picture) finally embarked on her journey home to India, where she would be looked after by the Wildlife SOS Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in New Delhi.

Recalling how the illegally kept monkey, a non-native species of Indian origin, was rescued following a tip-off, Mr Louis Ng, Executive Director for the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) said: "When we first found Asha, she was chained up just outside the warehouse area. So it was in pretty horrible condition. There wasn't much shelter from the sun or the rain.

"She was also really fat, which means lack of exercise because they chained her up with quite a short leash."

As Singapore does not have a sanctuary for confiscated animals, Asha was cared for by the Singapore Zoological Gardens for the past 20 months after she was rescued, while letters and appeals flew back and forth to find her a permanent home.

Zoo officials estimate Asha to be about 15 years old, which would make her middle-aged.

Said Mr Ng: "Wildlife SOS will be doing the reintegration. They will introduce her to another rhesus macaque and see if she recognises and, maybe, they start to touch each other ...

"But it's a very long process because in the past few years she has never seen another monkey and it will take some time for her to recognise that this is actually her own kind."

Urging Singaporeans not to keep exotic animals as pets, he added: "It is illegal to keep monkeys as pets. It's illegal to keep snakes, iguanas, tarantulas — these are all against the law and now the penalty has actually been increased to $50,000 per animal, and or two years' jail."

Members of the public who know of anyone keeping such animals as pets can call the 24-hour Acres hotline at 9783 7782. — 938Live, Channel NewsAsia

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