40 monkeys found dead in Indian city in suspected case of 'mass poisoning'

As many as 40 monkeys have been killed in a suspected case of mass poisoning in the Uttar Pradesh state of India.

The horrific incident came to light on Sunday after the residents of the Garhmukteshwar area of Hapur City complained of foul smells emanating from nearby bushes.

The officials from the Forest Department rushed to the incident site and found the carcasses of 40 monkeys in the area. Several watermelons and jaggery cubes were also found at the site.

The local police have launched an investigation to determine if the monkeys were poisoned or not. "A case has been registered and the cause of their death is being probed," Outlook quoted police officials as saying.

Meanwhile, their bodies have been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly for autopsy.

Monkeys have become a menace for several Indian cities and towns as they roam around, snatching food from people and raiding their houses. The primates are also accused of stealing valuables from tourists in cities like Agra, including eyeglasses, cameras or sometimes cash.

In 2010, a group of farmers from Bihar even formed an organisation to force authorities to act and address the issue after reporting crop loss because of monkey attacks.

Several Indian states, like Karnataka, have reported crop losses worth millions because of monkeys. It is not just farmers that have been hit hard; monkey attacks have also become a problem for city dwellers.

As many as 1,800 annual cases of monkey bites are reported in the capital city alone. There were approximately 50 million monkeys in the country, according to the last count carried out by the government. Deforestation, agriculture, loss of natural habitat, and urbanisation have only added to the woes.

The monkeys are also seen as an avatar of the Hindu monkey god Hanuman and are considered sacred. They are found in large numbers around temples, where people tend to offer them food. Despite their significance, cases of human-primate conflict have only increased. In a tragic case reported in India's capital, Delhi, in 2007, the city's former deputy mayor, SS Bajwa, fell from his terrace and died after monkeys attacked him.

In 2016, the Himachal Pradesh government declared monkeys in the state to be "vermin," which essentially permits the killing of an animal. However, the government says that despite the permit, no monkey was killed while the notification was in force.

It also needs to be noted that monkeys are not the only problem. Stray dog attacks have also reportedly increased all over India in recent years.

Last year, a stray dog managed to enter the maternity ward of a hospital in Panipat, Haryana, and fled with a newborn. The newborn's body was found the next day outside the hospital. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report states that around 20,000 people die annually of rabies in India.

In a gruesome incident reported from Telangana, India, a 4-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs earlier this year. The horrific incident took place in the Amberpet area of Hyderabad.

The boy, identified as Pradeep, was walking alone on the street when four dogs started barking at him and eventually attacked him. He could be seen trying to run away from the dogs when they charged at him and pushed him to the ground again and again. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead.

In another incident reported from Himachal Pradesh in 2021, a seven-year-old boy who was on his way home from a market was brutally attacked and mauled to death by seven stray dogs at Amarkot village.

Dogs have also come under many attacks over the years. In 2017, several stray dogs were tortured and burnt alive, while many others were poisoned to death in Pune, Maharashtra.