BACHOK: Police have arrested a monkey trainer and his friend for acting cruelly towards a macaque seen in a recently viral video, which sparked public outrage among animal lovers.
Bachok district police chief Superintendent Mohamad Ismail Jamaluddin said the two men were detained at the district police headquarters at 10pm last night after giving their statements.
“Police arrested the two, aged 24 and 28, shortly after they came to the station to have their statements recorded.
“The trainer and his friend, who is self-employed, have been remanded for four days beginning today to assist investigations,” he said.
The footage showed the monkey chained, slapped several times, and struck, causing the animal pain.
The Stray Animal Foundation of Malaysia (SAFM) had urged the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) to investigate the incident.
Ismail said the case is being investigated under Section 44(1)(a) of the Animal Act 1953 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“Police also seized a mobile phone and a male macaque,” he added.
Ismail said the monkey has been handed over to the Veterinary Services Department for examination.
It was reported yesterday that an animal rights group has called on authorities to take action against someone seen in a viral video abusing a monkey in Kelantan.
The Kelantan Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) said it will investigate the case.
Macaques are sometimes trained to climb tall coconut trees to harvest coconuts.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
