Over 20 monkey carcasses stuffed in gunny sacks dumped near Kandegala

Chamarajanagar / Mysuru: In a deeply disturbing development, just days after five tigers were found poisoned in the Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, a mass killing of monkeys has come to light near Kandegala in Gundlupet taluk this morning.

The carcasses of over 20 monkeys were discovered stuffed into two gunny bags and dumped along the Kandegala–Kodasoge road, which falls within the Buffer Zone of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

Around 6.30 am, farmers and passersby heading to their fields noticed the suspicious sacks. Upon opening them, they found the monkey carcasses and two other monkeys barely alive.

Forest officials, alerted immediately, rushed to the spot. Deputy Range Forest Officer (DRFO) Shivakumar and his team from the Gundlupet Buffer Zone quickly transported the two surviving monkeys to the veterinary hospital in Gundlupet for emergency treatment.

Suspected poisoning

Preliminary investigations point to poisoning as the likely cause of death. Forest officers suspect that the monkeys were poisoned elsewhere and their bodies dumped in the Buffer Zone to avoid detection. Officials from the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, including its canine squad, visited the site to assist in the investigation.

Raising further suspicion is the fact that there have been no reported monkey-related issues in the area. Farmers confirmed that monkeys have not been seen in the surrounding fields or trees for years, suggesting the animals were transported from another location.

Veterinary experts are expected to conduct post-mortems to confirm the exact cause of death. Meanwhile, CCTV footage from nearby houses and farm roads is being reviewed to identify the vehicle used to dump the carcasses.

This horrific act follows closely on the heels of another major wildlife tragedy in the region — the poisoning deaths of five tigers in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills.

These back-to-back incidents have sparked outrage and intensified concerns over the rising threat to wildlife in the Chamarajanagar belt. Conservationists and citizens alike are calling for immediate, stronger enforcement and surveillance measures to protect the region’s already vulnerable animal populations.