In a shocking incident, 24 monkeys were found dead in an open area near the Tiruchi-Chennai national highway at Nedungur, a few kilometresaway from Tiruchi, on Sunday. Locals noticed the dead monkeys in the morning and immediately alerted the Forest Department officials who rushed to the spot.
A Forest Department official said 18 out of the 24 monkeys were male and six were female. The department has launched an investigation into the incident, constituting a team.
Although the cause of the death was not known immediately, the autopsy report would establish the reason behind it , the official said. The age of themonkeys would also be determined in the post-mortem. It is being suspected that the monkeys would have been caught in some other place or district and their bodies dumped near the highway.
Chief Conservator of Forests, Tiruchi Circle, N. Satheesh told The Hindu that a special team had been formed to probe the “unnatural death” of the monkeys. Poisoning of the monkeys was also not being ruled out, he said, adding that the post mortem report would determine the exact cause of the death.
Samples would be lifted from the monkeys for testing, he further said.
A case would be booked by the Forest Department in this connection, Mr. Satheesh added..
