THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, June 3: It’s death by drowning for 32 monkeys at village Soraath under the Panki block last night.
The highly putrefied carcasses were manually retrieved from the 20-foot-deep concrete well. The monkeys were buried after the post-mortem.
Three vet doctors, including one from the Palamu Tiger Reserve conducted the post-mortem.
Palamu district animal husbandry officer Dr Prabhakar Sinha said, “I sent Rajat Singh, a touring veterinary officer, and Santosh Rabani Panki, block animal husbandry officer, to assist the vet doctor of the PTR in conducting the post-mortem of the monkeys.”
Dr Sinha said the carcasses had been putrefied and there was an all-around fetid smell. He said it was all a death by drowning.
Heatwave takes toll on bats
Just a few days back, a heatwave had taken a toll on the fruit bats in the Garhwa district.
This is the first episode of its kind here when there is a mass death of the monkeys by water!
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Ranger Umesh Dubey said the well is of a land owner and the well is not on the forest land either. He said the well is old and robust and has 7 to 8 feet of water. He said the incident occurred late in the evening of Sunday.
Incharge DFO Medininagar Kumar Ashish said, “It’s sad, too sad. The monkeys 32 in number died by drowning all for drinking water.”
Heat and rising temperature
He said, “It’s heat and rising temperature to be blamed squarely. The monkeys saw the water in the well and thought it to be a pool but it proved fatal for them.”
Ashish reminded that just around 2 weeks ago a forest team had rescued three jackals alive from a well under the Chainpur block where these jackals had jumped in to drink water.
Ashish further reminded that deer, nilgai etc that fall in well all for the water are not always lucky enough to be rescued alive. Some get fatally injured. Some get shocked to death. Few come out to survive, he added.
Ashish said there is one thing in common. It is the search for water that leads poor animals to lose life in acute and severe summer.
He further said the carcasses of the 32 monkeys were buried after the post-mortem. It was a silent burial with respect, he added.
Ranger Umesh Dubey said salt was sprinkled on the carcasses for a faster decomposition beneath the earth.
The grave of the monkeys was dug up by labourers. It was a human farewell to the dead monkeys.
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