18 monkeys poisoned to death in Bandipur buffer zone , two recovering

NT Correspondent
Mysuru

Close on the heels of the poisoning of a tigress and her four cubs in MM Hills wildlife sanctuary, nearly two dozen monkeys were allegedly poisoned to death in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district on Wednesday.

Forest department officials who rushed to the spot, recovered the caracasses of the 18 monkeys from the Kodasoge Kandegala Road in Bandipur tiger reserve buffer zone in Gundlupet taluk.

They also rescued the two monkeys which were battling for life, after arranging necessary treatment at the veterinary hospital in Gundlupet town. Assistant director of animal husbandry and veterinary sciences, veterinarian Dr Mahadesh said that the postmortem of the monkeys was conducted under the supervision of forest department officials and samples were sent to advanced laboratories to confirm the exact cause of death.

According to preliminary investigations, forest department officials suspect that local farmers may have poisoned the monkeys, upset over destruction of their crops and later dumped them on the roadside.

Police and forest department officials have verified the CCTV footage along the stretch and have recovered two gunny bags which were found near the caracasses.

The killing of the monkeys has drawn widespread condemnation by villagers and environmentalists. Mysuru wildlife circle chief conservator of forests Malathipriya said that the department will take action after going through the postmortem reports.