Sullia: As many as 28 monkeys were found dead, off the Guttigaru-Balpa Road, in Balpa Reserve Forest area, near Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district, on Thursday, December 14.

As photo of the dead monkeys went viral on social media, a team of forest officials, including Sullia Assistant Conservator of Forest, Range Forest Officer and forest department veterinarian, rushed to the spot. They moved the dead monkeys to the forest department nursery in Yenekallu where the post-mortem was done on Friday, December 15.

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Conservator of Forests Anthony S. Mariyappa said kidney and other samples of the dead monkeys have been extracted. These samples were sent to Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Hebbal and to the Forensic Science Laboratory, Madiwala, both in Bengaluru, to ascertain the cause of death.
Investigation reveals poisoning

Preliminary investigation by the Forest department, Mariyappa said, revealed the poisoning of monkeys in a nearby place and dumping of the carcass in the forest area. Forest personnel are looking at CCTV footage from the area and collecting ground information to locate the spot from where the carcass of monkeys was brought.

The department has registered a complaint under Wildlife Protection Act. The Assistant Conservator of Forests, Sullia, who is investigating the case, has taken permission of Sullia JMFC court to further investigate the case. The dead monkeys are adult Bonnet Macaques.

Mariyappa said the way the macaques have been dumped in the forest area is similar to a recent incident of poisoning of monkeys reported in Tumkur. In May 2020, 15 monkeys were killed by poisoning and dumped by the roadside in Bandaru village in Uppinangady Forest range, he said.