Quiet Death with High Doses of Medication; The Fate of Rhesus Monkeys in Iran

The continuation of life for some wild animals in Iran, rescued from road accidents, hunting, trafficking, circuses, or the hands of offenders, remains uncertain. Animals that usually go to rehabilitation centers for treatment sometimes have no option but a quiet death. This quiet death, through high-dose medication injections, is mostly experienced by animals that are non-native, labeled as invasive, and deemed valueless for Iran's nature and ecosystem. Rhesus monkeys are one such example; they are native to India and Pakistan and are trafficked in Iran, with some being purchased as pets, leading to troubles. According to Iman Memarian, a senior veterinarian at the Pardisan Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Tehran, these troubles do not end with the homes of the keepers. The number of rehabilitation centers in Iran is not significant, but even this limited number has numerous restrictions that determine the fate of injured animals and those left from hunting and death; for instance, they can be sent to zoos or returned to nature. The Mehr News Agency has reported that veterinarians speak of the gradual death of animal species in substandard and remote zoos. Municipal officials also say that if there is an investor, there is no obstacle to allocating space for establishing a standard wildlife care center. The Environment Organization also states that proposed plans for creating such a center will be approved if they comply with the organization's standards and guidelines. Perhaps it is due to the absence of these organizations and centers that, according to some specialists, the increase of non-native animals like raccoons in Iran has also endangered the environment, and the release of other invasive non-native animals could cause similar troubles. According to Iman Memarian, the first option at the Pardisan rehabilitation center is never death accompanied by medication injection, but in many cases, since there is no zoo or center for transferring some non-native and invasive species, there remains no choice but a quiet death for these animals that have been taken out of their geography and favorable living conditions.