Carcasses of 20 monkeys were found stuffed in bags and abandoned along the Kandegala-Kodesoge Road in the Bandipur Tiger Reserve buffer zone near Karnataka’s Gundlupet on Wednesday morning, said forest officials. The incident has come days after five tigers, including four cubs, were found dead in suspected poisoning in the Chamarajanagar district’s M M Hills wildlife sanctuary.
In Gundulpet, passersby spotted the suspicious bags around 6.30 am and immediately alerted forest authorities. A response team comprising the assistant conservator of forests from the Gundlupet division, veterinary staff, and sniffer dogs rushed to investigate the scene.
Initial examination revealed that the monkeys were killed elsewhere and transported to the location to avoid detection. Two monkeys found alive at the site were rescued and transferred to the Gundlupet veterinary hospital for treatment. The project director of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve visited to assess the situation.
Forest officials ordered post-mortem examinations to determine the exact cause of death while analysing CCTV footage from the area. Local residents expressed shock, emphasising that no monkey menace had been reported in surrounding villages, reinforcing suspicions that the monkeys were killed elsewhere and dumped to mislead investigators. A case has been registered, and authorities have formed a special investigation team to probe the incident.
On 27 June, a tigress and four cubs were found dead, and later three people were arrested for alleged poisoning. Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre announced the arrests Saturday, stating that all three suspects were directly involved in poisoning a cattle carcass that was subsequently consumed by the tigress and her four cubs.
The Karnataka forest department formed a high-level inquiry committee headed by BP Ravi, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, and tasked it with submitting a comprehensive report within 14 days. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has also formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the tiger deaths.
The forest department sent Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Y Chakrapani, Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF) Gajanna Hegde, Hanur wildlife division, and Range Forest Officer-cum-surveyor Madesh, Hoogyam wildlife range, on compulsory leave for three months.
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Santosh Kumar G, DCF, Bengaluru headquarters, has been given additional charge of Chakrapani’s responsibilities. Stupil Manohar Ahire and Umapathy K have been posted as ACFs and RFO in place of Hegde and Madesh, respectively.