Karnataka: 20 monkey carcasses found, poisoning suspected

Twenty monkey carcasses were found in Karnataka’s Chamarajanagar district in a suspected poisoning case, days after five tigers were similarly killed. Forest officials are investigating the incident amid public outrage and action against negligent forest staff.

Chamarajanagar: Close on the heels of the shocking incident involving the poisoning of five tigers, authorities have recovered the carcasses of 20 monkeys in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka on Wednesday.

Forest and police officials suspect that the monkeys were poisoned. They further stated that the accused had killed the monkeys by poisoning them at one location and dumping the bodies at another spot. The carcasses of monkeys were recovered within the Gundlupet police station limits, along the Kandegala-Kodasoge road. More details about the incident are yet to emerge.

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Earlier, the carcasses of the tigress and the cubs were discovered in the Meenyam forest area, within the Hoogyam range of the sanctuary, last week. The authorities had cracked the case and arrested three persons in connection with the incident. The arrested individuals have been identified as Konappa, Madaraju and Nagaraju, all residents of Koppa village.

The probe revealed that the tigress had killed the cow owned by one of the accused and dragged it into the forest. She and four of her cubs had partially consumed the meat. Later, the tigress and her cubs returned to the remains of the cow, which had been poisoned by the accused. The accused had confessed to shocking details about the poisoning of the big cats.

The arrested individuals, Madaraju, Nagaraj, and Konappa, have been remanded to three days of custody with forest officials, as ordered by Judge M. Kavyashree.

Following backlash for not initiating action against senior officials of the Forest Department in connection with the sensational case involving the death of a tigress and her four cubs in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills forest region, the Karnataka government had sent three senior officials on compulsory leave.

The order noted that the five tigers were found dead just 100 metres from the road. Despite the carcasses lying there for several days, the officers remained unaware. The location was merely 800 metres from the anti-poaching camp. It was also mentioned that the staffers at the anti-poaching camp had not been paid for the past three months.