Medininagar (Jharkhand) : As many as 32 wild monkeys were suspected to have drowned in an irrigation well in Jharkhand's Palamu district in a bid to quench their thirst, a forest official said on Monday.
It took place in Sorath village in Panki block and the corpses were found on Sunday, but officials were yet to ascertain the exact date of the incident. "A total of 32 wild monkeys were found dead in an irrigation well in Sorath... the corpses were fished out," Medininagar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Kumar Ashish told PTI.
The entire area is reeling under heatwave conditions, with temperatures hovering around 44-45 degrees Celsius. "Sources of water in the area have almost dried up... wild animals are coming to villages in search of water... these monkeys apparently drowned in a bid to quench their thirst," Ashish said.
The well in which the monkeys died had ample water, he said, adding autopsy was conducted but the reports were yet to be received. A few days ago, three jackals wandering in search of water in Chainpur forest died in a well, he said. Last week, bat deaths were reported in Hazaribag, Giridih, Ranchi, Garhwa and Palamu districts, the official said.
Four people died of sunstroke in Jharkhand last week, while 1,326 others were admitted to the hospital amid sweltering heat in most parts of the eastern state. All district hospitals and other medical facilities have been asked to set aside air-conditioned rooms and empty beds for heatstroke patients, officials said.
According to a report, the forest department has launched an investigation into the reasons leading to the death of the wild monkeys in such a large number.
