Monkeys (bonnet macaques) have died of poisoning in Karnataka's Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Earlier, a tigress and her four cubs died of pesticide in Mahadeshwar Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.
20 monkeys were stuffed in a sack and thrown in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district. Two of these monkeys were alive, whom the forest officer sent to the Government Veterinary Hospital in Gundlupet for treatment.
Passersby spotted the suspicious bags
In Gundulpet, passersby spotted the suspicious bags and immediately alerted forest authorities. A response team comprising the assistant conservator of forests from the Gundlupet division, veterinary staff, and sniffer dogs rushed to investigate the scene.
Initial examination revealed that the monkeys were killed elsewhere and transported to the location to avoid detection. Two monkeys found alive at the site were rescued and transferred to the Gundlupet veterinary hospital for treatment. The project director of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve visited to assess the situation.
Forest Minister orders probe
Karnataka Forest Minister Ishwar Khandre has ordered the Forest Conservator and Regional Director of Bandipur Tiger Reserve S Prabhakaran to investigate the death of monkeys.
Prabhakaran said, "The postmortem has been completed. The initial report suggests that the death was caused by poison. We are waiting for the forensic report before reaching any conclusion."
He said, "Who did this? This is still under investigation." Poachers had also killed a leopard in the MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. The Forest Minister of Karnataka has also ordered an investigation into this.