Woman killed by mob of monkeys
A woman in India has been killed by a mob of marauding monkeys.
The woman was reportedly cornered by a group of monkeys on her farm in Himachal Pradesh, before they attacked and killed her.
A legislation banning people from catching the monkeys and selling them for medical research has recently been passed.
Reports suggest this new rule has seen a primate boom in Shimla, where there is an average of 400 bites a month.
It is believed there are around 400,000 monkeys in the region, with the attacks being blamed on black-faced langur monkeys, which can grow to 4ft tall and weigh three stone.
According to the NY Post, regional chief justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir said: "The growth of monkeys is at its peak. It is shocking to record that in the last week, we have lost the precious life of a young woman."
An 86-year-old victim of a black-faced langur is also in critical condition at a local hospital with multiple bite wounds and fractures.
Local deputy mayor Takinder Panwar has criticised the local government for the wildlife protection order saying the "population is too large to be supported in the wild and they come into the town looking for easy food".
But conservationists claim they only cause a problem because of the rapid expansion of towns and villages by humans.
According to the Mirror, former Indian Forest Service ranger and Nature Watch campaigner Rajeshwar Negi, 36, said: "We strongly reject and condemn the demands for either culling or allowing the export of monkeys for medical research."
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