Dead stowaway monkeys found in BP shipment
By Carole Carlson ccarlson@post-trib.com/648-3154 June 7, 2012 11:35AM
An Indian monkey showman perform at a railway station in Allahabad, India, Monday, May 14, 2012. The remains of two apparent stowaway monkeys from India were found in a packing crate at the BP Whiting Refinery in Indiana.| AP Photo~Rajesh Kumar Singh
Updated: July 9, 2012 6:13AM
WHITING — Startled contract workers at BP Whiting Refinery found the remains of two monkeys Wednesday in a crate of valves received from India.
Company spokesman Brad Etlin said Thursday the animals, who he called likely stowaways, were moved off-site for safe disposal per Center for Disease Control guidelines.
Etlin said BP promptly consulted with the authorities and he said the dead monkeys never posed a threat to workers or the wider community. A source did express concern that the monkeys could be diseased.
Etlin said the crate of valves for BP’s upgrade project had been shipped from India.
He said normal business operations are continuing at the refinery and there’s been no impact on refinery operations.
Etlin didn’t provide information on the valve supplier or if the equipment had been in storage prior to being shipped.
Rhesus monkeys are a huge problem in New Delhi, where stray monkeys terrorize residents and have bitten children. More than 13,000 monkeys have been trapped since 2007.
The New York Times reported last month the monkey population is so aggressive and huge that New Delhi officials asked India’s Supreme Court to relieve them of monkey control operations.
Monkeys are considered sacred in the Hindu religion.
