Fifteen monkeys found dead in MP forest after likely water war

In a chilling reminder of how rising temperatures can play havoc with an ecosystem, 15 monkeys have died of heat stroke in a Madhya Pradesh forest after another group apparently denied them access to river.

Nine Rhesus monkeys were found dead in Joshi Baba area of Punjapura forest range in Dewas district Thursday. Another six emaciated bodies were found the next day.

A group of larger and stronger monkeys, numbering around 60, was found to be 'guarding' the nearby Pouni, a tributary of the Kali Sindh river, divisional forest officer P N Mishra told PTI Saturday.

The river had dried up in many places, and according to locals, the group of bigger monkeys was seen chasing away others who tried to drink the water that was left, he said.

This stretch of river was only 800 meters away from the spot where the dead monkeys were found, Mishra said.

It was likely that the group of bigger monkeys did not allow the deceased ones to drink from the river, he said.

The mercury had risen to 45 degrees Celsius in the area in the last few days.

Autopsy revealed that the monkeys died of multi-organ failure following hyper-thermia (extremely high body temperature), he said, adding that viscera have been sent to a hospital at Sagar for further tests.

"We have made water arrangement nearby for the group to which the deceased monkeys belonged," he said.

"It is shocking that this herbivorous species has developed the tendency of dominating a water source," Mishra added.

Usually, it is deer which fall victim to water scarcity in jungle, he said.