National park: 10 monkeys dead, poisoning suspected

Ten monkeys were found lying on the forest floor by trekkers near the banks of the Tulsi Lake, a core area of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), on Saturday. Two monkeys were still alive, but were having seizures and their skin had turned blue, indicating that they might have been poisoned. The bodies of four crows, which were probably feeding on the corpses, were also found at the spot. There were also reports of a surgical knife being found near the bodies, leading to speculation that the monkeys had been killed and then dumped at the spot. Also, trekkers spotted food laid out on plastic bags as well as burnt gloves a few metres away from the bodies.

SGNP authorities, who were unaware of the incident, sent a search team to the spot in the evening after being alerted.

Trekkers who frequent the site, which is in the interiors of the park, were shocked to see the bodies. Chunks of flesh had been gouged out from the corpses. "One of the witnesses told me that one of the monkeys that was still alive was having seizures and its skin had turned blue. It was trying to get up but couldn't. The eyes were swollen. Based on the account, and the photographs the trekkers showed us, the monkeys were young and looked healthy otherwise. This indicates that they might have been poisoned. Moreover, a few crows that were probably feeding on the bodies were also found dead. Ten monkeys cannot just die at the same time," said Dhairya Gada, a zoology student and member of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), an NGO involved in animal rescue work in the city.

"The trekkers said the area was not smelling, which means that they died quite recently, like Friday evening or Saturday morning," added Gada.

Vikas Gupta, SGNP director and chief conservator of forests, said, "No such report has reached the forest officials. If people have spotted such a thing, they should contact forest officers first, not the media. But we did send a team at night, which was unable to find the bodies. Another search party will be sent to the site on Sunday morning. The area will be combed thoroughly. I cannot confirm anything as of now. If the monkeys were indeed killed by poisoning, an investigation will be done."

Monkeys, like all other wild animals, are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Poisoning falls under the category of 'hunting' in the Act. If the monkeys were indeed poisoned, and that too intentionally, then hunting a wild animal in a protected area (in this case, SGNP) invites strict punishment which includes both imprisonment and a fine.