PERAMBALUR: When M Prabhu rescued the 8-month-old monkey, little did he know its days were numbered. The 38-year-old car driver from Othiyam Samathuvapuram had saved a monkey with dog bite injuries lying unconscious on a tree near his house on Thursday last.
Prabhu chased away the dogs and rushed to a veterinary hospital. Upon reaching the Perambalur-Ariyalur Road, he noticed the monkey was losing its breath. He immediately started pumping its heart and tried to resuscitate it by breathing into its mouth. This video went viral on social media.
Later, the monkey was handed over to Perambalur Forest Department. However, the monkey died after a day of treatment. The news upset Prabhu, who wept over the infant’s death. He told TNIE, “It made me very sad to see the monkey lying unconscious in my hands. So, I tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
“Only on Monday evening, I learned that the monkey was dead. The forest department did not inform me. After learning this, I was very upset and couldn’t stop my tears. I saved it like my baby,” Prabhu said.
When TNIE contacted Perambalur District Forest Officer R Guganesh said, “Usually, it is difficult for wildlife to survive after being in an accident. The monkey died due to poor health a day after it was handed over to us. We buried the monkey after an autopsy.”