Rajesh Nagarajan said the perpetrator should pay for his actions as the monkey, which appeared to be completely covered in blue paint in a viral video of the incident, may not be able to survive upon its release.

“The monkey would not be accepted by its pack anymore. If the monkey is a juvenile, it would not even be accepted by its mother, which means it’s going to die upon release.

“The authorities need to take this issue seriously and charge the individual over his actions because it is a terrible crime,” he told FMT.

Rajesh, who leads the environmental NGO Peka, also said the paint used may be toxic, which would cause immense pain to the monkey and potentially even lead to its death.

A one-minute video of the incident showed a man spraying what appeared to be paint onto a monkey.

Perhilitan later arrested the suspect on May 24 to be investigated for animal cruelty, which is punishable by a RM5,000 to RM50,000 fine, up to a year in jail, or both, upon conviction.

But there have been no updates on the case since the suspect was released on police bail the same day.

Rajesh also expressed frustration over his failed attempts to request for information on the case from Perhilitan.

“I called Perhilitan several times before I finally got in touch with the investigating officer yesterday. But when I asked for an update, the officer told me to write to the director,” he said.

He urged Perhilitan to be transparent about its investigation and to provide timely updates, citing public concern in the case following the viral video.

“We want to know where the monkey is. Has the monkey been given medical treatment? What’s going on now?” he said, also urging the Animal Welfare Board to speak out on the incident.