The trade or keeping of wild animals is illegal in Pakistan. But laws are routinely ignored and there is a lively market in exotic pets.
Monkeys are frequently kept by street entertainers to attract customers, and in some cases have been trained by criminals to enter houses to steal. The smugglers were each fined 100,000 rupees on Friday and the court ordered the monkeys to be handed over to Karachi Zoo—a step immediately criticized by wildlife officials.
Pakistan’s zoos are notorious for their poor facilities and activists accuse them of disregarding animal welfare. “The monkeys should have been returned to their natural habitat from where they were captured,” Mahar said. —AFPSubscribe to our daily newsletter
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more: