Reform School for Rogue Monkeys

Officials in the Indian state of Punjab are putting an end to all monkey business -- literally. The government has sought permission from the Central Zoo Authority to set up a monkey rehabilitation center to provide medical care and behavior training to violent monkeys.

"In addition to veterinary doctors, the center will have experts and it would be a sort of good manners school for the monkeys," a senior official of the Punjab Wildlife Department told The Hindu, India's National Newspaper.

The first-ever monkey reform school intends to target monkeys who invade villages and pose a severe threat to the people in Punjab, where the monkey population has reached 50,000. These badly behaved primates have been caught biting, attacking, stealing residents' belongings, and even terrorizing children.

"Besides people landing in hospitals after encounters with monkeys, the animals also often get hurt when house owners try to chase them away or keep them out by using live electric wires and other means," said Chief Wildlife Warden of Punjab R.K. Luna.

Divisional Forest Officer of Wildlife Jasmer Singh hopes that the school will catch monkeys from residential areas and educate them on being well-behaved and living socially with other monkeys.

While the monkey delinquents are probably not going bananas over the new rehab center, we wish them the best of luck.

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Tags: india, monkey, rehab