Mass Monkey culling

Mangaluru: A heart wrenching incident unfolded on Thursday, December 14, as 28 lifeless monkeys were discovered along the Guttigaru-Balpa Road in the Balpa Reserve Forest area, near Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district. The distressing images of the deceased monkeys quickly spread on social media, prompting a swift response from a team of forest officials, including the Sullia Assistant Conservator of Forest, Range Forest Officer, and a forest department veterinarian.

The lifeless monkeys were relocated to the forest department nursery in Yenekallu, where a post-mortem examination was conducted on Friday, December 15. Assistant Conservator of Forest (wildlife) Praveen Shetty told Hans India that kidney and other samples were extracted from the deceased primates. These samples were dispatched to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals in Hebbal and the Forensic Science Laboratory in Madiwala, both situated in Bengaluru, for a comprehensive analysis to determine the cause of their tragic demise.

Initial investigations by the Forest department unveiled a sinister act of poisoning inflicted upon the monkeys in a nearby location, followed by the disposal of their carcasses in the forest area. Forest personnel are diligently reviewing CCTV footage from the vicinity and gathering on-the-ground information to pinpoint the origin of the monkeys' remains. A formal complaint has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, and the Assistant Conservator of Forests, Sullia, leading the inquiry, has secured permission from the Sullia JMFC court to intensify the investigation.

The deceased monkeys are identified as adult Bonnet Macaques, the disturbing similarity between this incident and a prior case in Tumkur, where, in May 2020, 15 monkeys fell victim to poisoning and were callously dumped by the roadside in Bandaru village within the Uppinangady Forest range. The forest department remains committed to uncovering the truth behind this appalling act, seeking justice under wildlife protection laws.