In a facsimiled message, the Delhi-based Animal Welfare Board has asked the National Centre for Laboratory Animal Sciences (NCLAS) here to release nearly 30,000 animals under its care.

The fax has put the animal house in a fix. Should it follow the directive and release the animals on the streets of Hyderabad or will someone come and take them away? The fax is silent on these aspects and wants NCLAS to follow the order without a minute's delay. It has asked the local Blue Cross to cross-check whether the animals have been freed or not and send a status paper post-haste.

In its fax, the Board has alleged that since the animals under NCLAS are "being treated cruelly", all the monkeys, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs and other animals would have to be releasedforthwith.