Bodies of 14 monkeys found in UP village, poisoning suspected

The bodies of 14 monkeys suspected to have been poisoned were recovered from a village in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Sunday.

People in Amserua village said the monkeys did not appear to be from the area, and officials suspect that they may have been brought from another place and given poisonous substances.

The forest inspector has lodged an FIR against unknown persons at the Kothi police station under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Harakh Range's regional forest inspector, Sachin Kumar Patel, said that he was on patrol duty around 7 pm on Friday evening, when villagers informed him about two dead monkeys.

The forest inspector found the monkeys near the water tank between Amserua and Deha Rahimpur. He found seven more monkeys lying dead at some distance in a paddy field.

The department's team returned after dark. The next day, villagers found five more dead monkeys, while one monkey was writhing in pain.

The forest department team reached the spot and sent the monkey that was found alive in critical condition to a veterinary hospital for treatment, and took the rest of the bodies into their custody.

Villagers said that there are no monkeys in the Amserua area. Forest department officers also expressed surprise as to how so many monkeys came to the area.

Forest inspector Patel said eight male and six female monkeys have been found dead.

A post-mortem examination will be conducted by a panel of three doctors at the veterinary hospital in Siddaur.

Remains of wheat and gram were seen in the jaws of all the monkeys. Prima facie, doctors suspect death due to poison. Also, the viscera of all the monkeys have been preserved and sent to a laboratory for examination.

Ranger Mohit Srivastava of the Harakh forest area said that, considering the seriousness of the matter, a case has been registered against unknown persons under the Wildlife Protection Act.

After the post-mortem report comes, more charges may be added, he said.

Villagers are being questioned and CCTV cameras installed on the roads leading to the village are being scanned, Kothi SHO Amit Singh Bhadauriya said.