The animal home of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (aiims) in Delhi has handed over a batch of 22 ailing monkeys to the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiment on Animals (cpcsea). They will now be recuperating at the Hanuman Vatika in Gurgaon, Haryana, on the outskirts of Delhi.

The animal home at aiims keeps monkeys for various tests and experiments. Institute officials have, however, refused to divulge details about the kinds of tests conducted on the hapless simians, which are between the ages of 25 and 27. "These experiments ultimately benefit patients,' is all that they have to say.

Primatologist Bahar Dutt, who is a consultant with Hanuman Vatika, is more forthcoming: "The monkeys from aiims are traumatised. A few are obese for lack of exercise, and most are malnourished. Two have a history of tuberculosis and several are suffering from severe dental decay. They will take time to recover, but it is unlikely that they will ever be able to return to their natural habitat.'