The sudden death of two monkeys and the peculiar behaviour by the animals in and around the famous Mallikarjuna temple in Basavanagudi has caught the attention of public and animal lovers.
The visitors to the temple and walkers around the area on Thursday reported the death of two monkeys and raised doubts about the nervous behaviour by their tribe of more than 30 in the area.
The forest officials of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) suspect that the simians may have been poisoned by miscreants.
Assisted by volunteers, forest officials and veterinarians have been trying to rescue these monkeys for diagnosis and treatment.
Prasanna Kumar, honorary wildlife warden, said the residents from a nearby apartment alerted him about the peculiar behaviour of the monkeys. “When we visited the spot, we saw many of them sleeping on the branches and a few moving awkwardly. The carcasses of the two monkeys were also found at the spot,” he said.
“We rescued two monkeys and gave them first aid. Both of them have been sent to the rehabilitation centre at Kengeri for further treatment. We are trying our best to rescue the other animals in the tribe. If they do not get proper medical attention, they may die,” he said.
According to Kumar, the death of monkeys due to diseases or infection is rare in urban localities. “It looks like they have been fed rat poison. We will be able to ascertain the exact cause of death only after the post-mortem report,” he said.
M K Cholarajappa, Deputy Conservator of Forests, BBMP, revealed that they have filed a complaint with the Basavanagudi police to trace the miscreants who might have poisoned the monkeys.
In the meantime, Prasanna Kumar appealed to the public not to kill the monkeys just because they create nuisance in high-rises. “It is common to see monkeys raiding high-rises. But the residents must alert the forest department or wildlife volunteers. They should not resort to killing of monkeys. Culprits can be booked under the Indian Wildlife Act and punished with either a fine of up to Rs 25,000 or imprisonment up to three years,” he said.