<p>A monkey, which apparently crossed into Pakistan from India last week, was handed over to a local street performer after authorities at a local zoo in Pakistan's Punjab province refused to take the primate into the facility citing space crunch and lack of veterinarians, officials said on Monday.</p>.<p>Rescue teams captured the monkey from a 200 feet-high cellular tower after hours-long operation.</p>.<p>"Rescue 1122 of Emergency Punjab Services on Friday caught a monkey, which crossed into Pakistan from India bordering Bahawalnagar city (some 260 kms from Lahore)," Rescue 1122 official Muhammad Farooq told PTI on Monday.</p>.<p>Farooq said his department approached the Bahawalnagar Wildlife Department to house the monkey in the zoo, but authorities refused citing space crunch.</p>.<p>"The department said it has no extra cage in the zoo to put the monkey. Therefore it should be handed over to a madaari (local street performer) for its upkeep," he said.</p>.<p>District Wildlife Officer, Bahawalnagar, Munawar Hassain Najmi, told the Dawn newspaper that apart from space crunch at the local zoo, the Bahawalnagar Wildlife Department does not even have a single vet to treat the monkeys.</p>.<p>"The majority of the animals that crossed from India into Pakistan, especially langurs and monkeys, die from injuries, while the Bahawalnagar Wildlife Department does not even have a single vet to treat them," Najmi added.</p>
<p>A monkey, which apparently crossed into Pakistan from India last week, was handed over to a local street performer after authorities at a local zoo in Pakistan's Punjab province refused to take the primate into the facility citing space crunch and lack of veterinarians, officials said on Monday.</p>.<p>Rescue teams captured the monkey from a 200 feet-high cellular tower after hours-long operation.</p>.<p>"Rescue 1122 of Emergency Punjab Services on Friday caught a monkey, which crossed into Pakistan from India bordering Bahawalnagar city (some 260 kms from Lahore)," Rescue 1122 official Muhammad Farooq told PTI on Monday.</p>.<p>Farooq said his department approached the Bahawalnagar Wildlife Department to house the monkey in the zoo, but authorities refused citing space crunch.</p>.<p>"The department said it has no extra cage in the zoo to put the monkey. Therefore it should be handed over to a madaari (local street performer) for its upkeep," he said.</p>.<p>District Wildlife Officer, Bahawalnagar, Munawar Hassain Najmi, told the Dawn newspaper that apart from space crunch at the local zoo, the Bahawalnagar Wildlife Department does not even have a single vet to treat the monkeys.</p>.<p>"The majority of the animals that crossed from India into Pakistan, especially langurs and monkeys, die from injuries, while the Bahawalnagar Wildlife Department does not even have a single vet to treat them," Najmi added.</p>