As many as 36 monkeys were found dead in abandoned bags at Chowdanahalli in Kogilamane Gram Panchayat, Belur taluk, on Wednesday night.
Unidentified people had dumped the bags filled with dead monkeys near the village. A few villagers noticed the bags around 10 p.m. and opened it to find the dead monkeys. They subsequently informed the police, forest officials, and veterinary doctors.
Gangadhara Nayak, chief veterinary officer at Arehalli in Belur, told The Hindu that his staff reached the spot around midnight. “Our staff noticed that two monkeys were in critical condition. They took them to a hospital for treatment, and one died later. Totally, 36 monkeys are dead,” he said.
The veterinarians who conducted the autopsy suspect that the monkeys were killed by poisoning. Samples collected will be sent to the divisional laboratory at Mysuru for further examination. Hassan Deputy Conservator of Forests K.N. Basavaraj said there were no reports of a monkey menace in Belur taluk. He said miscreants from other places might have dumped the dead animals at Chowdanahalli. “We are conducting an investigation with the help of the police,” he said.