With the death of two more monkeys today, the toll rose to 17 in Manikpur area of Howrah district where a troop of monkeys consumed rat poison mistaking it for food yesterday.
Divisional Forest Officer, Howrah, Syed Majedar Hossain, said two more monkeys died and three other ailing ones were sent to the animal rescue centre at Salt Lake.
The forest department has set six traps in the area to capture more ailing monkeys, he said.
The incident occurred yesterday when the monkeys pounced on a hawker mistaking his ware of packets of rat poison for food.
The frightened hawker fled leaving behind his wares. The monkeys then tore off the packets and consumed the poison, which killed them.
Two carcasses were sent for postmortem while 13 others were buried by local people, Forest Range Officer Shyamal Mukherjee had said yesterday.
