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[gregory nahas <lettherebemonkeys AT yahoo.com>]

Monkey troop rescue their orphan from police station 

Monkeys rescued an orphaned member of their troop from
an Indian police station after its mother was shot
dead.

The female langur was feeding on a tree when an
orchard owner brought her down with an airgun in
Murshidabad.

The man was arrested by police for shooting a
protected species, but the baby wouldn't let go of its
dead mother.

Police took the body to their station, where the baby
continued to suckle its mother.

Officers allowed it to stay the night, but around 30
monkeys laid siege to the station - gathering outside
and on the roof.

Officers were surprised when some monkeys managed to
sneak into the station and quietly take the baby away
with them.

Inspector Prabir Dutta told newspaper Pragati: "What
we saw was absolutely touching. It was as if the
monkeys had made up their minds to take charge of the
orphan. One of the females in the group held it close
to its chest and even offered its teats to be sucked.

"The monkeys behaved in an exemplary fashion and
impressed us with their show of solidarity. Human
beings have a lot to learn from them."

Later hundreds of local people carried the body of the
monkey in a procession, chanting the name of Hindu
monkey god Hanuman, before burying it on the banks of
a river.

The orchard owner Syed Raza, who was released on bail,
said: "I feel terrible. I had no intention of killing
the monkey. I was just trying to scare it away from
the trees and the gun went off."

Story filed: 10:25 Thursday 25th July 2002
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_636617?menu=news.quirkies



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