Alcoholic killer monkey ends up imprisoned for life

Forest and zoo officials in Uttar Pradesh, India had to sentence a monkey to life behind bars. Residents of the north Indian district, Mirzapur lived in fear of being attacked by the monkey locally known as "Kalua." After the monkey horrifically attacked over 250 people, officials were forced to capture it. According to the veterinarian at the Kanpur Zoo, Kalua is too aggressive to be released.

A local occultist had kept Kalua as a pet and source of income. He used to give the monkey alcohol on a regular basis. Eventually, Kalua became addicted to alcohol. The occultist was the only source of alcohol and when its owner died, the monkey was rendered homeless and deprived of alcohol.

The addict, under withdrawal from the intoxicant, became extremely aggressive. Over a short span of time, it became a terror for the locals. It was allegedly more hostile towards women and girls. Its attack on hundreds of people reportedly also led to the death of one of the victims. After receiving multiple complaints, the forest department, as well as officials from Kanpur zoo, launched a coordinated effort to capture Kalua.

According to Times Now, the officials managed to capture Kalua after multiple failed attempts.

The monkey was around three-years-old at the time of capture. Officials expected that the primate would overcome its addiction to alcohol after being rehabilitated at the zoo. According to a local news site, Patrika, the monkey was not only addicted to alcohol, but he was also used to a non-vegetarian diet. Veterinary officer of the Kanpur Zoo, Mohammad Nasir, claimed that Kalua refused to eat vegetables as his diet had primarily consisted of meat.

Nasir noted that Kalua has spent three years at Kanpur zoo. Zoo officials had hoped that he would become less violent and recover from his addiction. However, Nasir claims that Kalua remains too aggressive to be released. Even after years in the zoo, Kalua cannot be kept in a cage with other monkeys. He has not developed any kind of bond with the zookeepers either.

For the benefit of the public as well as Kalua, the zoo veterinarian and officials have announced that he will not be released from captivity for the rest of his life.