Swinging both sides: Trespassing Indian monkey caught in Bahawalpur

Bobby, the monkey, has been moved to the local zoo.

BAHAWALPUR: In a bizarre turn of events, Monday saw the capture of a cross-border trespasser – a monkey, found wandering in Cholistan, all the way from India.

As soon as the monkey entered the Cholistan area of Bahawalpur district, locals tried to capture it but failed as the monkey dodged past them.

Local residents then informed the wildlife officials, who after some struggle, managed to capture the strayed monkey.

The monkey was later placed at the Bahawalpur zoo, said Mohammad Iqbal, who is now his caretaker. According to reports, the newest resident of the zoo has been named Bobby.

Iqbal told The Express Tribune that Bobby was a clever monkey, and it was the first of kind in the Bahawalpur zoo. He added that visitors were very happy to see him.

Iqbal said that Bobby, who is almost four years old, is in good health and is being fed fruits in his pen along with his Pakistani neighbour, Raju.

This is not the first case of such cross-border animal arrests. Last year, Indian police held a pigeon under armed guard after it was caught on an “alleged spying mission” for Pakistan.

The bird was found by a local resident in India’s Punjab state, which borders Pakistan, and was taken to a police station 40 kilometres from the capital Amritsar.

(Additional input by news desk)

Published in The Express Tribune, December 6^th, 2011.