KOBE, Japan, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- One former and three current professional wrestlers abused a pet monkey at a gym in Kobe, Japan, police allege.
Police said they intended to present their case to prosecutors that the four men violated the law governing the protection and control of animals, Mainichi Daily News reported Tuesday.
The 10-year-old female Japanese macaque allegedly was burned with a lighter, sprayed with deodorant and subjected to other abusive acts last spring at a gym run by the Dragon Gate wrestling group, the newspaper said. Police started investigating the case after images of the monkey being choked and suffering a nosebleed allegedly turned up on a Web site.
One suspect also is accused of buying the monkey several years ago and failing to register it with the mayor's office.
