BENGALURU: The death of two monkeys in Basaveshwara Nagar, a residential area, has got residents, animal rescuers and conservationists questioning the attitude of the Forest Department staffers who had claimed that the issue should be handled by the forest wing of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.
Animal rescuers and veterinarians also alleged that till Tuesday evening, the Forest Department had been dragging its feet in sending the viscera samples of the dead monkeys to the Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals (IAHVB) for forensic analysis.
Residents of the area had found two monkeys lethargically moving around on Sunday and informed animal rescuers. The rescuers were able to save one of them and send it to an animal shelter in Kengeri for medical attention.
However, the veterinarians stated that the animal was brought dead. The second dead monkey was removed from the rear of an apartment complex in the locality only on Monday evening. “It is not possible that only two could have died. There could be many others also, but the Forest Department is not checking or doing anything. They are simply passing the buck. So we are searching for more carcasses,” said Bhagya, a local.
Rescuers and locals claim that it is a clear case of man-animal conflict. They also suspect that the animals may have been fed poisoned food by restaurants and hotel staffers in the vicinity. Dr Nawaz Shariff, chief veterinarian, People For Animals, said the viscera samples are being sent for forensic analysis.
Clinally it looks to be a case of poisoning and since it is a medico-legal case, a registered government recognised lab must conduct the forensic analysis. He added that only one animal was brought to the hospital for treatment and its vital organs were failing, despite all medical emergency treatment. Ravishankar S S, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru Urban, said that normally they do not deal with such cases in urban areas, but this case is being examined in detail.