Langurs chained and in cage for sale at Vissannapeta village
Hyderabad: In Vissannapeta village on the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border, ‘monkey business’ takes a whole new meaning even during the lockdown.
Chained to stone pillars or caged by the road under thatched roofs, there are at least 30 grey langurs munching on leaves thrown their way as owners wait for customers who want to buy them to keep other primates away from their premises.
On any given day, 25-30 langurs are illegally captured from the forests near Rajahmundry and sold openly to customers in both AP and Telangana for a prices ranging from Rs 11,000 to Rs 13,000.
“If you want a male, it will cost you Rs 13,000 and a female Rs 11000. Females are easy to handle. If you can’t come this far, I can send the langur to your place with our boys,” said Buiji Seetaiah, who was ready to deliver two langurs to Bhadrachalam.
The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, lists the langur as a protected species under Schedule II and they cannot be owned, traded, bought, sold or hired. The law even stipulates a three-year jail term or fine or both, but villagers of Vissannapeta are not bothered.
“Everyone wants a langur to ward off monkeys and other animals as langurs are very territorial. They are ready to shell out money and it’s good business for us,” said another trader.
Most of them even have business cards along with their name, which says ‘kondamuchulu ammabadunu’ which translates to “langurs for sale” in Telugu.
In March, a gram panchayat office in Telangana’s Bhadracham town purchased three langurs and kept them chained in the office premises.
TOI has accessed images, videos and business cards of these illegal langur sellers that expose the thriving illegal business. In one of the videos, a woman selling the langurs tells a potential buyer how these primates are only available in Vissannapeta and to feed them leaves and guavas.
When contacted, Ananth Shankar, divisional forest officer Krishna district, said that he was not aware of the business.
“We are not aware, but we will definitely consider it if you share the videos and images along with other details.”