Eight donkeys were kept in prison for four days after they chomped on some expensive plants.
The animals were detained for allegedly eating thousands of pounds worth of plants that were supposed to go outside the Urai Jail in the Jalaun district of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The prison’s head officer told Indian media: ‘These donkeys had destroyed some very expensive plants which our senior officer had arranged for planting inside jail. Despite warnings the owner let loose his animals so we detained the donkeys.’
The owner of the animals was not informed of what happened to his donkeys, but after frantically searching for them, he received information that they were inside the jail.
He then approached the officials at the prison, but they refused to let the donkeys go, according to Indian press reports.
It was after the owner sought the help of a local politician, who came personally to the jail, that the donkeys were released, after being detained for four days.
The jail superintendent said that there is no law allowing the arrest of animals, adding that these donkeys were confined to teach their owner a lesson, since they were causing road mishaps on many occasions.