Monkey business: Raju’s day out

Zoo officials recover missing monkey with help from his mate.

BAHAWALPUR: A monkey named ‘Raju’ fled from the Bahawalpur Zoo on Saturday evening.

According to the zoo officials, Raju fled from the zoo while his cage was being cleaned.

“We sent a search party after him immediately but he ran out of the zoo and it was really hard to keep track of him,” said zoo worker Mubashir.

A Rescue 1122 team was also called in to help recover the monkey but officials failed to catch Raju.

“He was loose in the streets yesterday but someone called us this morning to say he was spotted near  Bindra Pully,” Rescue 1122 worker Faraz Haider said.

Iqbal, who has been working at the zoo for nearly 20 years told The Express Tribune, that with special permission of the authorities the zoo also released another female monkey in hopes that she would help them locate Raju.

“The other monkey helped us find Raju and when he followed her back we shot him with an anesthesia bullet,” Iqbal said. Zoo officials said that it had taken them over a day to locate the monkey and return him to his cage.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2011.