KOZHIKODE: While the tragic death of an elephant in Palakkad has opened up fresh debates over man-animal conflicts, a monkey with a disfigured face has been spotted in Wayanad.
Noticed among a troop of monkeys near the COVID Facilitation Centre at Muthanga, the bonnet macaque has lost its right eye and nose. That part of its face resembles a vertical hole, presenting a heart-wrenching sight. While the exact reason for the monkey's plight is uncertain, the Forest Department has launched a probe to identify it.
Wayanad-based photojournalist NP Jayan captured the animal's image on June 4 and passed it on to the Forest Department.
"One of its hands is also wounded severely, oozing pus. It cannot move like other monkeys," Jayan told The New Indian Express.
Acknowledging the receipt of the photograph of the wounded macaque, Wayanad Wildlife Warden P K Asif said the details have been forwarded to the Muthanga Range Officer.
"The probe has begun. We were busy tracking a leopard near Moolankavu in Sulthan Bathery over the past two days, so could not attend to the monkey," Asif said.
With the leopard -- which created a scare in the region -- being captured, the forest officers have turned their attention to the troop of monkeys that continued to hang around the Covid Facilitation Centre.
Meanwhile, wildlife observers have suggested various possibilities as likely causes for the wound. "It could be a hit-and-run case by a vehicle," Jayan said.
Wayanad Prakriti Samrakshana Samiti president N Badusha echoed similar sentiments, citing the case of another monkey.
"There is a monkey without a tail on the Thamarassery Ghat road, which too might have come in the way of a speeding vehicle," he said.
However, Asif, the wildlife warden, said he had not come across any instance of hit-and-run recently. Monkeys are also susceptible to worsening small wounds as a result of scuffles among them, said Dr Anil Zakariya, a government veterinary doctor in Wayanad.
In the backdrop of the elephant in Palakkad having chewed on some explosive-laden fruit, there are chances of the monkey having come into contact with some snare put up to keep wild animals at bay.
At the same time, farmers and the general public from across Wayanad are raising the issue of monkeys and wild boars posing a threat to life and crop. "If the numbers of monkeys or wild boars keep increasing, the government should declare them as vermin and seek permission from the National Wildlife Board to shoot them over a specific period," demanded Badusha.